ball python always "playing" in water bowl...I am worried about scale rot

I wasn't able to fit the real title in, but more accurately:

"ball python always "playing" in water bowl and making her paper towels soaked...I am worried about her getting scale rot."

That is what I am worried about. She totally on her own makes her floor/paper towels so wet from her water bowl, and therefore is directly sitting on a perfect recipe for scale rot.

What are y'all's thoughts? Anything helps...Thanks! :)

Just felt her belly and noticed it was a little flaky and there was a few scales with the tiniest bit of brown on them. They were so small you wouldn't see unless you looked hard. With that being said it could be scale rot, the start of a shed (she has been soaking some) or it could be her being too rough in the enclosure (which is very possible with the way she plays at night).

This paper towel soaking thing has only been going on for maybe the last 2 weeks, is that long enough for scale rot to form? I will see If I can get some pics.

Please add pics of the brown scales and the enclosure. Also describe the enclosure temps and humidity. It will give us a better picture of what's going on.

My bp was always knocking over his water bowl when I first got him and I was worried about the same thing. I solved it by using a wide bottom tupperware dish. When filled about a third of the way, it was stable enough that he no longer knocked it over, but since it was only a third full he wouldn't slosh out the water when he moved around in it.

Are you POSITIVE there are no mites on this snake? Mites bite & cause irritation- snakes often seek relief in water bowls. Look closely, they're tiny (they hide under scales but may also come off in the water bowl). I agree that a damp cage can also cause scale infections.

Another possible reason that a snake seeks the water bowl is that it's too warm. Double check the temps. accurately- what's are they? Snakes need warmth, but also part of the cage with a lower temp.

Ok, so my temperature is an ambient of about 80 degrees F. I have a heat mat under one hide as a hot spot, and the the other hide is her cool spot.

Humidity is usually somewhere between 50-75 but it fluctuates. Sometimes at night I have to spray it down because using a heat lamp can usually suck my humidity out (and paper towels don't help humidity much either).

I don't know how to upload a picture but I know there is an app I can get to upload them (I just got a new lap top so I have to re-download it).

I am sure there are no mites. Like I said, I have paper towels and so they would show. Like I also said, It is most likely either scale rot or her playing too rough in the enclosure.

Thanks for the water bowl tips, I don't think she tips it over since it never moves much throughout the night and it is pretty heavy. I don't really know how she does it but somehow her paper towels are soaked in the morning. :P

Thanks again and I will try too update pictures. :)

Also, I could be wrong, but currently she is my only snake so I think mites are pretty unlikely. I don't know where she would get them from. But I am positive there are no mites. :)

With so little background given, I only mentioned mites "in case"? Don't expect us to know or remember how long you've had your snake or other details given previously in other posts- because we can't & don't. ;) Our responses are better when you supply more needed information.

People here use Tapatalk for pix.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures

Yes, I wasn't blaming you and I appreciate the thought. Please excuse me, I was thinking out loud. :)

My thoughts are you need to relax and put less water in the bowl so when the snake gets in it it doesn't displace to the point of making it overflow. Not that laying in some water for a few hours is going to do anything.

Regarding the mites for the future:
I am very picky about where I pick up my bedding from if I need more. Mites can hide in or on the bags on shelves if the store has animals with mites on them. I always do a quick check of the animals in a store before I buy any just in case. Since your baby is on paper towels, You should have seen a couple on the paper towels by now for sure.

Sometimes you'll see mites on the live mice and rats. These will be a pale brown, not the dark brown of a reptile mite. These are harmless to snakes but can give people a good nip and itch sometimes.


For the water issue:
You mentioned in another post that she peed in her water bowl. This isn't uncommon. If she hadn't gone in a bit, she may have been in the bowl to stimulate herself to potty.
With the way shedding cycles work, I have the feeling your baby may be starting a shed. Sometimes they'll be a little full of poop or perry because the body is working more on the skin process than the digestive process.

Not sure if it's the case for your baby but ...I notice my younger noodles will start getting antsy when they're ready for a bigger space. This will be things like roaming alot more, pushing on the corners, refusing to stay in hides and things like messing with the water bowl alot more. Two of my most recent would repeatedly tip the water.

And then there's some snakes who just like to flood everything. I've upgraded my babies to heavier bowls to avoid it.

Pictures will give a better idea of what's going on, but unless your noodle has been stewing in dirty water daily, I wouldn't be too concerned yet.

*update*

Thank you all so much! Yes, I have moved her to a new water bowl (one that is really meant to be a human bowl, but it works great for her too) and I fill it with a little less water. What looked like the early stages of scale rot on her belly appear to be just little brown dots maybe scruffed from playing around at night because they are barley noticeable and not getting worse. She is also appearing slightly yellow (being a bel) and so might be starting to go into shed.

Thanks again!:)

Glad to hear she seems okay, & :gj: for changing to a better water bowl. I use 'human' bowls (not made for pets) for my snakes too- nothing wrong with that.

I bought my snakes some new bowls from Reptile Basics recently. I'm going back to the ceramic dog bowls for my Bloods and Col Boa. They keep flipping the new ones.

Human stuff for snakes... My juvies right now all have glass bowls from IKEA. Lol.

My biggest male had his own ceramic dog bowl for a long while

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Originally Posted by Armiyana

Human stuff for snakes... My juvies right now all have glass bowls from IKEA. Lol.

My biggest male had his own ceramic dog bowl for a long while

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I prefer heavy glass bowls for water for my snakes, & I sometimes find good ones (that won't tip- flat bottom & right size/depth) in thrift stores, but I also raid my own cupboards at times. For example, one of my large rat snakes has a large pale green (vintage "collectible") mixer bowl that I found but really wasn't using anyway. Whatever works, I say. Some "casserole" dishes work well too. Florists use glass bowls too, for arrangements, & the bowls end up in thrift stores or garage sales. No need to spend a fortune on water bowls for snakes- they're "everywhere" in all sizes. ;)

Yes, it's really great too because I have about 5 or 6 of the same bowl so I can switch them out in the enclosure while I'm doing something with the previous one. I also love it because you can stick them in the washing machine to clean them.

Quick question, I think some one said you can put those plastic black snake breeder hides in the washing machine too? I could be wrong about that but I wanted to clarify if that is alright to do. :)

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Originally Posted by Claire&snek

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Quick question, I think some one said you can put those plastic black snake breeder hides in the washing machine too? I could be wrong about that but I wanted to clarify if that is alright to do. :)

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I'm not sure- DWs get very hot (& not all the same), & at some point, most plastic will warp. Might ask the source (brand) for the hides if it's okay too, since we may be talking about different brands of hides here. (I think I've heard of ppl saying they do that- put in DW- but you want to make sure- each situation may differ.)