Both of these were rescues, and they are both normals.

The first one is somewhere between 5-10 years old, never got a good set number from the guy, so I just say 7-ish. I believe it is a male, and while I am still practicing popping, I believe I have gotten good enough at it to tell, even on him. However, if/when I pop him, sometimes the scent glands (if that's what the small things beside the hemipenes on the side are) secrete a smooth and half liquid/half solid brown substance (almost like a thicker ketchup-type substance, except a mid-to-dark brown in color). Is this normal? Am I pushing too hard that is making this happen? Or is it a sign of an infection or something? He was in very rough shape when I got him, tons of scars (including most of his belly, since the heating source on bottom wasn't temp regulated and I think it was left on 24/7 and was under the only hide in the cage), mites, etc., and he is still somewhat skittish, but not near as bad as he used to be. He has shed some of the scars away, is mite-free, and if I hadn't noticed this issue while popping him, I would have thought he was back to perfect health.

The other question I have is a smaller normal female, probably 6-8 months old, and she has almost always felt somewhat dry to the touch. She was really bad when I first got her, but after she shed her first time while I have owned her, she was fine (felt slick and smooth like a normal healthy BP) for a while, and noticeably better than when I first rescued her, but she seems to be drying up slightly again. By dry I mean when you hold her the scales just seem a bit dry and not as smooth and slick as normal when holding other, healthy snakes. She has a tendency to sit in her water bowl, which none of my others do. So if it is a dehydration issue, is it something internal? My humidity and temp levels are good/correct, based on all my research on here and the behavior of the other BPs, she just seems like there might be something bothering her. Or is she just getting ready to shed again, and hers is just more noticeable than others?

If there is a link to finding any good or local herp vets, I would appreciate that as well, although I don't have the money for it right now, it would be helpful to have. There are a couple vets around here, but they tend to know mostly stuff for mammalians (farm country) instead of others.