Ball Python Shedding im guessing?

[iluvcreepystuff]

We bought rats at the last local reptile show for feeders but I think they have grown too big for my 3 foot male ball python.
He will strike at it and acts like he wants it but he doesn't aim for any certain spot like its nose he just bites where he sees.
Also after he bites it once he will start doing this weird thing with his mouth where he opens one side and closes it over and over and then he does it with the other side.
It almost looks like when he strikes one row of teeth gets wedged in behind the other and hes trying to straighten them back out.
I hope it is nothing serious.

 

[Shell]

What makes you think he is pre-shed? Are his eyes clouded at all? My BP's won't even consider food when they are pre-shed.

It sounds like the rats may in fact be too big. What he is doing with his mouth is flexing and unhinging/hinging his jaws, so he may be trying to prep himself to take prey that is too big.

If you watch them after they eat, they will do the same thing with their jaws, putting everything "back in place" so to speak. I would suggest getting a mouse (if you are trying to feed adult rats, than get an adult mouse) and trying him with that, to see if he is in fact hungry but the rats you have are maybe too big.

Edit* As an after thought. BP's are also notoriously picky eaters. Has he ever taken rats before? If not it is possible that he's hungry but doesn't want it as it's not what he is used to.

 

[DrJ]

Most of my balls eat when they are in shed....However, all animals are different. And, what Shell said is correct. BPs can be some of the most finicky eaters out there. Some of mine will get real picky on location. Once they get used to eating rats from Big Cheese, they refuse for a while if I then switch to Rodent Pro, and vice versa. If he hasn't eaten rats, go back to mice for a while.

 

[Shell]

Most of my balls eat when they are in shed....However, all animals are different. And, what Shell said is correct. BPs can be some of the most finicky eaters out there. Some of mine will get real picky on location. Once they get used to eating rats from Big Cheese, they refuse for a while if I then switch to Rodent Pro, and vice versa. If he hasn't eaten rats, go back to mice for a while.

I should have said that better lol

99% of the time mine won't even consider food while shedding, however my female has once or twice eaten after her eyes have cleared, but before she has shed

 

[iluvcreepystuff]

He has only ate rats never mice and I tried a mouse but same effect.

 

[Shell]

When did he last eat? What are his temps and humidity?

 

[iluvcreepystuff]

When did he last eat? What are his temps and humidity?

He last ate about a week and a half ago I havent tried again since 3 days ago I may try tonight.
We have nowhere else to put him he is rite beside a wood stove so it stays about 80-90 degrees F with a heat pad on the opposite side of the water dish, under his hide, so rite temp, its hard to keep humidity up around a wood stove, I dont have a hygrometer (Im getting some this weekend at the rep show) but I mist him probably 5 times a day and he has a water dish big enough to lay in.
He seems happy, sleeping in the day wandering around in the night I havent held him since my last feeding attempt.
My mom loves him and my t's, (rare and a good thing) she likes holding him and even no I tell her if he doesn't eat dont hold, she still urges me to but I haven't gave in.

 

[Shell]

He last ate about a week and a half ago I havent tried again since 3 days ago I may try tonight.
We have nowhere else to put him he is rite beside a wood stove so it stays about 80-90 degrees F with a heat pad on the opposite side of the water dish, under his hide, so rite temp, its hard to keep humidity up around a wood stove, I dont have a hygrometer (Im getting some this weekend at the rep show) but I mist him probably 5 times a day and he has a water dish big enough to lay in.
He seems happy, sleeping in the day wandering around in the night I havent held him since my last feeding attempt.
My mom loves him and my t's, (rare and a good thing) she likes holding him and even no I tell her if he doesn't eat dont hold, she still urges me to but I haven't gave in.

Is there no way to maybe put him in your room or something? A wood stove will give off an awful lot of dry air for a snake that needs humidity. I'm just trying to figure this all out not to be rude.

Do you have thermometers in his enclosure? For my BP's the hot end stays at 90, the middle is about 84-86 and the cool end is about 80-82 (the middle and cool ends will fluctuate a tiny bit, but I do my best to keep hot ends always at 90.) Having temps that are too low can cause respiratory infections (watch for the snake to sit around with it's mouth open and head raised, listen for wheezing, and/or white foamy substance around mouth.)

In my enclosures there is a water dish in the hot end, a hide in each end, and also I give them humid hides when they are pre-shed, just to give them an option. Also in my opinion keeping the water dish in the hot end, helps a bit with keeping humidity up.

I recommend a digital hygrometer, much more accurate. You don't want to be misting too much as wet substrate can cause scale rot among other things. I recommend a plastic bin over a glass enclosure to. In my experience, glass is far more difficult to maintain proper humidity in.

Also if he just ate a week and a half ago, I really wouldn't be worried. My female hasn't eaten since Jan 4. It's just that time of year. I weigh mine periodically (especially when fasting that isn't due to a shed) also, and keep track of weights (I keep a log of everything for each snake.) In my experience also, this time of year they go off feed, and males can be worse. Just keep offering periodically but unless he is losing alot of weight or looks sickly I wouldn't be worried.

 

[iluvcreepystuff]

No my room is under construction because the ceiling fell through and there is all kinds of mold and other things in the ceiling where it fell.
I do need to put a humid hide in though but ive got a water dish, a hide, some plants, and a piece of drift wood and that pretty much takes the whole tank up.
But the heat pad under the water would make the water too hot wouldn't it?

 

[Shell]

No my room is under construction because the ceiling fell through and there is all kinds of mold and other things in the ceiling where it fell.
I do need to put a humid hide in though but ive got a water dish, a hide, some plants, and a piece of drift wood and that pretty much takes the whole tank up.
But the heat pad under the water would make the water too hot wouldn't it?

The heat pad isn't directly under the water dish, it's under the bins, it's just getting the transferred heat. No you wouldnt want the heat pad directly under the bowl, but under the tank itself, the water in my enclosures is warm to the touch but not hot.

Get a hygrometer so you know exactly what your humidity is, and build a humid hide. Once you know exactly what level your humidity is at, it is much easier to control with misting and you know you aren't keeping things too wet. The humid hide also allows your snake to regulate it's humidity to it's needs a little better.

I don't keep any plants in my enclosures, gives me a little more space for a humid hide. I would get the hygrometer first and get a feel for the humidity level before changing the water dish etc around. Your set up may be fine, its hard to say without one. I still would recommend a humid hide, even if you only put it in when you know your snake is pre-shed.