Blister

New to snakes and one of my balls has a couple of these blisters. Is this a trip to the vet? And is there anything I can do before I can get to the vet?
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...42_resized.jpg

Absolutely 100% YES to the trip to the vet. And asap as well.

This looks like Blister disease and I don't like the redness and blood under the skin, it could be the beginning of septicemia.

What you should do until the appointment is keep the snake in a clean and as sterile as possible environment. That means NO substrate, just clean paper towels. Keep the heat and everything else as close to perfect as you can. Small water bowl. Everything clean clean clean. Clean up any mess you see on the paper towels and replace with fresh ones.

That appointment needs to be made ASAP.

What causes this?


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Its usually secondary to other problems. It can be caused by all kinds of bacterium.

Usually the snakes immune system is weakened and that lets other bacterium run wild. Could be that the snake was kept in a unclean environment. To wet, dirty, etc.
Or in substandard conditions heat/humidity wise. Could have fought off a virus, RI etc. Substandard diet.

The actual cause can be many things. But it doesn't look good. The skin looks stressed all over and reddened, as if blood is leaking under the skin. I may be wrong (hope so) but this definitely looks like something bad is brewing.

The sooner you get treatment for this, the better the chances for the snake to fight this off.

Meanwhile keep it in optimal conditions. CLEAN. Optimal heat. Keep stress to a minimum, meaning only handle the snake for maintenance, to clean the enclosure. Let it hide and relax as much as possible.

But all that is secondary to a Vet visit.

I "second" the above posts by zina10...it's not just the blisters but you can see there's some puffiness under the rest of the skin too. Vet a.s.a.p. for sure.

Thank you. I was thinking it was blister disease but hoping not. I put her in a new tub with just paper towel. I have 7 snakes in the rack and all others are very healthy. Always keep their tubs clean so not sure what the root cause is. I have a herp vet near me I will take her to in the morning.

That is awesome that you can take her to the Vet so quickly, I really think in this case that is the best thing to do.

I hope its nothing serious, please update us on your girl.

Best of luck!

Let us know how it goes. You said you're new to snakes....how long have you had her? Newly-acquired snakes can be very stressed (which reduces the function
of their immune system, along with less the perfect housing along the way) so even though they look fine when you get them, they can sometimes just be in the
process of coming down with something. It's not necessarily anything you did or anything you might have prevented.

But speaking of prevention: did all of your snakes come from the same place & at the same time? If not, you should have this one in quarantine.

I got all of my bp's about 3 years ago from 2 different places (BHB and a local breeder) . Yes, I consider 3 years to be new at snakes especially since I have never had any health issues to deal with until now. they have all been very healthy until this one. Very confused. Thank you for your help and I will update after the vet visit assuming they can get me in tomorrow.

Just let them know that you fear the snake is going septic.

That may make them fit you in, when otherwise they won't. Hopefully she is NOT going septic, but I've seen them look that way before, in the earlier stages of septicemia.
If she is going septic, time is of the essence, critical, really. She needs on meds, NOW.

Of course, perhaps its not all that bad. I haven't seen the whole snake, you haven't said if you noticed other things that are "off" with that snake, or explained the husbandry, feeding, etc.

But just in case, get her in quickly.

thanks zina for the septic tip. Here is a pic of the whole snake. She is also going through a bad shed at this time.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._resized_1.jpg

Poor baby :( hope snake gets the help it needs asap

hope she's gonna be ok, looks terrible :( Fingers crossed. Update us, please

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Huxta

thanks zina for the septic tip. Here is a pic of the whole snake. She is also going through a bad shed at this time.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._resized_1.jpg

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I'm not gonna lie...that looks shockingly bad. Worse then I thought it would be.
It certainly does have the look of not only beginning, but advanced septicemia. The redness and "full" swollen look is a big indicator. Still hope I'm wrong, but gosh, that just looks terrible, poor baby..:tears:

Please let us know what the Vet says (and does).

Sadly I agree with zina10's post above, every bit of it. :( I hope your vet can save this poor snake, whatever the issue it's pretty advanced, & this is an EMERGENCY.
And yes, please update when you get a chance...this is not a "bad shed".

At the vet now. They are sending me home with antibiotic shots to administer as well as an antiseptic solution to soak in. They are also working on removing remaining stuck shed so the antiseptic soak will be more effective. I will update more later. Thanks for everyone's help. I just wish I noticed it earlier.

And zina, you were correct. They said they didn't have any openings and as soon as I told them I think it is septic, they said to bring her in.

Good luck with that beauty,fingers crossed you have caught it in time

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Huxta

At the vet now. They are sending me home with antibiotic shots to administer as well as an antiseptic solution to soak in. They are also working on removing remaining stuck shed so the antiseptic soak will be more effective. I will update more later. Thanks for everyone's help. I just wish I noticed it earlier.

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Well, you are doing what needs to be done now. Hopefully you can get that girl feeling better. So glad they were able to fit you in. You want to start with meds and treatment asap. It really can make all the difference.

Keep her as sterile as possible while she is recuperating. No substrate. Just clean papertowels.

Good luck. She is a Beauty [emoji4]

Please let us know how she does..


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@zina10 is one of the more knowledgeable people on this forum, and thank goodness she was here when she was.

that photo of the bby girl is heart-wrenching...thank goodness you helped her when you did.

please keep us posted, OP. [emoji177]