# Ball Pythons > BP Husbandry > Advanced BP Husbandry >  fluid buildup under skin

## cassirose

My bp has an area where there is fluid buildup under her skin. Her skin is stretched out and if I move her the fluid moves around in this pocket of sorts. I have no idea what this is. Its almost like a blister. The fluid looks pinkish in the sunlight. Please help

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## Albert Clark

> My bp has an area where there is fluid buildup under her skin. Her skin is stretched out and if I move her the fluid moves around in this pocket of sorts. I have no idea what this is. Its almost like a blister. The fluid looks pinkish in the sunlight. Please help


Wow! Need a picture of the whole animal and the affected areas. Include a description of the enclosure with your husbandry numbers and a pic of the enclosure would be helpful. Stay in peace and not pieces. :Good Job:

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dr del (03-15-2015)

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## AnnaK231

Cassie, a good guess (without seeing pics) is that it IS a blister from a burn. If you have an under the tank heat pad that is not on a thermostat, disconnect it ASAP. 


Again, without seeing pics it's hard to say for certain. Check the underbelly and see if there are burns, if there are call an exotic vet and get an appointment IMMEDIATELY. If it's a bad burn go ahead and see if they can get you in over the lunch hour or call an emergency exotics vet. 

Please keep us posted.

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## cassirose

> Wow! Need a picture of the whole animal and the affected areas. Include a description of the enclosure with your husbandry numbers and a pic of the enclosure would be helpful. Stay in peace and not pieces.


Heres some pictures of her and one of her tank. Sorry the glass needs to be cleaned.
http://m.imgur.com/qOICkEH
http://m.imgur.com/I1VvhMfthe blister starts where my thumb is on her body down to where it is bulging.http://m.imgur.com/TMRy6lC  its hard to see but her scales are starting to turn pink on her belly.
Ive also noticed a small pink area thats starting to become a blister next to her head as well. 
http://m.imgur.com/32LPQfLAs for the enclosure itself. Theres coconut fiber substrate from zoomed, just a plain heating lamp on top on the right side of tank. Temp not so sure the thermometer I had broke, but I know shes not getting overheated or underheated. Sorry for hyperlinks the pictures wouldnt show up for some reason on post. Im on mobile device so this may be why. Ill be glad to answer any other questions

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## dr del

That really doesn't look good.  :Sad: 

I'd be really tempted to have a vet look at that and triple check the temperatures at all points of the enclosure. I'd be worried the whole dermis will slough off with the shed.  :Sad:

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## salt

Your snake needs to go to the vet. Has she been eating? Please take a look at the how to set up a glass tank thread. Also how can you be sure that your temperatures are in safe range if you don't have a thermometer?

Consider picking up a temperature gun.

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## Albert Clark

> My bp has an area where there is fluid buildup under her skin. Her skin is stretched out and if I move her the fluid moves around in this pocket of sorts. I have no idea what this is. Its almost like a blister. The fluid looks pinkish in the sunlight. Please help


Well, thanks for the pics, they were very helpful. It looks very serious and the blistering could be from several things. How long has she had the blistering? How old is she? It's very obvious that she is very dehydrated and nutritionally deficient which is making it more difficult for her to heal. Everything at this point is secondary until she gets evaluated by a herp vet. The little girl looks really sick boss! I would make a appointment for the vet right away to give her a chance to get better. Stay in peace and not pieces. Good luck! :Good Job:

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## anicatgirl

:Surprised:  Whoa dang...... Vet time ASAP!

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## Skiploder

> My bp has an area where there is fluid buildup under her skin. Her skin is stretched out and if I move her the fluid moves around in this pocket of sorts. I have no idea what this is. Its almost like a blister. The fluid looks pinkish in the sunlight. Please help


You need to take the substrate out and get her onto a paper towel substrate.

This could be fungal or bacterial - I've seen it both ways.  Your goal at this point should be several-fold:

1.  Dial in you husbandry parameters.   Proper regulated hot spot, ambient, etc.

2.  Provide as clean and sterile environment as possible for the eventuality that these blisters may break.  

3.  See a qualified reptile vet as soon as possible.  Not a dog vet, not a farm vet, but a vet that can properly diagnose and treat this animal.

Without laying hands on the snake I cannot pin point the exact cause of this.  My understanding of your setup is that you have no undertank heat, only an overhead lamp with no way for her to get close enough to receive a burn on her dorsal or lateral sides.  The pink belly scales could be several things - from benign to worrisome.  Problem is that I cannot see enough from the pictures to determine whether the distress to her skin is triggering a shed or whether something more serious is occurring.

I'm a little baffled because you appear to have a screen top.  Many of these fungal and bacterial diseases that result in dorsal or lateral blistering are caused by excessive humidity.  However the fact that her ventral scales may be clear and the fact that you may have a screen top would rule that out - as the belly would be the first area to blister if conditions were excessively humid.

Now people are going to start chiming in here with recommendations to bathe her in some solution or another, or urging you to apply some ointment.  Before you traipse down that road understand that if the problem is fungal, bathing in or applying common antibacterial agents will result in the fungal problem worsening.

Take her to see a vet, and in the meantime make sure that her temps are spot on and that her environment is as sterile as possible.

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_200xth_ (03-18-2015),_Albert Clark_ (03-18-2015),ballpythonluvr (03-18-2015),dr del (03-18-2015),_George1994_ (03-18-2015),PitOnTheProwl (03-18-2015),Stewart_Reptiles (03-18-2015),xyzpdq75 (03-18-2015)

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## cassirose

Well Im scared it could be an infection from a wild mouse. She got loose a while back and ended up eating some mice that were in the house. But I will be taking her to the vet asap. I was not sure at all what it was and if it needed vet care.

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## cassirose

Shes almost a year old and usually eats fine. I havent fed her due to all this showing up but if I need to ill attempt to but I was worried feeding would make it worse.

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## Stormy

What and how often are you feeding her?  She looks really, really small and skinny for being a year old.

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## Asherah

Aside from the blister. Has she been off feed for a while? She looks very thin and her backbone is quite prominent. At nearly a year old she shouldn't be thumb sized.

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## cassirose

Ive been feeding her fuzzies and I try to get her to eat once a week but sometimes she refuses. Here recently ever since she escaped. But I also do not know exact age all I know is that I recieved her last summer so I suppose shes a little under a year.

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## cassirose

Shes also lost a lot of weight, she used to be healthy looking whenever I found her after she escaped which was probably three weeks now is when she started to lose weight.

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## Albert Clark

> Shes also lost a lot of weight, she used to be healthy looking whenever I found her after she escaped which was probably three weeks now is when she started to lose weight.


Brother, what time is the herp vet appointment? What day is the herp vet appointment? These are two most crucial questions that need immediate answers if this little guy is going to have any chance at survival!  :Salute:

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## cassirose

I honestly dont know. I live at least 2 hrs from a vet that does reptiles and I also need to find a mode of transportation. I will try in the next few days if I can. Im really just scared at this point.

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## Stormy

> I honestly dont know. I live at least 2 hrs from a vet that does reptiles and I also need to find a mode of transportation. I will try in the next few days if I can. Im really just scared at this point.



If this snake is going to have ANY chance of surviving I suggest you find a way to get it to a vet NOW; it may not have days to wait. Part of being a responsible owner is knowing where to go for regular vet visits as well as emergencies. 

The snake is underweight/undersized and has a severe issue with fluid filled blisters; time is critical to increase its chances of survival. 

Where are you located?  Maybe someone on here lives nearby.

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## DVirginiana

Vet visit ASAP.  You need to have somewhere you can get to in case of emergencies.  Like has already been stated, this snake may not have days to wait while you try to figure out how to get to a vet.

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## cassirose

Well good news I was able to find a car to take up to the city tomorrow morning. Going to have to leave at 5 in the morning I plan on getting there when they open. I hope they can do something for her. I appreciate all the help.

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dr del (03-18-2015)

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## Stormy

> Well good news I was able to find a car to take up to the city tomorrow morning. Going to have to leave at 5 in the morning I plan on getting there when they open. I hope they can do something for her. I appreciate all the help.



Please keep us posted; I hope they can help her and she'll be okay.

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## Asherah

Hope she makes it. Keep us posted!

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## dr del

fingers crossed for her.  :Please:

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## DVirginiana

Best wishes and keep us posted!

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## anicatgirl

:Please:  :Snake:

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