new ball owner a few questions

[Dr.Gonzo]

i just got a ball python a couple weeks ago. he/she is only 10 weeks and he is eating 2 fuzzies every saturday so far with no problems. i do have a couple concerns though.
1. he has a small line going down most of his belly it hasnt always been there and it seems to be going down more every day. could he be getting scratched by the driftwood in my tank?
2. when i feel his scales its not smooth. every once in a while i feel a scale that seems to be sticking out. is this normal. at first i thought he was shedding but after reading the sticky it doesnt seem like that. any tips or advice would be great

as soon as i figure out how i will try to post some pictures.

[Shaun J]

All you have to do to show pics is got to photobucket.com and sign up and upload the pics there, then copy the [IMG] link

To answer #2

Where did you get your Ball Python from? It sounds like he didn't shed in one peice for the last owner.

Also, JW, what all do you have in your cage?

[Freakie_frog]

is this scrach a different color than the rest of hes scales? What is the humidity like and how wet it the substrate

[Binx]

It kind of sounds a bit like scale rot to me...

[mousch]

Orey had that "line" too. It was about one centimeter long and a few inches up from his cloaca, on his belly. What was it? It went away with his shed.

[Freakie_frog]

Well if its just a little line and a little over halfway down and like 1 two 2/3 inches long and the same color as his belly scales then its the snake equivelent to a belly button. If its blistered and discolored and keeps getting bigger it could be a burn or belly rot. Might help to post a pic to let me see

[muddoc]

I wouldn't worry at all. It sounds as if your ball python is completely normal. What you are describing sounds like, as Freakie Frog said, the snakes belly button. It is where your snake absorbed it's yolk. That scar, if you will, will remain there for the rest of it's life, although it will become almost unoticeable after time. As far as the rough scale, it could be some stuck shed, or sometimes I find that my snakes will sometimes bend a scale, and it sticks out and may be what you are feeling. In general though, I would say your little friend is fine.

[rabernet]

I thought belly button too, until I re-read this:

he has a small line going down most of his belly it hasnt always been there and it seems to be going down more every day.

Pictures would definitely help.

[snakedude56]

yea my young ones still have there belly buttons where as my adult male has no trace of his left

[snakedude56]

how long is the line? pics will help if u can post 'em