Scale rot starting again?
Hello,
I just rescued this gorgeous ball,
The previous owner did state that he had scale rot and he just has a long scar from it. I'm beginning to think it had never gone away but am not entirely sure. I've had him for about three weeks. He hasn't fed with me yet. He's very active and totally sweet.
When I got him he had absolutely no heat and was being kept in basement room and in a small terrarium. He has heat lamps and is in a 49 gallon tank I'll be picking up a UTH tomorrow but I am concerned he has scale rot so I have been applying Polysporin to the spots where I think it is and his scales have been flaking off as well. Do I keep applying the Polysporin or switch to the betadine solely.. He's in a sterilized tank on paper towel. Here are the pictures I've taken of the possible infected sites
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Tamb...g.html?filters[user]=2875063&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0
http://rsmg.pbsrc.com/albums/v639/Ta...h=480&fit=clip
Re: Scale rot starting again?
Yes those were the pictures. just the two of them. Thanks for the help with them.. Any thoughts on them. The previous owner never told me when he shed last and she said he had eaten a f/t small rat about a week before I had picked him up.. I've tried feeding him a couple times and with absolutely no interest.but I am concerned with those brown areas on his belly
Re: Scale rot starting again?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kurru
Yes those were the pictures. just the two of them. Thanks for the help with them.. Any thoughts on them. The previous owner never told me when he shed last and she said he had eaten a f/t small rat about a week before I had picked him up.. I've tried feeding him a couple times and with absolutely no interest.but I am concerned with those brown areas on his belly
Well if he has been living with no heat he certainly can be immunocompromised. As soon as you can get the uth be sure to purchase a thermostat to regulate the heat off the uth. That is critically important. The areas pictured on the snake surely look suspicious for scale rot. I would alternate with the betadine and polysporin. Be sure to switch to paper towels so you can monitor the scale condition. As long as he has fresh drinking water I wouldn't worry about him feeding right now. The aggressive rewarming over time should help with his overall health and well being. The paper towels should remain in place as his primary substrate.
Re: Scale rot starting again?
Hey, thanks. I figured it was the start of it.. I've kept up with the paper towels.. Got the UTH today.. Accidentally picked up a timer control instead of a thermostat.. Oops.. So I got home.. Gave blaze a betadine bath and noticed his belly was really pink.. his eyes aren't blue grey yet. Scales are flaking off individually.. And it seems to be starting on his back as well.. Looks to be start of a shed.. The brown spots have pretty much disappeared. But the upper part in the picture seems to be rough. Not brown really but almost like the individual scales are more pronounced and deeper.. I'll post pictures when I can. I don't want to handle him too much.. What do I do as with the betadine and Polysporin treatment if he's going into a shed. I'm guessing just let him be and keep the tank clean, water fresh and humidity up?. Thanks
Re: Scale rot starting again?
the brown area reminds me of when my snake rubbed him self raw on the fine wire mesh of an exotera tank. he would constantly keep rubbing his lower lip on the top of the tank (one of the reasons i threw together a rack with in weeks of first purchase). my boy went into shed with in a week of being in the tank. but due to his desire to scratch that itch his body threw another shed in 2 weeks this time in the tub with a fully healed lower lip. was one of the things that made me not feel bad when he wouldn't eat because if i had a busted lip i wouldn't try to shove a whole hamburger in my mouth either.
personally im completely new and noobied at this snake husbandry stuff so i have no real advise for you except to do what people who have been there guide you to and relax. snakes are very resilient creatures.
just remember when you have an abrasion or a cut your body has to replace the damaged area and a shed is the snakes way of doing the same thing.
