BP scale problems

This is my first BP and i decided to get one from craigslist. When I went to meet the guy it was obvious he wasn't taking very good care of it and he said he had only had it for about a week so he didn't really know much about it. The snake is still a pretty little guy though. I decided to take him even though he was a little messed up because I didn't want him to be mistreated anymore. That might not have been the smartest idea though since I don't know very much about snakes. When I first got him he just had a few spots on him that didn't look quite right like maybe he was burned or something he also has a spot under his head that's raised and slightly discolored and one scale on his belly that's mostly not attached. Then a couple days after I got him some of his scales raised up on his sides, not on the bottom, and are like poking up, and some of them are white underneath. some of his other scales just seem loose like if you run your hand down him they come up. I don't have any pictures right now but when I get home I'll try to take some and post them. The hot side is high 80 low 90s not sure what the cool side is though and I haven't gotten a humidity checker yet either. I will probably have to take him to the vet but just wanted to check on here first.

A vet trip is definitely a good idea. Without pictures it's a little hard to tell what you're talking about, but with any luck the little guy should be ok after a few sheds. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

I can't help but wonder if the original owner was burning him through bad heating options though. It kind of sounds like a possibility, but I really don't know for sure.

Hello, and :welcome: to BP.net.

What type of enclosure and set-up are you using?

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Originally Posted by donna_ls

some of his other scales just seem loose like if you run your hand down him they come up.

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That happens to all snakes. They aren't like tile pieces or a turtles shell, they will raise up with rubbed against the way they naturally lay.

Thank you =) I have a 50 gallon aquarium and I got a mesh wire lid for it with coconut shaving substrate. I use a clamp light but it's just sitting on top of the lid with a basking bulb. I got a bulb that's pretty high wattage because the tanks so big and tall, the tank doesn't seem to be getting too hot but now I'm wondering if it's to high. Like maybe the light is messing up his scales somehow because he's always on that side and doesn't seem to go to the cool side too much. I also have a wood tunnel hide from petsmart and bigger size water bowl for snakes both on the cool side. I just bought an under tank heater but haven't put it under there yet. I was turning the light off at night but then I wasn't sure if he was getting too cold so the last two nights I left it on on all night.

I had one of those wood tunnel hides... mine hated the thing. The archway ones are too open at the ends. Mine loves the flatter log that barely arches. She just pushes the substrate out of the way to make room under it.