skin problems-dehydration

I had posted a message saying my ball python had patches of skin with no scales. sorry but this message was not accurate. i have found out that he is dehydrated and the scales were dried out appearing dull, wrinkled, flat, and skin like. I have also found out my thermometer doesn't work properly and his cage was over heated. Well i have made adjustments to his tank, new thermometer being the first, smaller under tank heater and larger water bowl for more humidity. He's doing better, but does anyone have suggestions for how to take care of his already dried out skin? He drinks water fine, but can i put anything on his dried skin to help it regain moisture, or give him something to drink that will keep him hydrated better? And will this cause problems when he sheds? Sorry about the wrong information last time, i'm still new at this and i was a little panicky. Hopefully, i'll do better now. :) thanks for any tips or suggestions

Do you have a hydrometer in its enclosure?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mr86mister

Do you have a hydrometer in its enclosure?

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Hygrometer, hydrometer's are used in aquariums to measure salinity. ;)

Make sure his humidity is 50-60%.

He could be about to shed. But if he really is dehydrated, give him a soak in warm water about 1/2 as deep as your snake is thick in a NON-airtight container - set it inside his enclosure to keep the water warm. 20 - 30 minutes should be plenty. Do it now and in a few days and see if he improves. If not, take him to a vet.

Good luck!
Melissa

i do have a hygrometer in his tank and it registers a couple points above 50%. thanks for the soaking suggestion, i'll buy a dish and let him sit in it for awhile. we'll see if it helps, hopefully it will. :)

thanks

Has he had a shed with you yet? If he has any problems shedding, give him a little extra time. If he still has retained shed on his head, especially eyecaps, there is a great tutorial here at:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403

haha. yes thank you littleindiangirl. I get my saltwater tanks and my Ball Python stuff mixed up sometimes...lol.

He hasn't shed yet and i've had him for about 4 weeks now. He's an avid eater and still young so i'm expecting he'll shed pretty soon.

Can you post a picture of him? That would help us know if he is dehydrated or simply about to shed. Are his eyes cloudy/blueish? Is his belly at all pink? Is the dryness all over or only in a few spots?

His eyes aren't blueish or cloudy and his belly is white, no pink. i'll post some pictures as soon as i can. i just have to learn how to post first....i sound so far behind the times, lol. i've never had to post before. I'll try anyway.

ok, i couldn't get any pictures onto my reply so i uploaded a couple into the gallery. I forgot to title them, so they're under a string of numbers and my user name. oops. i hope you can find them.

I found the pictures!

The dryness looks very strange indeed. Is it in one line all the way down the spine? Or just the parts in the photos? Has the dryness spread, gotten smaller, or otherwise changed since you noticed it? Have you tried a soak yet to see if it helped?

I recommend a vet visit.

Anyone else with ideas?

It reminds me of the common problem when your snake has a tough shed and he'll get a few shrivelled scales on their head.
BUT (big but)

I have also heard many times that if it spreads, it could be a fungal infection.

OR,

if it goes away with a shed, then that's all it was, a bad shed.

But I am with Melissa, that should warrant a visit to a qualified snake vet for a look. Just the size and placement on the body is odd, you would want to make sure it is nothing serious and can be remedied with some simple husbandry changes.

Any updates? Did he shed or get to a vet?