?? on BP Health

[Tolstari]

I just got a new BP and it's left eye is dented and some of the scales are coming off around the mouth and head. When they come off (from his rubbing against his tank) the scales beneath are dark and look fine. I was just curious if this is dehydration (the eye made me worry) or if this can happen during sheds. :?

[Smynx]

Sounds like he probably had a bad shed before you got him. The dented eye could be a retained eyecap or a sign of dehydration. The scales that are coming off could be what's left of his past shed or from rubbing. In any case, you should make sure the humidity in your enclosure stays around 60% and your BP has a nice-sized water dish. The increased moisture will help get rid of any leftover shed and/or will help rehydrate the snake. If you keep the humidity up, he should lose the retained eyecap (if that's what it is) during his next shed. If it's dehydration, then the dent should go away. If you have a screen top and the snake is rubbing its nose against it, find something to cover it with, like contact paper, or ditch the screen and make your own top out of pegboard or plexiglass or something else that won't cause irritation.

[Tolstari]

Thanks for the advice Smynx. It's really appreciated.

[Smynx]

No problem. I'm still amazed at how many pet stores keep their reptiles in such poor and inappropriate conditions. If you don't already have one, I recommend using a digital hygrometer to measure humidity. They're so much more accurate than the little stick-on analog ones. You can get an indoor/outdoor thermometer at WalMart for $15 that also measures humidity. It's made by Accurite. You put the main part on one side of the tank and the "outdoor" probe on the other side of the tank, and it'll show the temps on both sides so you can make sure you have the proper 80-90 degree heat gradient.