Grumpy, dry skin, and won't eat

[gameonpython]

My diamond python Dexter is seriously struggling right now. He had a bad shed a while back which I've been working on for a few months now, soaking him and rubbing his skin gently with a wet towel. I have removed all the shed except for a few individual scales, but his skin looks so dry! His scales look almost dented or smudged, they have little to no shine, and his belly scales often appear to be lifted. I spray his cage every other night, he has a bunch of damp moss, and a big water dish to soak in( and he does soak in it a lot!) I don't know what else I can do for his skin. He's very grumpy about it and he has missed 3 meals now. I can get pictures of his skin later today.


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[Gio]

More information is needed here.

Age of the snake?

Is it a pure diamond? If so what are your enclosure temps, cage size, amount of lighting? Is there a night drop and what is your heat source?

Soaking is usually a bad sign and can lead to other issues, and often points back to cage husbandry, specifically temps and overall humidity levels.

I assume having a diamond, you are aware of the different level of care they require compared to the other types of carpets?

See if you have the bases covered here:
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Snak...Python-Basics/

Scroll to the diamond section here:
http://www.southernxreptiles.com/Art...testing_lr.pdf

The second link mentions feeding and shedding issues that can occur without precise husbandry.

I hope after reading some of that, something pops and you can try to adjust.

If you've gone through all that and nobody here can help, it is time for a reptile vet.

Snakes take a long time to exhibit signs of illness, so when certain issues pop up they often stem from something that has been going on for an extended period.

[Gio]

I now see this is a continuing issue since you began the care of this animal for your sister.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...er-my-bathroom!

Read up on diamond pythons in the links I posted.

I think in a very short time you will need to visit a reptile vet as it seems the health of this animal has taken a dive since you started helping out.

Find out how the snake was doing prior to you taking it in as the issues could have started while not in your care.

If the snake was perfectly fine, you need to do EXACTLY what was being done before you took it in, however in order to know things were good, you must find out if your sister changed anything with the care of the snake recently as well.

Diamonds are considered "cold weather pythons" though cold is a relative term here.

THE COMPLETE CARPET PYTHON By Nick Mutton and Justin Julander has a separate chapter for the care of diamond pythons.

You may want to buy the book and study that section.

Unfortunately I don't own a pure diamond so I'm not able to pass on anything more than I have.

Good luck.

[gameonpython]

He is approximately 5 years old.

He is a pure diamond, a beautiful one at that. His basking spot is 85. His cage is 4'x4'x2'. (Lxhxw). Heat and light source is a 60w bulb. At night the lamp is turned off giving a temperature of 70.

I am honestly really confused as to why he's struggling so much, I've been checking my husbandry frequently and reviewed the care sheets you mentioned . The only problem I can think of is the humidity being a little low, though I've been keeping on top of it since he came to me.

Prior to Dexter being in my care is when he had the bad shed, and the problems just continued.

I've been reading online and I think the problem is dehydration. Maybe he's not drinking? I've heard that soaking snakes in Powerade can really help in hydrating the animal. I've also been pondering the idea of soaking him weekly to make sure he gets some water intake.

He's still sloughing his scales and is downright miserable. Yesterday he actually struck and bit(not me) the handle on the poop scoop. He's quite a bluffer, but has never actually bitten until now. I feel so bad for him. I got some pictures of his skin and the enclosure.








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[gameonpython]

You can see how his scales look smudged and dented.


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[KMG]

What kind of cage is that. The long screen on the front needs to be closed off to help hold the humidity(put electrical tape on the outside, it looks clean and its easy to take off if needed).

I think much of your problem is going to be that cage. Getting a proper cage, good substrate, and a rhp would be the best thing to do if you can. Or on the cheap getting a tall tub and some luggage straps to secure the lid could at least get the snake back to good on shedding.

Im not trying to be mean here but I want to point out that the snake is not struggling, you are. The snake is stuck with only what you provide it. You can get this fixed.

[gameonpython]

I will definitely close off the front screen.

With the ventilation blocked off( notice the towels on top ), a humid hide, a big water dish, and frequent misting, I don't think a plastic cage would really be any different. I've used plastic caging before, and I found that it harbored a lot of bacteria in comparison to a glass cage. I know many snake keepers are very against glass cages, but I use them for all my reptiles and prefer them over plastic. My substrate is a mix of cypress mulch and repti bark, so I think I'm okay there.

Trust me, the snake is struggling; not to say I'm not.


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[KMG]

You should add something to the top that is less breathable than the towels. Plexi, glass, foil wrapped cardboard, etc. That would help keep heat and humidity in. Leave a small area for air but I would close off most of it.

I use a mixture of cypress, repti bark, and eco earth. Cypress is good but Eco is great at holding humidity. The only thing I don't like is it gets kinda dusty once dry. I found using it mixed with the other two it takes away the dustiness of it but still gives you the humidity bonus. I use this in my GTP cage and it looks and works great, especially in a naturalistic tank like you and I both seem to like.

Another thing you may want to check out is the ReptiFogger. I used one with my BRB when he was in a similar style cage as yours. I paired it with a HygroTherm and the two worked very well creating the humidity I needed. It also looked really cool when the fog would coming rolling into the cage. If you go this route a tip is a regular 2 liter bottle will fit on the fogger unit so you don't have to refill the small bottle it comes with all the time. Also use filter water to help keep the unit from building up deposits from the water. Having this installed will monitor and aid humidity all day so you do not have to constantly mist or worry about boosting the humidity. Both products worked really well for my and my BRB.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Reptil...ds=reptifogger

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-HygroT...5EXTPWA6KR68AY

I have glass tanks, pvc cages, and a rack. I don't find any of them any different when it comes to keeping them clean. In case you change your mind I bought my GTP cage from pvc cages and it is a great cage. You can add and they install perches, lights, rhps, and other options. Its top notch. You can even have them shipped assembled, which is what I did. Its my favorite cage.

http://pvccages.com/

[gameonpython]

You should add something to the top that is less breathable than the towels. Plexi, glass, foil wrapped cardboard, etc. That would help keep heat and humidity in. Leave a small area for air but I would close off most of it.

I use a mixture of cypress, repti bark, and eco earth. Cypress is good but Eco is great at holding humidity. The only thing I don't like is it gets kinda dusty once dry. I found using it mixed with the other two it takes away the dustiness of it but still gives you the humidity bonus. I use this in my GTP cage and it looks and works great, especially in a naturalistic tank like you and I both seem to like.

Another thing you may want to check out is the ReptiFogger. I used one with my BRB when he was in a similar style cage as yours. I paired it with a HygroTherm and the two worked very well creating the humidity I needed. It also looked really cool when the fog would coming rolling into the cage. If you go this route a tip is a regular 2 liter bottle will fit on the fogger unit so you don't have to refill the small bottle it comes with all the time. Also use filter water to help keep the unit from building up deposits from the water. Having this installed will monitor and aid humidity all day so you do not have to constantly mist or worry about boosting the humidity. Both products worked really well for my and my BRB.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Reptil...ds=reptifogger

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-HygroT...5EXTPWA6KR68AY

I have glass tanks, pvc cages, and a rack. I don't find any of them any different when it comes to keeping them clean. In case you change your mind I bought my GTP cage from pvc cages and it is a great cage. You can add and they install perches, lights, rhps, and other options. Its top notch. You can even have them shipped assembled, which is what I did. Its my favorite cage.

http://pvccages.com/

Thank you so much for all the tips! I'm actually getting a panther chameleon in the near future and was thinking I'd get a mist king auto mister set up for both the chameleon and Dexter. I will look into the Fogger more though. I've heard mixed reviews on it; did you find it to be poor quality?


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[Prognathodon]

My gut says frequent misting, and skip the soaking, so he gets the benefits of humidity without the stress of being soaked.


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