Scale Rot?!!?

[Xanadu]

Good Morning!

I recently moved to a new place where I can not have pets. I intrusted the care of my 4 year old ball python to a friend. Yesterday I was alerted to an alarming sight on the underbelly of my snake. It looks to me like the skin was pulled off before it was ready to shed and has caused sores, but I am un-sure. It does not appear to be sensitive to the touch and all other activity (eating, etc.) is normal. I am afraid it is scale rot. it doesn't exactly look like the photos I have seen online but i am just not sure.

The tank was recently relocated to a sunny spot near a window and a different substrate used, one that was drier and more of a mulch. So I think this has been caused by it being too dry. I have cleaned the tank and replaced the substrate with a nice, soft coco0nut fiber. I also gave the snake a "bath" and the color of the "sores" improved from what is in the photo (as if there was alot of dirt). It more of a brown color (in the photo it looks very dark, but it is not that dark in reality...camera phones make for poor quality!)

I do not have an exotic vet ANYWHERE near me so any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is all very embarassing and I am just worried sick!

Jess

[sarahlovesmiike]

Looks like a burn to me. How are you measuring temps? What heat sources are you using?

[cinderbird]

that animal needs to see a vet. now.


that said: GET IT OFF THE COCO FIBER! keep the wound clean. use papertowels as a substrate. Keep the animal out of direct sunlight (tanks in the sun can cook animals). I'd also recommend double checking the care sheet just to make sure.

That looks more like a burn then scale rot.

[Xanadu]

He has a heating pad on the underside of the tank and a heat lamp. Theres a thermometer in the tank at the bottom.

As I stated, I have no vet anywhere near me, it would require several hours of driving ( I live out in the country). I will have my friend put down papertowels this evening and move it away from the window.

[Xanadu]

note: the heat pad down not touch the glass bottom of the tank...i sits on the table under the tank.

[cinderbird]

He has a heating pad on the underside of the tank and a heat lamp. Theres a thermometer in the tank at the bottom.

As I stated, I have no vet anywhere near me, it would require several hours of driving ( I live out in the country). I will have my friend put down paper towels this evening and move it away from the window.

what are you using to control the heating pad? If the answer is nothing, well, you have your probable suspect. Unregulated heating elements burn reptiles all the time. That is the reason we recommend thermostats (or at the very least a rehostat).

I'm not a vet, I can't diagnose and treat anything. Based on the assumption its a burn, I would get a burn ointment. But keep in mind thats not guaranteed to be a burn, and I have no idea how human medicine reacts with these guys.

She is probably going to go into several successive sheds. This is how they heal, don't be worried. It may look worse before it starts to look better (when she sheds) because she is going to open the wound back up when she sheds.

I would go with lower humidity than normal as you dont want infection setting in.

[cinderbird]

note: the heat pad down not touch the glass bottom of the tank...i sits on the table under the tank.

is there any airflow around the heating pad, or does the glass tank just sit on top of it?

[Xanadu]

He has a heating pad on the underside of the tank and a heat lamp. Theres a thermometer in the tank at the bottom.

As I stated, I have no vet anywhere near me, it would require several hours of driving ( I live out in the country). I will have my friend put down papertowels this evening and move it away from the window.

is there any airflow around the heating pad, or does the glass tank just sit on top of it?

Yes, there is airflow...it sits on the table under the tank, with a clearance of about 1.5 inches. It has been this way for the entire time I have had the snake and never had a problem, however the tank has never been near a window...so i think the combo of being in direct sunlight for the majority of the day has caused the tank glass to get too hot.

[Elise.m]

Oh wow... That looks really bad. Almost old though since it's so dark. I think it's beyond putting some neosporin on it. I'd wait for her to shed out a few times, keep the enclosure clean as can be, get a controlling device on that UTH and then see what happens from there.

[Xanadu]

I was also thinking it looks old for a burn. My friend who is keeping him moved to a new apartment a few weeks ago and i had not gotten a chance to go buy there since they moved the tank (until last night). I realized today that when they moved the tank they put the heating pad up against the bottom of glass so the pad had direct contact with the tank glass. also, she had not handled him in over a week because he was shedding and was acting tempermental. I am sure this was why. It doesn't look infected (to me at least) and there is no sign of any puss or raw/irritated tissue...just the scab-like scales. And like i said, he does not act sensitive in that area and all other behaviorhas returned to normal. The pad has been removed from the glass this afternoon and once again has 1.5 inches space from the tank.