Soon to Shed or Bacteria? Sorry, im totally new! :X

i got a 1 year old ball python from a friend of mine, because he had moved in with his gf, who hated the idea of having a snake, ive been around them for years, but am still learning a lot as far as husbandry.

i got him a week ago, cleaned his cage - it was pretty messy, and a few days ago he started showing signs of a pinkish belly with drying out scales on his belly. now i read that pinkish belly is a sign of soon to shed, but i also read that an overly pink belly could possibly mean some sort of infection or bacteria?

i have his first vet appointment tomorrow at 6 PM, but just wanna run it by you guys, cause im sure you can shine some light on this question of mine?
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b3...00120-0313.jpg
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[IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3...00120-0313.jpg[/IMG]


any help or advice would be much appreciated! cheers guys

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3...00120-0313.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3...00120-0313.jpg

Looks like shed time. Soak him. Keep his humidity up

Looks like he's just going into shed cycle. I'd keep the humidity up but skip the soaking to see how he sheds. Soaking for every shed cycle is not a habit I'd want to get in. You can get a water bottle and mist a few times during a shed cycle to up the humidity.

thanks for the quick responses guys, i guess i just spooked myself out there haha. should i be worried that his belly scales are appearing to crack and look dried up? how long does the redness last before his eyes fog up? hes been like this for maybe 4-5 days now

just a quick update: i came home today to find him curled up, eyes a foggy blue, and pretty much blind as a bat, bumping his head into everything in front of him haha. i guess i gave myself a scare there, but i did go out and buy some "douglas fir bark" cause i assume it helps humidity more than the astro turf i had laid out for him. if anyones interested ill post a photo or two of his setup.

thanks a lot for the help guys!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rattlehead07

jbut i did go out and buy some "douglas fir bark" cause i assume it helps humidity more than the astro turf i had laid out for him. if anyones interested ill post a photo or two of his setup.

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I don't believe you're supposed to use pine bark for snakes, as it's toxic.

http://www.westcoastpetsupply.com/2/...ptile-Bedding/ this is the stuff i got him...

is it due to the possibility of resin in the bark? is that toxic?

It looks to me like there is a bit of skin already flaking off the belly. correct me if I am wrong. Are you using a UTH?

I think that very well could be a burn. It is rather common for an injured snake to enter a shed cycle to try and heal faster.