Poorly Nippy snake

Question
I have a albino californian king snake, called nippy.  He's normally a good eater and regular shedder, but he last ate on new years eve and he hasn't shed since the 17th of december.  His skin is looking sore in places, started to crack and looks pink in places.  He hasn't had a poo for a while either.  Any idea what is up?  I've put his water bowl on his heat mat,so his tank is more like a steam room.  He seems happy enough, but i'm worried about him.

Answer
It's really hard to say without seeing the snake. Remember that snakes hibernate (brumate) in the winter, so they can sense the change of seasons just by the amount of sunlight during the day. Their bodies naturally slow down on eating during this time, so it's possible that's part of it.

Instead of making the whole cage a steam room, put the water back on the cool side. Take a plastic container (like a margarine container), cut a hole in the side, and add some damp (not wet) sphagnum moss or damp paper towel. Put it on the cool side. This will allow him the humidity without being subjected to the heat.

For the skin sores you can try some neosporin. It may be that you have too much humidity in there now or the ground is moist. If so make sure the ground is dry. If this is not the problem it could be worth a trip to the vet.