Good news! He shed out completely last night. He appears to be back to normal. I'll feed him tonight, and I'll feel much better watching him pound a couple of mice. Assuming he eats like his normal enthusiastic self, I'll consider him good to go.

Thanks for the info on stomatitis. I'll keep that in mind. I had also never heard that carpets get swollen around the head/pits pre shed. That's very reassuring. Compared to my adult Ball who sheds out clean in 4 to 6 days, my Carpet makes quite a spectacle of the whole deal.

Thanks for the help, interest, and reassurance!
Josh