Brown dry scales on my new ball pythons belly??

I recently got a ball python, hes fairly young, ive only had him for about 4-5 days, i noticed some brown scale/spot things on the bottom of his stomach, they feel kinda rough, and also on the sides oh his stomach there are clear scales sticking out. Im not sure what it is, ive never had a snake before, ive been googling, theres things like scale rot or burns or shedding, so yeah please help idk what it is or how to help, i dont want my poor snake to be in any pain

Hey, Welcome to BP.net

Check out my thread and pictures and see if its similar to what my BP had.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?236504-Flaky-Brown-Scale&p=2439145#post2439145

If so, mine went away after a shed.

A picture would help greatly!

Sounds like scale rot, not sure w/o pictures. Could be a burn as well, could be nothing.

file:///Users/jetthatch/Pictures/Photos%20Library.photoslibrary/Thumbnails/2016/05/19/20160519-021937/e73xdrDJQgu3KkyjFedAhQ/thumb_IMG_7626_1024.jpg

Okay so I fed him two mice last friday, and i held him Saturday night and then again Sunday morning and then Sunday afternoon he threw up both mice. I took him to the pet store that I got him in and asked them about it and showed them his stomach, they said I held him too soon and that he was just shedding. Ive never owned a snake idk what anything looks like but I'm sure this can't be right. I fed his one mouse on monday and so far he hasn't thrown up, but i held him tonight. The pet store told me to soak him in water for shedding so I did, but the brown stuff has gotten a little worse, and I really don't think its shedding. Heres a picture, idk how to make it show up, so if you just copy and paste the link it should work i think.

file:///Users/jetthatch/Pictures/Photos%20Library.photoslibrary/Thumbnails/2016/05/19/20160519-021937/e73xdrDJQgu3KkyjFedAhQ/thumb_IMG_7626_1024.jpg

Don't worry about what the pet store said. Don't soak him unless a skilled reptile vet tells you to do so... or maybe some of the "senior members" on here. Soaking will just cause more problems... it doesn't really benefit bp's very much.

How about trying to answer some of these questions:

1. What kind of tank is he in? What's it made of, and what size is it?
2. What are you using to heat his tank?
3. Do you have the heat source(s) connected to a thermostat?
4. What are the temperatures in his tank?
5. What is the humidity of his tank?
6. What type of substrate are you using? What is on the floor of his tank? Anything? Newspapers, aspen, etc...
7. Was his belly like this when you bought him?


Answering those questions will help folks here be able to assist you a little better, as it looks like you're having a hard time getting a picture posted.


Now, some other pointers...

1. A good general rule of thumb is when you bring a bp home, you shouldn't take it out of their new home for about a week. Moving them into their new home is stressful, so they need some time to settle in and get used to their new surroundings.
2. Most experienced breeders and owners will tell you that you shouldn't handle/hold your new bp until it's had at least one meal for you, in it's new home. (don't take it out to feed it, feed in it's tank). Some will say two or three feedings should happen before handling, but one would be the minimum.
3. After your snake eats, you should give it AT LEAST 24 hours to digest before handling.

So, in this case, aside from the belly issue, the regurgitation is possibly stress related or maybe from being overfed. How big is the snake? what does he weigh? if he's a hatchling, two mice might be too much... There is just a lot more information that is needed before anyone here can give you any really good, solid information.

Hes in an old tank I've had for a while i used to keep lizards in it. I think its made of glass and has a screen top, its pretty big, i think a 20 gallon. He's got like wood chips, I've read certain kinds of wood chips can be bad, but i bought what the reptile store gave me and it said safe for snakes so i didn't think much of it. I have put paper towels on top of the wood chips cause i thought maybe they were irritating him or something. I have an adhesive undertake heater but when i put my hand on it, it doesn't feel very hot, so i also have a red light heat lamp. I got a little thermometer/hydrometer thing and i stuck it to the "hot side" and it says its 80 degrees and he humidity is around 50-60. I didn't look at his stomach when i brought him home, i don't remember if it was like that or not.

If you don't have a thermostat, unplug the UTH. Unregulated heaters can cause burns. Even if it doesn't feel hot to you, it can still be too hot for a coldblooded animal. You can get a cheap Hydrofarm thermostat from Amazon if you want to keep using the UTH.

The little dial thermometer/hygrometer things are basically useless. You can get a decent indoor/outdoor digital thermometer/hygrometer at Walmart for about $12. Put the probe on the glass over the UTH (nothing sticky like tape or adhesive in a snake enclosure! Use hot glue or something else that isn't sticky when it dries) to get an accurate reading.

Pet stores could really do good business setting people up with proper supplies rather than selling them useless stuff. It's rather infuriating how little they know about a proper setup.

Oh, I can't see the pics. Here's the instructions for this forum: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...with-pictures)

There are experts on this site; i am NOT one of them, in fact i've only had my snake for a few months. But i have pored over care-sheets, forums, and other sources of info before and since getting into the hobby so please take my suggestions for what they are worth.

First and foremost, get those pictures working; there are amazingly knowledgable users in this group but there is little they can do without actually seeing the problem.
As far as waiting on feeding, if he actually ate for you right after you got him home thats great albeit surprising but you handled him WAY too soon after he ate. Not sure how big he is (again, pics please) but after 2 mice give him 72 hours minimum, more would be better. especially since you don't know his feeding habits yet and considering he regurged about 48 hours after you fed him the first time. Further, if he regurges, wait a few days before attempting to feed him again - his poor little digestive tract is traumatized.
Until you have this belly scale thing sorted out, i'd use a layer or two of white paper towels for bedding; it is very non abrasive and also shows evidence of shedding, excreting, mites, etc very well. But it does not hold moisture well which is good if rot is an issue, but the ambient humidity still needs to be correct so mist lightly until you get it where it needs to be. Incidentally, you'll never get the humidity right with just a screen top; there are lots of tricks, but a quick fix would be to cover it with a moist towel (except for where the lamp is, of course) this will still let air flow but will retain heat and humidity well.
Get that UTH on a thermostat NOW. don't trust your touch; your body is 98.6 degrees, so hot and cold in the range of 80's to 90's is far too subtle to determine with your hands.
For now i'd say leave him alone as much as you can. If you need to move him to adjust his tank, do so quickly and gently. Same if you need to inspect his troublesome scales, but don't "play" with him for a while (i know its hard to resist), it sounds like he's having a rough time right now and needs to settle.

This is going to sound mean, but it doesn't sound like you're quite ready to be a ball python owner. These snakes, while they are easy to take care of after their setup is near perfect, it takes time and a decent amount of money to get things set up correctly. These snakes are fairly hardy and tough, but you've already got a few things going against you. Did you get him from a pet store or a breeder? I would maybe talk to them and see if they can keep the snake for you for a week or two until you are able to get all of the husbandry (tank) issues corrected and under control where they should be. Here is a good link with a TON of information that will provide helpful to you. Read through all of it if possible.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-With-Pictures!