Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my Ball for only about 5 months and this is the first time it's shed. It's only shed from the tip of it's nose to just behind the eyes, and it's been like that for some 2 weeks now. The other skin is dry and trying to flake off but has not done so. I've been misting the cage, soaking the ball in warm water, I tried a shedding spray, I put warm water-soaked paper towels to raise the moisture level, nothing so far as helped at all, I don't know what to do at this point, any ideas?

You've probably already thought of this, but does your snake have enough rough surfaces to rub against? Try providing cork bark/astroturf/etc in a variety of places in the cage so that the snake can rub them from various angles. Also, if you haven't already, you probably should invest in a hydrometer to be really sure about the humidity level (you can get them for less than $10).

Also, a bad shed can indicate other health problems, including internal parasites (which your snake is very likely to have if it was wild caught). The fact that your ball is having a hard time despite the abundant moisture makes me suspect that it might have parasites--time to see the vet, maybe?

I've got a number of rough surfaces but I might try adding another one or two, I've done some research and I have a few more things I might try, I really hope it's nothing medically wrong, thanks for the help!

Soak a snake bag in warm water, wring it out well and put the snake in it. Tie it shut and place the snake in the bag back in the cage. Leave him in there for a number of hours or even over night.

One caution. Don't use a good quality pillowcase with a high thread count. The higher the thread count, the tighter the weave. When the theads get wet they swell a little bit and it's possible for the bag to become airtight. This is NOT likely but is possible. Use cheap pillowcases or bags that are made for snakes.

>>I've had my Ball for only about 5 months and this is the first time it's shed. It's only shed from the tip of it's nose to just behind the eyes, and it's been like that for some 2 weeks now. The other skin is dry and trying to flake off but has not done so. I've been misting the cage, soaking the ball in warm water, I tried a shedding spray, I put warm water-soaked paper towels to raise the moisture level, nothing so far as helped at all, I don't know what to do at this point, any ideas?

I'd like the experienced people to respond to whether it's normal for a young ball python to go five months without a shed. How big is your snake? My understanding is that young snakes shed about once every four to six weeks. I'd like to hear someone address this question.

Thanks,

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

Thats another one of those snake dependant questions - snakes shed as they grow - if you have a snake that is not growing very fast - then it wouldn't be unheard of for it not to shed for a few months. This could also be an indication of something else wrong if he is eating appropriately and not growing then the snake could well have some health issues. He says he's had the snake for 5 months which would lead me to beleive that it is at least 6-7 months old maybe older - could very well just be that it's just reached a point where the growth has slowed - in my expereince this usually happens around a year old, being that it's winter snake could be off feed or feeding sporatically which may be another reason.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

10.35.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi - yeah I know but my kids love the book)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.1 Lizard rescued from feline
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer

This is the first time mine has shed since I got it over the summer so I think it's probably normal for younger snakes to shed less often, but I don't know that for a fact, that's just my experience.

Thanks for the information on that. I had a wrong impression and thought that the long time between sheds might itself be a symptom. I learn something new on here all the time.

Thanks,

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

IMHO, it is not normal to go this long without shedding. A young reptile is assumed to be growing. While it grows it sheds. Snakes also shed without growing (larger). They don't stop shedding once they become adults do they? No. Once they become adults, it just slows down. BPs up to a year of age should shed once every 4-6 weeks. If it has been 5 months, I'd say there are some other issues.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles