Ball Pythons Scale Came Off

[alexOATH]

=/ I hope I'm just overreacting but I'm worried about my little pumpkin. My 1 1/2 year old male ball python seems to have tore off one of the scales on his nose

I took the best photo of it I could (he was fed up with holding still and my good camera is being borrowed so I only have my cheap little sanyo that takes forever to actually snap a photo).

But I took him out last night and noticed nothing out of the ordinary, besides that he had had another growth spurt, but tonight when I took him out tonight I saw something sticking up on his nose (I thought it was a fuzz ball or something) and I took a closer look and it was one of his scales that had seemed to have tore off, now his white "flesh" seems to be exposed in that one spot.

He's in a 41 quart tub with shredded aspen with 66% humidity, 92 hot side, 83 cool side, he has a plastic container for water and one of those natural half logs as a hide, do you think he just snagged himself on the log and ripped off a scale?

He doesn't have mites, he's in full health, I quarantine all my animals so he hasn't come in contact with anyone new. I can't see him having any sort of scale rot and none of his other scales appear to be damaged. And his belly is just starting to turn pink so he'll be going into shed within the next week.

Here's the picture:


Anyone have any idea whats up with my little guy? Do you think I should make a vet trip or wait and see? Or wait it out and treat it with some antiseptic?

[dr del]

Hi,

It's a little hard to make out but I suspect he has rubbed the scale off trying to shove his head somewhere.

The usual advice would be to treat it with some neosporin (without painkillers - they are toxic ) if anything.

I would have a look around the enclosure to see if you can work out where he did it to see if you can find some way to prevent a repeat performance.


dr del

[mpkeelee]

i agree with dr. del, prolly stickin his face somewhere it shouldnt have been. just clean it and help him keep it clean and watch it to make sure it heals nice or doesnt get infected or anything. clean and dry

[sarahlovesmiike]

Once I saw my male trying to escape his tub, he shoved his snout between the cover and the tub and it pinched him so he pulled back and it scuffed his nose up a little. I didn't even worry about it because there was no blood and it wasn't open, it looks normal now.