Scale rot

I am hoping I'm doing enough. So today I soaked her and cleaned her up. Then I soaked her in beta dine and warm water. I totally switched cages and layered it with paper. I then put triple antibiotic cream with no pain relief on her belly. She also is shedding. What do you think?

Did a vet confirm it to be rot or is this self diagnosed?

I don't recall ever seeing a thread saying they have scale rot where it turned out it was. Usually itt turns out to be a burn.

Pics are always helpful.

Pictures are the best way for us to get a good grasp on the situation. The treatment for scale rot and burns aren't terribly different, some prefer chlorhexidine over betadine for burns. You did good providing a clean and dry environment. I'd do a betadine soak every other to every third day and ease off the antibiotic ointment until she sheds.

I had a rescue come in with mild scale rot on about 80 percent of his ventral side, coupled with partially healed lacerations. Some betadine soaks, a clean environment and 1 shed later, you could hardly tell he ever had scale rot starting.

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Here is a pic.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...t4dNgZ8Djn.jpg

I'd get that BP to a vet, pronto. If that's scale rot, it's really advanced, and your typical home remedies likely won't be enough. If the damage wasnt so wide spread, I'd think it was a burn, though it's still a possibility. Did the snake come to you in that condition?

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No it did not come to me that way. I was just told she was in the middle of a shed. All the pics I have seen suggests scale rot. But I did get a heating pad for the bottom of her cage.

No it wasn't confirmed by a vet. I'm just going off pics I have seen.

It looks like a burn to me.

Is the uth on a thermostat? If not, UNPLUG IT NOW!!!!

She has severe burns, likely from your under tank heater. Like KMG hinted at, it's incredibly important to keep UTH's on thermostats, because it's a heat source that the snake comes into direct contact with. Unchecked, these heating devices can reach temperatures upwards of 120F.

I would highly recommend an emergency vet visit and a nice Jumpstart thermostat.

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I vote for a Herpstat.

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/index....=index&cPath=1

Remove the substrate and put the snake on paper towels for now.

This sucks much. I can't believe I did this to her. I was told by a snake expert at a reptile show that all I needed was a heating pad underneath, aspen bedding, and maybe some bulb heat up top. Nobody told me anything about a thermostat on the pad.

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Originally Posted by Gshockley

This sucks much. I can't believe I did this to her. I was told by a snake expert at a reptile show that all I needed was a heating pad underneath, aspen bedding, and maybe some bulb heat up top. Nobody told me anything about a thermostat on the pad.

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Well an expert they were not. That's a rookie mistake and any and every breeder should know better.

I think you caught it in time and the snake will recover. I've seen much worse burns make a full recovery. You have to keep it and the cage clean though. An infection is the last thing you need.

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Originally Posted by Gshockley

This sucks much. I can't believe I did this to her. I was told by a snake expert at a reptile show that all I needed was a heating pad underneath, aspen bedding, and maybe some bulb heat up top. Nobody told me anything about a thermostat on the pad.

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It is YOUR responsibility to research an animal prior to purchasing it, and this is what happen when you make an impulse buy without being prepared.

Now it is YOUR responsibility to take this animal to a vet to be assessed , anti-biotics may be required to prevent a possible infection and Silver Sulfadiazine will need to be prescribed.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

It is YOUR responsibility to research an animal prior to purchasing it, and this is what happen when you make an impulse buy without being prepared.

Now it is YOUR responsibility to take this animal to a vet to be assessed , anti-biotics may be required to prevent a possible infection and Silver Sulfadiazine will need to be prescribed.

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Thank you. I know I screwed up. You guys have been a great help. I thought I was prepared. I just didn't know about the thermostat being hooked up to the heat pad and didn't know that the pad would get tat hot. I put my hand on it and it didn't feel that hot when ever I checked it.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Well an expert they were not. That's a rookie mistake and any and every breeder should know better.

I think you caught it in time and the snake will recover. I've seen much worse burns make a full recovery. You have to keep it and the cage clean though. An infection is the last thing you need.

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ive been soaking her in the betadine every day after making sure she's clean and then putting triple antibiotics cream on her.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Well an expert they were not. That's a rookie mistake and any and every breeder should know better.

I think you caught it in time and the snake will recover. I've seen much worse burns make a full recovery. You have to keep it and the cage clean though. An infection is the last thing you need.

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ive been soaking her in the betadine every day after making sure she's clean and then putting triple antibiotics cream on her.

Have you set up an appt with a vet yet? In the meantime, you may want to check your drug stores for the silver sulfadiazine that Deborah mentioned. I think I remember CVS having it.

Some breeders give you minimal information, and if you don't do your own digging for information, mistakes like this can happen. You should check out the Jumpstart thermostats. They have a really small probe that works well with heat pads, a digital display, easy settings, and they are UL certified (I think it's UL, it's the Canadian equivalent to our certification). Or you can check into other methods of heating. While she's healing from the burns, underbelly heat may not be the best option for a bit. I've never used belly heat as a sole heat source, heat pads and heat tape have always set me on edge.

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Originally Posted by Gshockley

ive been soaking her in the betadine every day after making sure she's clean and then putting triple antibiotics cream on her.

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ive been soaking her in the betadine every day after making sure she's clean and then putting triple antibiotics cream on her.

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Triple anti-biotics cream is not gonna cut it for a burn to that extent, you need to see a vet and get the right treatment that helps with burns, triple anti-biotics cream should only be used for minor issues.

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Yeah, unfortunately this is a very severe burn that needs immediate attention from a qualified exotic vet. Simple as that. Sorry to see this, but please, put the animal on the road to recovery. :(

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Originally Posted by Gshockley

Thank you. I know I screwed up. You guys have been a great help. I thought I was prepared. I just didn't know about the thermostat being hooked up to the heat pad and didn't know that the pad would get tat hot. I put my hand on it and it didn't feel that hot when ever I checked it.

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If it feels warm to you it is most likely hot to them. This is why a temp gun is so handy. We run at a warm temp and therefore are a bad gauge of what cold, warm, and hot is to a snake.

I have her scheduled for tomorrow at 10 am for the vet. I already had the silver dia... stuff. I have her soaking again and will put the silver cream on her after her soak.

Let us know how the vet visit goes.

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The vet appointment went well but got some conflicting information. The vet said they never recommend under tank heating and that all the heating should come from bulbs. They gave me more of the cream that I was using and also I am giving her an antibiotic shot every three days (the other option was orally 2 times a day). He told me not to soak her anymore because it could cause an infection. I need to put the cream on twice a day.

You'll find a lot of pro belly heat people, and just as many pro top heat people. I'm a top heat advocate, myself.

It sounds like your girl's treatment should be pretty simple, which is nice. Any thoughts as to what you'll do as far as providing heat from here on out?

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Belly heat is the most efficient way to achieve proper temperatures, we all know heats travels up, not down and that lamp dry out the enclosure. So it really depends if you want to do something efficient with minimal heat loss or something difficult with a lot more heat loss.

Can it be done without heat pad but ambient room temp can play a huge role in this as well. You can even keep them without a hot spot at all (relying on high ambient temps only) but I do not recommend this to a new owner.


You can ask around the majority of knowledgeable and experienced keepers use belly heat however they use a reliable thermostat and that makes the difference, and a reliable thermostat should be used with any heat source to provide proper temperatures and prevent over heating.

Did you ask the vet how many snakes they own or have owned? I'm guessing none. They do not seem to be up to date on the hobby, but at least they didn't tell you to use a heat rock.

I've used it all and back when I had to use bulbs many of my cages were complicated to keep correct humidity and temperatures. Now in a heated room with better cages and equipment my collection is much more simple and easy to care for, imo.

Do your own research and decide what you want to use. Either method can be done safely and either can be dangerous.

After talking to the vet and the breeders and reptile experts I am still going to use the heat pad but with the thermostat. I can't room controlled heat. I just think that belly heat helps digesting and that's just as important. The vet also suggested an humidity box for shedding so I am going to pick up some sphagnum moss this weekend at the reptile show. Again thanks for all the help.

I thought the vet was going to recommend euthanasia. I'm relieved there is a healing plan in place for her.


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Shes healing really well. I had to give her an injection for the first time by myself. She needs one every three days.

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Originally Posted by pbyeerts

I thought the vet was going to recommend euthanasia. I'm relieved there is a healing plan in place for her.


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Glad to hear she is healing well. Unfortunately with a burn that severe and being that reptiles heal much slower than us she will have a slow road to complete recovery. Sucks this happened to her. I feel terrible for her and the pain she is in. Thankfully she saw a vet and now has proper medication to help her heal. As others have said before me thermostats are the bread and butter of this hobby. Don't skimp on them. Everyone will always tell you quality in quality out.... If you spend the money on a quality t stat this will never happen again. I use herpstats that I have programed should my temps ever spike for what ever reason all power is shut off to heat source. I also have them set that should my temps ever drop to low I have alarms going off to alert me of the problem and correct it. Quality thermostats will save your animals life. I have no problem coughing up the money to keep my animals in perfect health. If this ever happened to any of my babies I would be on the floor hysterically crying. They are my pride and joys I would never be the same if this happened to my animals. Good luck with her. Please next time you buy any animal research , research, research. Impulse buys are the worst thing to do. End of the day if you don't know how to properly take care of them the animals will always suffer. Take care keep us updated.