Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi guys, i got a severly malnutrition ball python last month. it was in very bad shape when i got it and i was hoping to nurse it back to health.. i have been feeding it 2 rat pinkies once a week. last week it started to shed but the due to malnutrition it cant shed properly. i tried soaking and increasing the temp but it doesnt help, What should i do now? any info is appreciated.. tks

First shed might be rough if it comes from a bad environment. He will shed since he is eating, first up the humidity not heat, heat will dry things out more and you need the moisture for a good shed. What has worked for me in the past is take a warm damp towel, put it and the snake in a rubbermaid and leave it for an hour (in a warm spot though so as not to chill the snake) should end up with a dirty towel clean snake.
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Nita Hamilton
5.9 Normal BP's
1.0 Het Orange Ghost
1.4 Humans (DH, Me and 3 daughters)

If the shed skin is retained in tiny pacthes, then it is not a big deal and probably won't affect the snake's feeding pattern. If the shed skin covers most of the body, the front of the face, or the eyes then I would take some action.
Rather than trying to remove the shed skin by hand, I would soak the snake to get large pieces off and provide a humidity chamber to finish the deal.....it is less stessful on the snake. The less stress you put on the snake at this point, the better.
Check out the link below for some more info if you need it.

Joe

Joe Compel Reptiles - Ball Bits - Humidity Chamber