How to Apply the Betadine to Scale Rot?

[SomeTallGuy]

I currently have a ball python that has a little bit of scale rot. I seemed to have caught it pretty early because it's barely noticeable (the first time I saw it on her belly, I just thought it was little pieces of the coconut fiber substrate). So I'm starting to treat it with betadine, or 10% Providone-Iodine antiseptic topical solution. From what I've read, many sources say to let the snake sit in a warm shallow bath of diluted solution, while others say to use a cotton swab to apply it directly to affected scales. But since this is my first time dealing with scale rot, and I like to be thorough, I decided to do both LOL. I give her 10 minutes in the bath, then dry her off and apply some of the solution directly to the scales that are visibly affected.

Now my question is, after applying the solution to the damaged scales, should I leave it on her, or wait a few minutes and wipe it off?

And yes, I have gone ahead and removed all of her substrate, cleaned the tub, and have her on paper towels. I also exchanged her large water dish for a smaller one so she can't soak and I'm keeping the humidity around 45%. Sadly she just started to become dark and pink-bellied yesterday so she's gonna be shedding in about 10 days, so it's probably gonna be a rough shed. However, I've read that minor scale rot can go away after a shed, so fingers crossed for that.

[cchardwick]

For all my animals including snakes I dilute the iodine until it's the color of a weak tea (instructions per the vet). For snakes I like to soak for about five minutes in a dilute solution at about 85F. I just wipe the snake dry and put them back in their tub, repeat every 2-3 days for a couple weeks.

[C.Marie]

Balls2you has a great video on YouTube he just put out on this subject o , maybe go check it out Gavin is awesome I love his channel