ball python scales falling off (pics)m please help

[sunshine14343]

I have a 2010 spider ball python and his scales look like the top layer fell off. you can still see the outline of the scale on his body; however, because the scale is missing it is discolored. he had a spot like this and i thought it was due to a poor shed, but after this shed there are more patches with missing scales.

He is housed in a 20gal long glass tank with an under the tank heater. he has a log hide by the heat and a decorative hide on the cooler side. there is a large water dish and a climbing branch too. the humidity level is roughly 40-55%, but i raised it when he went into shed. (it came off in one piece the past two times).

i fed him rat pups, but i switched to a larger meal (rat crawler) and then he went into shed. i thought after this shed the scales would improve, but they have not. i read online that it may be a bacterial or fungal infection, and can treat it with athletes foot cream (but that sounds crazy to me) please help me. below are pictures of his scales...

i took these pictures the day after he shed.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/191/49454082.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/97926823.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/37/32040935.jpg/

[angllady2]

Okay,

Bear with me here. You said you can still see the outline of the scale ? If the scale was truly missing, the skin beneath should be white/cream, not dark.

The photos are a little fuzzy and not really close up, it looks to me like his color changed, not that he lost scales. If you run your fingertip over the spot, is it soft and leathery or can you feel scales?

If you can feel the scales, it is entirely possible that he just changed colors. It happens all the time with ball pythons. If you cannot feel the scales at all, just soft, faintly leathery skin, I would recommend a vet visit to rule out infection.

NEVER home treat anything like this with a unproven method you read on the internet, that is a really good way to get into a lot of trouble.

Gale

[kitedemon]

angllady2 has great questions and advise. I'll just add a little to hers. Sometimes during a poor shed they will scrape trying to remove the stuck shed and in that process will remove a few new scales as well. If it is a few and if you find no more are coming off this could be what is going on.

Check for sharp things in and around the enclosure.

Keep an eye on it for inflammation or anything odd, but if it is only a few scales and no more come off and there are no redness or swelling it is likely that after the next shed (or two) it will correct itself. It does happen every now and again.

[sunshine14343]

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/62/82505785.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/37319623.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/90061413.jpg/

Sorry about the poor pic quality. i took additional pics and the links for them are above. i hope that they are better and show the scale problem. also, i hope the new pics answer your questions and provide better info to answer mine.
thank you for taking the time to read and answer my post

Okay,

Bear with me here. You said you can still see the outline of the scale ? If the scale was truly missing, the skin beneath should be white/cream, not dark.

The photos are a little fuzzy and not really close up, it looks to me like his color changed, not that he lost scales. If you run your fingertip over the spot, is it soft and leathery or can you feel scales?

If you can feel the scales, it is entirely possible that he just changed colors. It happens all the time with ball pythons. If you cannot feel the scales at all, just soft, faintly leathery skin, I would recommend a vet visit to rule out infection.

NEVER home treat anything like this with a unproven method you read on the internet, that is a really good way to get into a lot of trouble.

Gale

[sunshine14343]

There isnt any inflammation, redness, or swelling. i replied to angllady2 and inserted links for new pics. hopefully they are better than the initial ones.
thank you for reading and replying to my post

angllady2 has great questions and advise. I'll just add a little to hers. Sometimes during a poor shed they will scrape trying to remove the stuck shed and in that process will remove a few new scales as well. If it is a few and if you find no more are coming off this could be what is going on.

Check for sharp things in and around the enclosure.

Keep an eye on it for inflammation or anything odd, but if it is only a few scales and no more come off and there are no redness or swelling it is likely that after the next shed (or two) it will correct itself. It does happen every now and again.

[darkbloodwyvern]

From what i can see, he is either changing color or maybe has some old shed stuck on him. Did you feel his skin? If you feel like something is wrong, take him to a reptile vet! No one should really diagnose from a picture, even a trained professional, but the pics you are showing do not look like anything unusual. Again, if you are worried, take him to a good reptile vet. Good luck!

[Generationshell]

Hey there! Don't worry. That has happened to my ball python before also. It goes away with the next shed. :]
Just make sure everything is up to par for shedding. Humidity especially. And you should be fine. A bad shed sometimes causes this.

[Michelle.C]

Agreed, it's from a bad shed. Soak him in some warm water for an hour or so, they should mostly come off. I prefer to use a small shoe box tub with paper towels in the bottom to soak them in. Make sure you have the paper towels clumped enough that he can partially crawl up on them if he doesn't want to set in the water.

You might have to do this a couple of times, but it usually gets 99% of them the first time through.

[angllady2]

Did you run your fingertip over the area in question ? As I said, if the scales are gone you can feel it.

To me it still appears to be spots where the scales have changed colors, which may or may not change back when he sheds again.

If it is a patch where the scales are truly gone, and you notice they have spread or there are more spots where he had scales before, I would suspect an injury or infection.

If you still cannot tell by feel if the scales are gone, have someone hold a flashlight at an angle to the area in question and gently coax the snake to flex it's body along those spots. With the aid of a flashlight you should easily be able to see the scales as you move the snake's body. If you cannot see scales in the areas, then you know for sure you are dealing with something more serious.

Gale

[sunshine14343]

i understand that an issue like this should not be diagnosed via pics, but it will at least shed some light onto the situation for me if anyone has seen/heard of this problem.
thank you for your reply

From what i can see, he is either changing color or maybe has some old shed stuck on him. Did you feel his skin? If you feel like something is wrong, take him to a reptile vet! No one should really diagnose from a picture, even a trained professional, but the pics you are showing do not look like anything unusual. Again, if you are worried, take him to a good reptile vet. Good luck!