Scale rot or start of shed or bad shed?

Sorry if the title sounds confusing. I have a ball python who was estimated at 1 year when I got him/her months ago. We've gone through many good sheds at this point. He (we just assume he) eats well (frozen/thawed rat) and has a great laid back temperament.

Tank is in a 50s humidity and 90 degree to 92 on the hot side (depending on the temp of our house) and 75 to 80 on the cool side.

I don't have the best vision, so I don't always notice discoloration when he goes into shed. It is easy to miss when his eyes change. Today I noticed odd scales on his head. Only his head. Nowhere else. I held him, and while he was a bit flighty (moving a lot), he didn't act off.

I can't tell if the spot is scale rot, start of a new shed, or leftover from a bad shed.

Any ideas and what my next steps should be? I upped his humidity. In the 60s right now.

Thanks!https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...8067c7c78b.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...167a5b205b.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...a17f35d744.jpg

looks like old stuck shed to me, possibly multiple layers. your humidity is a bit low and your hot temps seem a bit high.

EDIT: that is a beautiful snake. is that a ringer i spy near the tail?!?

It's definitely NOT old shed skin...that appears to be a fungal infection...if you delay treatment, it will appear elsewhere on his body scales too. See your vet, they
can provide you with an easy-to-use-&-reptile-safe topical anti-fungal liquid medication to apply w/ Q tips. That should clear it up, & in time (after repeated sheds)
those scales should go back to normal-looking. (Years ago I had a BP that had this too.)

wow your Halloween table cloth and that black netting over it is trippy.

Edit: to me it looks like damaged scales from previous bad sheds. like the epidermis (or whatever u call it for snakes) got stuck to and was peeled off with the old shed. but should get improve w/ better sheds.

Edit2: but yes, those pix is giving the trips Lol.

I agree with fungal infection. I’d get a vet appointment set up, they should be able to give you something to treat it.


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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

looks like old stuck shed to me, possibly multiple layers. your humidity is a bit low and your hot temps seem a bit high.

EDIT: that is a beautiful snake. is that a ringer i spy near the tail?!?

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Thank you! I am afraid I do not know what a ringer is. I hope it is a good thing :)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

It's definitely NOT old shed skin.)

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Thank you. I will ask my husband if we can go to the vet just in case. I upped the humidity more and turned down the heat. I have it on a thermostat, but the temp in the house fluctuates so much, it's annoying. The humidity, I was told to keep it between 50 and 60.

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Originally Posted by Ax01

wow your Halloween table cloth and that black netting over it is trippy.

Edit: to me it looks like damaged scales from previous bad sheds. like the epidermis (or whatever u call it for snakes) was peeled off with the old shed. but should get improve w/ better sheds.

Edit2: but yes, those pix is giving the trips Lol.

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It is a backdrop that I use to take photos for my Instagram (I am a dork and I take bookish and toy photos, things I collect.) Yeah, I can see why it might look off as a snake backdrop. hehe

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Originally Posted by alittleFREE

I agree with fungal infection. I’d get a vet appointment set up, they should be able to give you something to treat it.

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Poor guy. We were doing everything we've been told/researched. Vet it is.

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Originally Posted by Dragonfly Alice

Poor guy. We were doing everything we've been told/researched. Vet it is.

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Don’t beat yourself up. Stuff happens - life and nature is unpredictable. I myself got a fungal skin infection a few years ago.... I swear I bath and wash my clothes haha.


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And if it's any consolation, I've kept all kinds of snakes for a long time, but only ever seen this in ball pythons...suspect it's the high humidity & heat that makes
them prone to it. It's much easier to clear it up when it's only a little patch like this...;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alittleFREE

Don’t beat yourself up. Stuff happens - life and nature is unpredictable. I myself got a fungal skin infection a few years ago.... I swear I bath and wash my clothes haha.

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Thank you! We are going to the vet this weekend. The exotic vet only sees them on the weekend.

You're right, nature is weird. Us humans get odd infections from nowhere, too. It just hard not to feel bad when you are the one taking care of a helpless animal and they get sick or injured.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

And if it's any consolation, I've kept all kinds of snakes for a long time, but only ever seen this in ball pythons...suspect it's the high humidity & heat that makes
them prone to it. It's much easier to clear it up when it's only a little patch like this...;)

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I guess that makes some sense. I still feel bad! This is our first snake and first reptile in general.

We are going to see the vet this weekend. (They only do exotics on the weekend)