Does this look like scale rot to you?

[mangopixie]

My bp has something going on with the tip of her tail. The scales are a little crinkly and there are red parts that look like blood under her scales. It's about the last 1/2 inch of her tail. Do you think it's scale rot? Should I use neosporin? Or does this require a vet visit?

[MrLang]

Vet ASAP. How have the sheds been? Is there currently stuck shed over the tip of that tail? Is there any decor item in the cage that could have fallen on the tip and bruised it?

If that escalates into tail rot it's going to be very difficult to deal with.

Don't know what causes this other than stuck shed.

GL

[mangopixie]

Her last shed was bad. I went out of town for the weekend, and the person who was taking care of my pets never checked her humidity So the day I got back she was in shed at 30% humidity and she didn't even get half of it off. I put her in the tub and helped her get the rest of it off. So this tail thing is most likely from the bad shed. Is there nothing I can do at home to take care of it?

[MrLang]

The stuck skin 'choked' the tail and the red you are seeing is bursting blood vessels from the pressure. If it hasn't turned black or anything yet, you MAY be able to assist the shed off using a warm, moist towel and let it heal. I am not going to advise that and I think other people are going to tell you to go to a vet also. If that flesh turns 'necrotic' it will spread and quite literally rot your snake from the tip up.

[mangopixie]

Thank you for explaining. When I assisted her shed, I think I forgot about her tail

[akillian24]

And in case it hasn't been mentioned... no neosporin! (At least that's my understanding.. it's bad for their scales)

I hope she feels better soon.

[Kodieh]

No neosporin that contains pain killers. The straight plain stuff is ok.


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[gsarchie]

This will NOT cause your snake to rot from the tail up and I do not recommend taking it to a vet - yet. I am in the Army and have been away from home a lot during the last two years. My cousin, who had kept BPs in the past, took them for a few months last summer. When I got them back my male pastel had some slight burns on his belly and he lost the last 1/4" or so of his tail as a result of bad sheds. He healed completely after two sheds and you can't tell that he is missing tail unless you know about it and look for it. Keep your husbandry sound until the next shed and the issue should resolve itself. I wouldn't treat it at all right now as it should heal on its own with the next shed. Good luck with it.

[mangopixie]

Just wanted to give an update, I did not go to the vet and I waited until the next shed to see if that would improve it. After her shed, there was no sign of any damage at all. It was completely cleared up. So this was not scale rot, just bad shed. Thank you all very much for your suggestions and help

[TheSnakeGuy]

Mental Note: Monitor Sheds CAAAAAREFULLY.:-)