im really worried..doesnt look good

[dastone181]

im new to forums...iv had my ball python Sid a couple months now hes been fine then this past month he stopped eating..i understand they go off eating for a couple months at times but thats not the part that worries me....i tried leaving him alone for about a week....still giving him water but trying to see if me not buggin him will get his appetite up...i noticed he shed'd n there was still some on his head but from what i could see everything else was fine..so i gave the skin on the head a few days...it was about a week and a half since i actually took him out..so i take him out last night and i notice his belly feels wierd..and he kind of smells..i look at his belly and its BLOODY!!...scales are missing and its absolutely horrid looking....he still reacts to movement by his face but he seems a little weak, and sluggish...im not even joking his tummy area hurtst to look at...im guessing it was a bad shed..the part that looks all mssed up is his lower bottom side...the upper side looks normal..but some of the scales look inflated and yellow..they definately look infected...im so scared..i dont know how this could happen without me noticing...not to mention it all happened in about a week!!...some of u may flame me saying im irresponsible but im really not thinking about that right now...i need any help...i am going to get him to a vet as soon as possible tho

[kurgan]

It sounds like belly rot, or possibly a burn from a uncontrolled under tank heater (UTH), it is not a bad shed.
Firstly he needs a vet ASAP as from your description he may well need antibiotics.
Secondly if you have an under tank heat source that is not connected to a thermostat then unplug it right away.
Thirdly we need info on your set up so we can help with your husbandry - tank/tub, size, temps, heat source, humidity, substrate.

[dastone181]

its a 20 gallon tank...he has two hides...he has been in the cooler one lately which makes me worried about the uth...just unplugged it...he has repto bark as substrate...i dont know humidity as of now..i just know it is not humid in there...which last time i read was good...i havent taken temps since i moved the cage around so ill check it again in a minute and get back to u on that

[JLC]

Hey hon....no flames here! Let's just work to figure out what we can do to help.

First off, you need to find a herp vet to take the snake to. I'll give you some links in a minute that will help you find one in your area. Getting the snake to a good vet is imperative.

In the meantime...let's try to figure out what happened and make the snake as comfortable as possible.

Such things don't happen because of a "bad shed"....it's one (or more) of three things:

--An injury received from a live rat or mouse left alone in the cage long enough to do serious harm (possible, but not the most likely)

--A burn from an unregulated under-tank-heater or an exposed light bulb (or other heat source such as a heat rock) that it could wrap around

--Scale Rot from laying on substrate that is constantly wet and dirty.

Given what you know about your own set-up, you'll have to tell us what you think is most likely. If you can describe your setup to us in detail, we can help you make sure it gets fixed.

While waiting to see a vet, get the enclosure cleaned out and lay down some clean, dry newspaper for substrate. Keep a small water dish of fresh water available, but nothing that it can get into to soak. And keep it warm, but without using a heat source that can cause burns. You'll want an ambient temp of 85-90 without anything getting any hotter than that.

[JLC]

Links to find a vet in your area:

http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm
http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlist
http://www.herpvetconnection.com/

Vets with personal endorsements from this site:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=56792

[dastone181]

im betting on the under tank hearter burn..it looks like a severe one then...the temps are 87 atm with the uth unplugged about 2 min ago...but thats the temps over substrate....when gets in his hide he tends to move the bark and it shows the bare glass...which is probably is whatburnt him...what i dont understand is why did it take like 3 months to appear in 1 week? i just dont under stand why...i have left a live mouse in the cage b4 but i stopped doing that and when i stopped he was fine...

[dastone181]

oh no..iv soaked him twice since last night...i assumed it was a bad shed so i tried soaking to see if that would help? was that a bad move? and ill start fixing the setup right now

[JLC]

I don't know if it would help or hurt. Don't worry about that...just try and get him comfortable now. Definitely get rid of the bark and lay down some newspaper or paper towels. Don't use the UTH at all, just the overhead light to keep him warm. You might need to insulate the tank or warm the room up some if you normally keep a really cool room.

If you've got a thermometer, be sure to get it in there to monitor the overall temps to make sure they're not too cold or too hot.

[dastone181]

ok im going to have to use paper towels...im keeping him in the bath tub at the moment..by the way i noticed that he did have a bad shed on his head..and the shed is stuck to his eyes and i cant dare and try and get that off with fingers...how shall i go about doing that?

[MelissaFlipski]

While waiting to see a vet, get the enclosure cleaned out and lay down some clean, dry newspaper for substrate. Keep a small water dish of fresh water available, but nothing that it can get into to soak. And keep it warm, but without using a heat source that can cause burns. You'll want an ambient temp of 85-90 without anything getting any hotter than that.

I was going to suggest switching to newspaper, too, since the wood chips might not feel too good on his belly.

oh no..iv soaked him twice since last night...i assumed it was a bad shed so i tried soaking to see if that would help? was that a bad move? and ill start fixing the setup right now

IMO, it's not good only if it's belly rot.

Get him to a vet ASAP - tell them what is wrong when you call so they fit you in tomorrow. If they can't and there is more than one local, good herp vet, try someone else. Good luck. We'll be thinking of him!