Stuck shed???

[Bogertophis]

Here's the thing: If your snake really is "anorexic" to where he has refused food for long enough to be thin & losing weight noticeably (as he sorta looks from that one limited photo?), then it's likely time for further action. Especially if your snake is young & doesn't have fat reserves, it's time to do more. Please don't wait "too long".

Think about when a human goes in the hospital for any illness or injury. If they're unable or unwilling to eat, they have an IV line so they stay functional- without that modest nutritional support, their body cannot function, much less heal...it will fail. And they won't feel good enough for their appetite to return, so they end up in a downward spiral- no appetite, no eating, no improvement, bad outcome.

We don't do IVs on snakes- but what you CAN do is either tube-feed (my personal choice as it has worked well for me many times, & I find it's far easier on the snake than the alternative) or "assist-feed" aka "force-feed" ("the alternative" of which I'm not a fan). If you want detailed instructions for tube-feeding, let me know? I'll happily share my technique- you can totally do this.

What happens when you tube feed a snake: (depending on the cause, of course) It's not meant to replace a full meal- it's meant to supplement & stimulate the appetite with easily digestible food. Often after one or more tube-feedings, a snake's appetite may return & they'll eat on their own. Without that energy, they don't feel like eating & just keep going downhill. Many just need a little help to get going again.

A huge bonus with tube-feeding is the added hydration: many anorexic/thin-underfed snakes are also dehydrated, & without adequate hydration, they cannot digest whole prey ingested, & may regurgitate such meals- which makes things worse- sometimes much worse. Tube feeding, done properly & gently, is very well tolerated, so the snake can actually use the nutrients with added hydration.

It's much like when you're recovering from the flu- when you're ready to start eating again, you don't start off with a cheeseburger & fries.

Again-for how to post pictures here- https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures

You posted these on 1-5-24...Has he eaten since then? If so, how much???
https://flic.kr/p/2pqKzQN

https://flic.kr/p/2pqCH5y

https://flic.kr/p/2pqK85c