Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a young black rat snake that was having some peeling on his head. The skin has now peeled off, leaving a paler area underneath. He has also not eaten in two weeks, and still refused to feed today. Right now I have him in a plastic container with some damp paper towels to try and give him some extra humidity. Also the scales on one side of his body, just past his head, are sort of sticking out and looking a little curved back. That's the best way I can describe it I suppose.

I bought him at a pet store almost eight weeks ago, and not once have I seen him in a blue phase. He ate weekly until four weeks ago when he went two weeks without eating, and it has been two weeks since that last feed.

I just wanted to see what advice I could get before I take him to the vet.

Here is a picture of his head, although it's not that great.

Here is a reply that I cut and paste for shedding problems:

If your snake has started to shed, but has patchy unshed skin remaining, take a plastic animal cage, such as the Kritter Keepers, which are sold by pet stores and animal suppliers, of an appropriate size. Make sure the container is secure! Nothing is worse than finding that your snake has escaped the container. Put about 1/2 to one inch of warm water in the bottom. Then put several paper towels in on top of the water. Put the snake in there. Then put a few dripping wet paper towels on top of the snake. Leave the snake in there for about 30 minutes. Check to see if the snake has completely shed. If not, put the snake back in for another 30 minutes. Repeat as necessary. I have also heard of people using small towels in these containers. The beauty of paper towels is that you can just throw them away instead of having to wash them. You can also take a wet sock, for a small snake; or a wet pillow case, for a larger snake; and put the snake into it, secure the top, and put the whole thing into the snake’s cage overnight.
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phflame
kingsnake.com host