underbelly peeling/flaking? please help!

[Deathangel2054]

i have a 21 inch long lesser bee ball python that i got 2 weeks ago and i dont know how this happened but his underbelly started flaking around a week ago and it has been getting progressively worse, the tips underneath the shiny part of his underbelly look a little torn as well. he has been getting these little orangish brown stripes along his belly but that could be the substrate rubbing off? he doesnt seem to be in any pain as far as i can tell, i keep his humidity in check at 55-60% and his heat is the issue, the UTH i have goes all the way up to 111 today so i immediately unplugged that and turned on his heat lamp and am now soaking him in a tiny container to get rid the already flaky scales, if this is any concern the scales along his back are a bit rough even when i pet him the way his scales are going, and the flaky underbelly scales are not coming off in one whole scale, underneath that the texture looks like some hangnails you get in the middle of your finger that end at your cuticle, if thats a good analogy i cant send pictures as i dont know how to on a laptop, any and all help will be appreciated!

[KMG]

Your UTH NEEDS a tstat. I suggest Herpstat. http://spyderrobotics.com/

As to the belly it could be a few things. Without seeing it we are only guessing.

To add a pic you need to upload it to Photobucket(or similar). Then copy the "img" code from there and paste it into the text here. The pic will show up once you submit the post.

[bcr229]

Your UTH NEEDS a thermostat.

This. I'm guessing the snake has been badly burned by now.

ETA: You need to remove all of his substrate and put him on paper towels so the burned area stays clean and doesn't get infected. You can soak him in diluted betadine once or twice a day - his bath should look like a weak tea - and apply Neosporin WITHOUT PAINKILLER to the area until you can get him to a vet for treatment.

[Deathangel2054]

he does not have any blisters whatsoever, there is no redness or anything to signify a burn of any sort, it is just his scales without the shiny part, there has been no bleeding, no blood on the substrate or on him and the soft-ish part underneath looks wrinkly now that i look more closely, does the underbelly shed a seperate layer off before the full shed? my friend has told me hes probably just shedding or it could be a rash. i use repti-bark as the substrate.

[cchardwick]

You better get a Thermostat for your under tank heater ASAP. An uncontrolled UTH will kill your snake, I'd be surprised if he makes it... I use a Jump Start thermostat from Amazon.com, they are about $25 and work great, should be set to 88F. If you use a heat lamp be sure to use a laser temp gun to check your snakes temp, shouldn't go above 95F max, even that hot can make your males sterile, stick with 88F max. You are frying your snake.

[Deathangel2054]

i think my snake will be good now, i have one question, this controller comes with a probe, do i need that in order for the temperature to stay where its set to? or is that just a little addition?

[KMG]

i think my snake will be good now, i have one question, this controller comes with a probe, do i need that in order for the temperature to stay where its set to? or is that just a little addition?

So your snake just fixed itself? A burn doesn't have to bleed or ooze anything.....especially in the beginning.

If it is a shed, NO, the belly does not come off first. A properly maintained snake will shed in one nice piece. If it is a shed your husbandry is off and you have a stuck shed in the works.

As to your question above Im not real sure what you have. For us to help you we need you to help us and give more information. If you have a thermostat the probe needs to be between the uth and the floor of the cage. ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAGE.

[cchardwick]

You can put the probe on the outside of the tank between the under tank heater and the bottom, just tape it to the bottom of the tank. I also put the probe in the tank taped to the bottom but it can get wet, not good. And if you switch to a rodent tank they will chew the probe, happened to me before I caught it. Once the probe gets to the set temp it turns off the heater until it cools to a certain temp. If the probe is not in the hot spot it won't get to temp and your heater will run on high.

[KMG]

You can put the probe on the outside of the tank between the under tank heater and the bottom, just tape it to the bottom of the tank. I also put the probe in the tank taped to the bottom but it can get wet, not good. And if you switch to a rodent tank they will chew the probe, happened to me before I caught it. Once the probe gets to the set temp it turns off the heater until it cools to a certain temp. If the probe is not in the hot spot it won't get to temp and your heater will run on high.

Tape in your snake cage is a BIG NO GO. Google it. Not pretty.

[Deathangel2054]

You can put the probe on the outside of the tank between the under tank heater and the bottom, just tape it to the bottom of the tank. I also put the probe in the tank taped to the bottom but it can get wet, not good. And if you switch to a rodent tank they will chew the probe, happened to me before I caught it. Once the probe gets to the set temp it turns off the heater until it cools to a certain temp. If the probe is not in the hot spot it won't get to temp and your heater will run on high.





so what i did was i taped the probe to the bottom of the UTH, is that bad or is that what i should do?