Please Help!!!! Are these burns????

Hey everyone, I just took my girl out cause I had a weird feeling all day at work to check on her when I got home. She ate two days ago and I usually handle her after that and look her over and whatnot about once a week.

She has been spending a lot of time in her warm hide (which didn't strike me as unusual as she always does). When I took her out today and looked under her belly, IT IS VERY PINK. Only in the bottom half towards her tail. The pics uploaded very zoomed in for some reason, so pan out to get full pic:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/img_4801.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/img_4800.jpg

Are these burns????? If so, how severe?? How can I treat her?? Do I need to take her to a vet?? The poor thing is laid across a cool blanket that I have, that must be cooling her off as she hasn't moved and usually she is very adventurous when I take her out :(

I have the UTH connected to a thermostat. I unfortunately didn't know when I first set up her cage (She is 3 years old but I only adopted her 3 weeks ago), and put the probe INSIDE her cage, directly above the UTH, under the substrate. I had attached it to the bottom with safe adhesive that I saw in a video from a Youtube Channel called SnakeDiscovery- they seem reputable and have watched a lot of their videos.

When I noticed the pink, I moved everything in her cage and she had somehow ripped the probe free and it was not in its usual spot, although in the same general area. I used a temp gun and measured the spot that she lays in and it was 99 degrees F!!!!! :(

I am in tears right now, I feel so bad and can only thank the snake gods that I checked on her today and did not wait until tomorrow. Is she in pain?? How do I help her? Bath? Leave her alone?

In addition to treating the burns (if thats what this is), what do I do about the thermostat? Apparently that nontoxic adhesive did not work well enough and she managed to wiggle it free. The UTH is already attached to the bottom of the tub, so I cannot put it in between the UTH and the bottom of the tub. HOWEVER, if you recommend, I will buy a whole new UTH and re-attach it correctly if that is the right way. Where is the probe supposed to be? I cannot live with myself if she gets burned again :rage:

Please help!!

P.S. Other than the pink, she is healthy- seems very hydrated, eats like a complete machine (a little underweight when I got her), no other spots or signs of scale rot. No mucus in mouth/nose. No other weird behavior changes. Nothing.

I know nothing on tubs but I will say NEVER place anything in an enclosure that has ANYTHING sticky.....along with that the uth needs to be under the bottom of the tub/tank not inside it. When was the last shed? Looks more of pre-shed but with that kinda heat I’m not sure.


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It may just be a sign she is going into shed. Looks like the classic pink belly that occurs before a shed. I myself haven't had any burns on my snakes so far (knock on wood), and so I will let someone else who has experience in this situation help you out, that is, if its a burn, and not a pink belly for a shed.

If the pink goes evenly all across her whole belly I would say it looks like pre-shed (which also matches her behaviour of staying in her warm hide and not being very active when taken out) but since OP mentioned it's only on the part of the snake near the tail then that makes it more likely a burn.

Very lucky that you checked on her today as you probably stopped it from turning into a serious burn and it looks mild right now. I don't think there will be any long-term damage, and it will heal up completely after a few sheds. I have no experience with how to take care of burned snakes so I can't advise on that but I'm sure someone else will have some good tips.

For the UTH situation, the probe should be outside of the enclosure, between the heat mat and the bottom of the tub. This is to avoid the problem of the probe being moved, causing a UTH temperature spike. You can try very carefully peeling off the UTH, taping the probe to the bottom of the enclosure, and taping the UTH back down on top of it with foil tape. If the UTH gets bent or damaged in any way while removing it though it's safer to just get a new UTH.

Thank you for your quick reply. To clarify, the actual UTH is OUTSIDE the tub. The PROBE measuring the temp is inside. The adhesive is only underneath the suction cup that is attached to the end of the probe and she shouldn't be able to get at it. It is safe for all reptiles/animals and I am pretty sure where I got the information of this is from is a good source. They have made thousands of videos on snake care and I believe are actually a rescue shelter for them. But, yes obviously it didn't work well since the temp is measuring 99.:(

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Originally Posted by Aerries

I know nothing on tubs but I will say NEVER place anything in an enclosure that has ANYTHING sticky.....along with that the uth needs to be under the bottom of the tub/tank not inside it. When was the last shed? Looks more of pre-shed but with that kinda heat I’m not sure.


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Thanks for your reply! I REALLY hope it is a pre-shed sign! She does look SLIGHTLY dull (although not AS dull as I would imagine right before a shed), but I have not seen the blue/milky eyes yet (I could have missed it though). Jeez that would make me feel so much better. She probably thinks I'm insane- a blubbering mess right now.

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Originally Posted by Treeman

It may just be a sign she is going into shed. Looks like the classic pink belly that occurs before a shed. I myself haven't had any burns on my snakes so far (knock on wood), and so I will let someone else who has experience in this situation help you out, that is, if its a burn, and not a pink belly for a shed.

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Thank you very much for responding. At a closer look, it is actually slightly pink all the way up her belly, but it is definitely much darker towards the bottom. I really hope it is a pre-shed, my poor little girl! I'm not sure if you would know, but does 99 degrees sound hot enough to cause a burn? I've never been through a shed cycle with her yet, so I wouldn't know how to tell the difference!

Yes, I am so grateful (if these are burns) that I checked her out today. I'm sure someone will be able to give some advice on treatment, thank you.

To be safe, I will just go pick up a new one altogether. Even if these aren't actually burns, because it is not worth the risk for $20. I'll apply it the way you said here. So: tub, probe taped to bottom, then UTH. Like a sandwich with the probe in the middle? Thanks for your input, helping put my mind at ease. :oops:

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Originally Posted by Luvyna

If the pink goes evenly all across her whole belly I would say it looks like pre-shed (which also matches her behaviour of staying in her warm hide and not being very active when taken out) but since OP mentioned it's only on the part of the snake near the tail then that makes it more likely a burn.

Very lucky that you checked on her today as you probably stopped it from turning into a serious burn and it looks mild right now. I don't think there will be any long-term damage, and it will heal up completely after a few sheds. I have no experience with how to take care of burned snakes so I can't advise on that but I'm sure someone else will have some good tips.

For the UTH situation, the probe should be outside of the enclosure, between the heat mat and the bottom of the tub. This is to avoid the problem of the probe being moved, causing a UTH temperature spike. You can try very carefully peeling off the UTH, taping the probe to the bottom of the enclosure, and taping the UTH back down on top of it with foil tape. If the UTH gets bent or damaged in any way while removing it though it's safer to just get a new UTH.

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I hope it's pre-shed as well! From what I've read anything above 96F is enough to cause a burn but if she was on top of substrate instead of directly on the tub surface maybe she wasn't in contact with the hottest part.

Glad to hear that you are putting your girl's safety first and getting her a new UTH :) Yes, exactly like that: the probe sandwiched between the bottom of the outside of the enclosure and the UTH. Added a diagram below if that helps (disregard the 95F temp though, use your temp gun or a separate digital thermometer with a probe over the hot spot to figure out what temperature you need to set your thermostat to for the right temperature inside the tub).

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...9edbeefb34.jpg

You're a saint, thank you so much! I've been looking up pictures of pre-shed belly vs burns and I think it may just be pre-shed pink belly and I was just having mom anxiety:D And if they are burns, they seem VERY minor in comparison to other burns, so I caught it early. But now I know to switch the UTH probe and stuff to prevent bad burns!

Of course her safety/health is my #1 priority! She is such a little cutie, very friendly and beautiful and I see it as my responsibility to spoil her!:P But that diagram is perfect, thank you! I'll be sure to to check with the temp gun to adjust the thermostat so it gives off the correct temp from under the tub! I've upped her humidity in the meantime, in case this is a shed and I'll let ya know if she sheds! Lol thank you for your help!:gj:

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Originally Posted by Luvyna

I hope it's pre-shed as well! From what I've read anything above 96F is enough to cause a burn but if she was on top of substrate instead of directly on the tub surface maybe she wasn't in contact with the hottest part.

Glad to hear that you are putting your girl's safety first and getting her a new UTH :) Yes, exactly like that: the probe sandwiched between the bottom of the outside of the enclosure and the UTH. Added a diagram below if that helps (disregard the 95F temp though, use your temp gun or a separate digital thermometer with a probe over the hot spot to figure out what temperature you need to set your thermostat to for the right temperature inside the tub).

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...9edbeefb34.jpg

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No problem, I'm glad I could help :) Always better to be too anxious than too careless with pets imo. Let's hope she has a good shed soon and the pink disappears!

I saw her pics in your gallery, she really has an angel face! It's so cute how she gets in your hair too.

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Originally Posted by Hannahvh

Hey everyone, I just took my girl out cause I had a weird feeling all day at work to check on her when I got home. She ate two days ago and I usually handle her after that and look her over and whatnot about once a week.

She has been spending a lot of time in her warm hide (which didn't strike me as unusual as she always does). When I took her out today and looked under her belly, IT IS VERY PINK. Only in the bottom half towards her tail. The pics uploaded very zoomed in for some reason, so pan out to get full pic:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/img_4801.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/img_4800.jpg

Are these burns????? If so, how severe?? How can I treat her?? Do I need to take her to a vet?? The poor thing is laid across a cool blanket that I have, that must be cooling her off as she hasn't moved and usually she is very adventurous when I take her out :(

I have the UTH connected to a thermostat. I unfortunately didn't know when I first set up her cage (She is 3 years old but I only adopted her 3 weeks ago), and put the probe INSIDE her cage, directly above the UTH, under the substrate. I had attached it to the bottom with safe adhesive that I saw in a video from a Youtube Channel called SnakeDiscovery- they seem reputable and have watched a lot of their videos.

When I noticed the pink, I moved everything in her cage and she had somehow ripped the probe free and it was not in its usual spot, although in the same general area. I used a temp gun and measured the spot that she lays in and it was 99 degrees F!!!!! :(

I am in tears right now, I feel so bad and can only thank the snake gods that I checked on her today and did not wait until tomorrow. Is she in pain?? How do I help her? Bath? Leave her alone?

In addition to treating the burns (if thats what this is), what do I do about the thermostat? Apparently that nontoxic adhesive did not work well enough and she managed to wiggle it free. The UTH is already attached to the bottom of the tub, so I cannot put it in between the UTH and the bottom of the tub. HOWEVER, if you recommend, I will buy a whole new UTH and re-attach it correctly if that is the right way. Where is the probe supposed to be? I cannot live with myself if she gets burned again :rage:

Please help!!

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Unless someone else is without a doubt, that definitely looks pre shed pink belly to me. Time to make sure your husbandry is on point and boost your humidity. As far as probe/undertank heaters go, I’m a infrared light guy. I believe though sone other members already pointed you to the right direction on that. Good luck.

She says thankssss! She really is such a weird, adorable little one! She has an obsession with curtains and thinks she’s a hair accessory :D

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Originally Posted by Luvyna

No problem, I'm glad I could help :) Always better to be too anxious than too careless with pets imo. Let's hope she has a good shed soon and the pink disappears!

I saw her pics in your gallery, she really has an angel face! It's so cute how she gets in your hair too.

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Oh great, I’m really happy you think so! I’ll keep monitoring her just to make sure. Her humidity is up to 70 to prepare for shed, temps are good, and she has some good surfaces to rub on! :gj:

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

Unless someone else is without a doubt, that definitely looks pre shed pink belly to me. Time to make sure your husbandry is on point and boost your humidity. As far as probe/undertank heaters go, I’m a infrared light guy. I believe though sone other members already pointed you to the right direction on that. Good luck.

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I didn't fully read through all the posts, just skimmed the replies, but I agree that that looks like pre-shed. I mostly just wanted to add pics for reference since I have an example of each.

First one is from my spider boy, he gets a majorly pink belly before sheds and this is what it looks like, pardon the weird lighting, he refused to sit still.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d6730baa70.jpg

This next one is actually from a snake a friend bought and had shipped. He arrived with what was pretty clearly minor burns, though the lighting here is bad. You can see how it isn't evenly pink and near the edges of the scales are more red. It looked more red everywhere in person, but he healed up just fine after a few sheds. (This "breeder" insisted it couldn't be burns and that his belly was like that for the year he had him; not revealed till after his arrival. There were indications that he didn't use a thermostat on his racks since it wasn't needed.)
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...17dd79e886.jpg

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99 is toasty....but it would not burn your snake.

This was very helpful, thank you! Her pink looks much more similar to your spider's pre-shed belly than the burn markings- not as blotchy and prominent as those burns. I also noticed her skin was a little more "stretchy" than usual and her scales seemed a little more raised, almost like they were "loose". Are these more pre-shed signs that you know of?

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Originally Posted by pretends2bnormal

I didn't fully read through all the posts, just skimmed the replies, but I agree that that looks like pre-shed. I mostly just wanted to add pics for reference since I have an example of each.

First one is from my spider boy, he gets a majorly pink belly before sheds and this is what it looks like, pardon the weird lighting, he refused to sit still.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...d6730baa70.jpg

This next one is actually from a snake a friend bought and had shipped. He arrived with what was pretty clearly minor burns, though the lighting here is bad. You can see how it isn't evenly pink and near the edges of the scales are more red. It looked more red everywhere in person, but he healed up just fine after a few sheds. (This "breeder" insisted it couldn't be burns and that his belly was like that for the year he had him; not revealed till after his arrival. There were indications that he didn't use a thermostat on his racks since it wasn't needed.)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...17dd79e886.jpg

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Hannahvh

This was very helpful, thank you! Her pink looks much more similar to your spider's pre-shed belly than the burn markings- not as blotchy and prominent as those burns. I also noticed her skin was a little more "stretchy" than usual and her scales seemed a little more raised, almost like they were "loose". Are these more pre-shed signs that you know of?

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I think the loose skin/drier scales can be a sign, but it is also a potential sign of low humidity. If you've checked and the humidity is definitely good, then it can be a sign though it isn't always noticeable from my experience.

From what I've seen, the burns I have pictures of are pretty minor; no open wounds or blisters at all like a worse burn has. Treatment when it is as minor as the one I posted before can be as simple as good temps, humidity, and soft substrate like paper towels. I think my friend did use some of the silver cream stuff (blanking on the word for it right now) a few times, but most of the work was on him to shed it off. With open wounds it is different of course as there is infection risk, etc.

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Perfect, yes, I am quite "neurotic" when it comes to her husbandry:D- humidity always around 54% checked with digital hygrometers on each end of the tub and her ambient temps are regulated as well hovering 77-80F and her hot spot (until the thermometer issue) at 90F. Hopefully, it's just a side effect of the shedding. I've never seen her shed before, so I have a hard time telling the difference.

I agree, that IF these are indeed burns, they look very minor- no blisters or dried scales (from other pics I looked up of belly burns last night) and the pink is pretty light. But, just in case, I'll change out her substrate and keep an eye on her:gj:

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Originally Posted by pretends2bnormal

I think the loose skin/drier scales can be a sign, but it is also a potential sign of low humidity. If you've checked and the humidity is definitely good, then it can be a sign though it isn't always noticeable from my experience.

From what I've seen, the burns I have pictures of are pretty minor; no open wounds or blisters at all like a worse burn has. Treatment when it is as minor as the one I posted before can be as simple as good temps, humidity, and soft substrate like paper towels. I think my friend did use some of the silver cream stuff (blanking on the word for it right now) a few times, but most of the work was on him to shed it off. With open wounds it is different of course as there is infection risk, etc.

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I just wanted to update everyone that I caught Nagini with the blue eyes and dull skin today!!!! Looks like it was just a pre-shed belly afterall! Will still be attaching a new UTH after she sheds just to be safe! :D:gj:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/img_4824.jpg

Thanks all for your input!

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Originally Posted by Hannahvh

I just wanted to update everyone that I caught Nagini with the blue eyes and dull skin today!!!! Looks like it was just a pre-shed belly afterall! Will still be attaching a new UTH after she sheds just to be safe! :D:gj:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/img_4824.jpg

Thanks all for your input!

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Even though it's what we mostly figured (an impending shed cycle), I'm so glad to have it confirmed. :gj:

Thanks for the update, I'm so glad to hear it's just a shed! Hope it goes well for her :)

Snake is going into shed.

I set my hot spot to 95F in the winter months to keep the ambient temps up. No heating or A/C at home.

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Originally Posted by lovepig78

Snake is going into shed.

I set my hot spot to 95F in the winter months to keep the ambient temps up. No heating or A/C at home.

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95F is usually regarded as a tad high I think ... what kind of thermometer do you have ??

Anything like one of these ... https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e5d67efa7b.jpg

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