new ball owner a few questions

i just got a ball python a couple weeks ago. he/she is only 10 weeks and he is eating 2 fuzzies every saturday so far with no problems. i do have a couple concerns though.
1. he has a small line going down most of his belly it hasnt always been there and it seems to be going down more every day. could he be getting scratched by the driftwood in my tank?
2. when i feel his scales its not smooth. every once in a while i feel a scale that seems to be sticking out. is this normal. at first i thought he was shedding but after reading the sticky it doesnt seem like that. any tips or advice would be great

as soon as i figure out how i will try to post some pictures.

All you have to do to show pics is got to photobucket.com and sign up and upload the pics there, then copy the [IMG] link

To answer #2

Where did you get your Ball Python from? It sounds like he didn't shed in one peice for the last owner.

Also, JW, what all do you have in your cage?

is this scrach a different color than the rest of hes scales? What is the humidity like and how wet it the substrate

It kind of sounds a bit like scale rot to me...

Orey had that "line" too. It was about one centimeter long and a few inches up from his cloaca, on his belly. What was it? It went away with his shed.

Well if its just a little line and a little over halfway down and like 1 two 2/3 inches long and the same color as his belly scales then its the snake equivelent to a belly button. If its blistered and discolored and keeps getting bigger it could be a burn or belly rot. Might help to post a pic to let me see

I wouldn't worry at all. It sounds as if your ball python is completely normal. What you are describing sounds like, as Freakie Frog said, the snakes belly button. It is where your snake absorbed it's yolk. That scar, if you will, will remain there for the rest of it's life, although it will become almost unoticeable after time. As far as the rough scale, it could be some stuck shed, or sometimes I find that my snakes will sometimes bend a scale, and it sticks out and may be what you are feeling. In general though, I would say your little friend is fine.

I thought belly button too, until I re-read this:

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he has a small line going down most of his belly it hasnt always been there and it seems to be going down more every day.

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Pictures would definitely help.

yea my young ones still have there belly buttons where as my adult male has no trace of his left

how long is the line? pics will help if u can post 'em

well everyone, all seems to be ok. i asked my girlfriend about the line because we both got ours at the same time and she said she saw mine and hers so it didnt just appear. as for it getting longer i think that was just me being crazy and looking too far into things. his eyes are now going cloudy so i am about to experience his first shed and i will post about the scales later.

in my tank i have a piece of driftwood i got at a pet store as well as a plastic hideaway and a water bowl. the substrate is reptile turf. and to be honest i dont know much about the humidity but it is something i will be looking into since he is about to shed.

thanks for the help everyone.

Do you have a thermometer? Or a humidity gauge? Get another hide. They need two, one on the warm side, and one on the cool side.

i have two stick on thermometers one on the cool side and one on the warm. the cool side stays at about 83 and the warm around 92. he hides under his driftwood because it is mounted to his tank but i will look into another hide. his tank is only 10 gallons so im not working with a lot of room but he seems to be happy with what he has. i will definatly get a humidity gauge tomorrow.

Those stickons suck. Get an accurite thermometer hygrometer combo from Lowes/Walmart/Home depot for 15 bucks. WAAAAY better. Those stickons can be off by 20!!!

Just a thought... When he is bigger look into getting a rubbermaid enclosure, better than tanks IMO.

will do. thanks for all the help bpkid.

No problem

Here's the link for the thermometer.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...7GT&lpage=none

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Originally Posted by Dr.Gonzo

well everyone, all seems to be ok. i asked my girlfriend about the line because we both got ours at the same time and she said she saw mine and hers so it didnt just appear. as for it getting longer i think that was just me being crazy and looking too far into things. his eyes are now going cloudy so i am about to experience his first shed and i will post about the scales later.

in my tank i have a piece of driftwood i got at a pet store as well as a plastic hideaway and a water bowl. the substrate is reptile turf. and to be honest i dont know much about the humidity but it is something i will be looking into since he is about to shed.

thanks for the help everyone.

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Also if you are using a UTH then a thermostat is a must. Might want to look into one. they keep the UTH from spiking and burning your pet. Very handy for gettin the temps right on perfact. Hope this helps also.