Scale Rot?

Heyguys, new to the forum and new to the BP world. Adopted a female around February. She had her first shed with us and it didn't go so well. We keep in touch with the guys who gave us her, mentioned how the shed was, and they told us to wait it out. Basically, she was flaking. It had been about 3 weeks now, so I decided to see what was up by checking the interwebz. Stumbled here and found a sticky about soaking for a bad shed. Seemed to match what I'm going through. So, went about it...it worked to an extent. She still has a lot of skin left mainly around the belly. About half way down though I noticed this:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...R/102_0143.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...R/102_0144.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...R/102_0146.jpg

So of course...I searched for possible things...and scale rot stuck out the most. Just wanted some input. I never noticed a discoloration until after the soak. Also the back scales seemed to be "brissled" and a little mushy.

That looks pretty serious. I would take her to the vet immidiately for some antibiotic treatments.

Meanwhile, get her on paper towel substrate.

What is your setup like? How are you measuring your temps? What kind of thermometers? What kind of heat source? Is it regulated?

If you keep the enclosure clean, so the snake isn't sitting in wet bedding or in its own feces, I would think this is more likely a burn. Either way, vet visit asap, there is no home remedy for this condition.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

That looks pretty serious. I would take her to the vet immidiately for some antibiotic treatments.

Meanwhile, get her on paper towel substrate.

What is your setup like? How are you measuring your temps? What kind of thermometers? What kind of heat source? Is it regulated?

If you keep the enclosure clean, so the snake isn't sitting in wet bedding or in its own feces, I would think this is more likely a burn. Either way, vet visit asap, there is no home remedy for this condition.

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well i got this snake for free not to long ago with the tank an al included, it had a thermostat and humidity guage of some sort but she kept trying to pirch ontop of it till she eventually ripped it off the tank and into her water bowl...that was about 2 days ago. heat sorce is 2 heat rocks on either end of the tank but i havnt found any possible way to adjust the temp on them....u just plug the power cord in. bedding isnt wet nore r there any feces..changed bedding after she pooped. humidity is something im not sure how to control...its hot ass hell around here and equaly humid....

ive had corn snakes for years and have never had a sheding issue or anything ANYTHING troublesome or cause for worry before now. dont understand whats exactly this is or how it happened. both snakes i have at the moment r subject to the same temps, humidity, water, food and bedding...i just dont get it


what can i expect as far as the bill goes for the vet, im barely making rent with being layed off an all. i know it has to be done however im in a horrible financial situation at the moment and could really use a heads up.

That is your problem the heat rocks, get rid of them ASAP! she appears to have some mild burning from the heat rocks.

until you can get her to a vet, try soaking her every 2-3 days in a container with a lid, make sure the water is tepid (barely warm).

Fill container with only enough tepid water to cover the botoom 1/2 -3/4 of the snakes body add alittle betadine solution (Tbsp), cover container & let her soak for 30 minutes (do not leave the snake unattended) After soaking apply some neosporin (regular strength without pain reliever).

Keep her on a substrate of paper towels.

Hot rocks are ENTIRELY inapropriate to heat your enclosure with.

You need to get a thermostat, and you NEED to get an under tank heater.

That animal NEEDS to see a vet and get checked out.



PLEASE read the caresheet on ball pythons, that is on this site.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

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Originally Posted by llovelace

That is your problem the heat rocks, get rid of them ASAP! she appears to have some mild burning from the heat rocks.

until you can get her to a vet, try soaking her every 2-3 days in a container with a lid, make sure the water is tepid (barely warm).

Fill container with only enough tepid water to cover the botoom 1/2 -3/4 of the snakes body add alittle betadine solution (Tbsp), cover container & let her soak for 30 minutes (do not leave the snake unattended) After soaking apply some neosporin (regular strength without pain reliever).

Keep her on a substrate of paper towels.

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I really wouldn't recommend soaking with a lid... I have heard of too many snakes drowning that way.

rocks r gone, tookthem out soon as i woke up and checked the site, ive never used heat rocks before this tank setup that i was given. as far as soaking ill wait another day beore the next soak sence i did that last night before i wrote up this thread. i did use a container with a drilled lid however i used only 3/4 inch of water and kept the container in my lap the whole time while i was watching a movi so i could keep an eye on her. after awhile i took the lid off and she didnt seem to try to escape just wiggled arround a lil now and then and kept head rested on her own body above water level and submerging now and then. ill pick up some neosoprin today.

ide still like some kind of heads up on what i might expect from the vet so i can hurry up and maybe get a loan from my dad.....hate to do it but thats just how its gonna have to be. been calling around and having a hard time inding somewhere within 40 miles for a vet....just my luck i live in the middle of nowhere. r yall sure its a burn i worried as helll it might be rott!

I am not sure how much antibiotic injections are. Maybe someone else can answer that one.

I would say if you have been using heat rocks unregulated, it is definately a burn.

just find it odd, ive kept the heat rocks under the beding so she isnt directly on the rocks themselves...however she always stays where the rocks r in her cage


grah.....frustrating. she still hasnt managed to shed any more sence the soak but acts normal as always...mildly active and normally chillin on her tree or her log...doesnt seem slowed down by this "bad spot" she has the slightest bit.

Heat rocks get well over 100* which is more than enough to burn your snake. It she came in direct contact with it for any length of time, she would have been burned.

What is your humidity in her enclosure? Try misting the cage to get it up so she can try and get some shed off herself.

vet appointment at 5 tomorrow, took me forever to find a vet even remotly local that delt with reptiles.

wish me an piker gL an hope it doesnt dent my pocket so bad i short on rent lol.

Keep us posted, hope everything goes well.

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Originally Posted by o0jash0o

vet appointment at 5 tomorrow, took me forever to find a vet even remotly local that delt with reptiles.

wish me an piker gL an hope it doesnt dent my pocket so bad i short on rent lol.

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Good Luck! Smart move and im glad you are following through!

If it makes you short on rent, ask the vet if you can pay some then, and the rest at a slightly later date. most are pretty good about that stuff if you ask. ( Not all) but its worth a shot!

Are you soaking with the Betadine? Or do you have any Chlorhexidine? My vet said he prefers Chlorhexidine, but Betadine would be ok too.

That animal is going to need antibiotics and antibacterial soaks to help resolve this issue. Best of luck with the vet.

Hey I am new to the BP world and I am almost certain my snake is going through shed but when I try to soak him he seems to hate it. All in all he is laid back and I believe that if I were to be bit it would probably be trying to soak him. Am I doing something wrong? Do they prefer cold water to soak in? I try to use fairly warm water about the same temp of my showers any suggestions?

Why are you trying to soak him? Especially DURING a shed. You only do a saok if they had a bad shed (the skin didn't come off in one piece). If you do need to soak, use lukewarm water. It should be about room temperature.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Why are you trying to soak him? Especially DURING a shed. You only do a saok if they had a bad shed (the skin didn't come off in one piece). If you do need to soak, use lukewarm water. It should be about room temperature.

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Based on what the person said (that the BP has been "flakey" for a while), that snake is indeed having a bad shed.

Instead of straight up water, try a damp towel or papertowel. The fibers can also help pull off the shed. When the shed is complete, keep an eye out for retained eyecaps.

Although those could be burns, it does look a lot like scalerot. I have used betadine on rescues with scale rot with great success.

I soak the snake first in plain water (in case is drinks or defecates) for about 20 minutes.

I then soak the snake in water with enough betadine to make the solution look like weak tea for about 20 minutes.

An inch or two of water is enough. You can also put in a rock so it can get its head out of water without struggling.

Then apply plain polysporin to the affected area.

Repeat every other day until the area is healed and shed out properly (once the area looks better, you can treat every 3-5 days).

Also make sure that your cage is clean and tidy and that you keep on top of it (no spilled water sitting for a day, no poop smear left until next week etc).

However, I'd say a vet visit is what your snake needs the most and kudos to you for not putting it off. Anti-biotics will help immensly, especially if it's a burn (those things infect like nobody's business).

Good luck and keep us posted!

The person I replied to was not the Original Poster..

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

The person I replied to was not the Original Poster..

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Sorry, my bad :)

Cause I am new to all of this and have had mixed information on this subject. As a keeper yourself I am sure you are aware of the thousands of answers on one subject and seldom are they all the same if ever. He was only in water for less then 10 seconds and once he got out I didn't force him back in I just held him a bit then put him back.

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Originally Posted by Tempo1889

Cause I am new to all of this and have had mixed information on this subject. As a keeper yourself I am sure you are aware of the thousands of answers on one subject and seldom are they all the same if ever. He was only in water for less then 10 seconds and once he got out I didn't force him back in I just held him a bit then put him back.

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your water was probably too hot if he reacted like that. you should really never soak when going through the shed cycle, only when they are having trouble with their shed.

hope this is helpful

well i went to the vet today and to be honest im not saticfied with my results. i saw dr engle with newkent animal hospital..seemed like a nice enough and knowlegable guy however things just dont add up to me.

he told me it wasnt a burn and that it wasnt scalerot and that it was all just a bad shed. he described scalerot as a red sores turning into brown scales an as he says this im looking at the snake thinking "ok shes pinkish and a tinge of tan" in the one area ive been worried about. i asked him multiple times "so ur sure its not scalerot?" and he continued to tell me no.

bah...i want a second vet and can see this start to stack in the bills already. visit was $60 plus he took the snake in the back while i waited in nthe lobby and removed some more of the shedding. WHICH to me brings up a interesting note....my snake has 2 layers of shedding skin....example while at the vets i noticed the tip of the tail had shedded off into the container i brought her in, well i got her home and there is another layer of shedding skin. almost the whole back half of the snake had shed off in my last soak and yet theres still another layer of foggy shedding skin....why does my snake having 2 sheds at once? the doctor did say he made an attempt to remove the eye caps and was only able to remove one layer off the left eye and they both have/had two.


also can i get betadine over the counter?

also i fogot to mention i need to raise temps and humidity. told me to spray water with a bottle more often and to change from the wood based substrate i had been using to news paper "like many of u have mentioned" he also told me to try sterile topsoil.

Thanks for the info I am happy to say that when I got home from work yesterday I heard a rustling sound when I looked in the cage there he was in his hide shedding his skin. I didn't get the one piece "trophy" that everyone shoots for but close to it. Thanks again for your help.