Under Belly Scales, Falling Off?

[Wahoo92583]

Hello,
I've noticed for the past couple days that my ball python's under belly scales seem to be shedding or falling off. When one of the under belly scales falls off, it is transparent. I do not see any signs of scale rot on my ball python, so that does not concern me. Do ball pythons shed their under belly scales separate from the rest of their skin? My terrarium is kept clean, and I feed her on a regular basis. I try to keep her water dish full and clean.

Has anyone experienced this issue before?

I hope she is okay. I have grown fond of her. She is my little buddy.

[dr del]

Hi,

Did she recently shed?

Have you been applying anything to her skin?

Can we see pictures?


dr del

[Wahoo92583]

Okay, here are some pictures. The first picture is a picture of one of her under belly scales that fell off. The second picture, towards the bottom of the picture, shows some more scales that are peeling and are about to fall off.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60213480@N06/5977060780/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60213480@N06/5977059280/

This is a picture of her back. When I purchased her, I did not notice this on her back. At first, I thought it was part of a struck shed. However, everything I have tried (the soak method and a mineral-oil method (suggested by my vet)) does not seem to work. Is this simply a flaw in my snake's skin or a sign of something more serious?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60213480@N06/5977060048/

[Maddumpling]

did it shed before the scales started falling off?

[Wahoo92583]

Yes, my snake shed probably two weeks ago. Since then, I used a little bit of mineral oil on her skin. Could this be the result of using the mineral oil?

[llovelace]

As stated before, have been applying any ointments to her?
Does she have a heat pad? If so, is it in a thermostat?

[Wahoo92583]

The only thing I applied to her was mineral oil approximately a week and a half ago. Yes, she has a heat pad; it is an under the tank heater. I use a thermostat/dimmer switch to control the temperature of my terrarium.

[WingedWolfPsion]

It doesn't actually look to me like she's MISSING any of her scutes. That suggest that it's just remnants of a bad shed coming off.

However, I have heard that vaseline and mineral oil can cause reptiles to lose scales, so if I'm wrong, then the mineral oil would certainly be the cause. I would be leery of any vet recommending the use of mineral oil on a reptile (might be time to shop for a more competent vet).

Never put lubricants on reptiles, always use plain water. (Don't use the silly shedding products they sell in pet stores, either).

A bad shed is caused by dehydration, not lack of moisture ON the skin. So, the 'cure' is to rehydrate the snake and apply water to soften the stuck skin, which will then just come off.

To fix a bad shed, put the snake in a wet pillowcase for a half hour. (In its cage, where it's warm). Alternatively, you can put the snake in a rubbermaid bin with 1/2 inch of warm water for a half hour or so.

The mark on the snake's back looks like minor scale damage, possibly from a previous partially stuck shed. Nothing to worry about. It will probably go away in a few sheds.

Keeping humidity levels at 60% or higher will prevent dehydration, and thus prevent bad sheds. Remember, a bad shed is a symptom of a potentially serious problem. Chronic dehydration can damage internal organs, so it goes more than skin deep.

[llovelace]

The mineral oil is what has caused he scales to slough off.
Stop using it and the problem will clear up.
If she has stuck shed again, either soak her in a container, or use the damp pillow case method.

[Wahoo92583]

My snake has shed a couple times already and each time, the marks on the snake's back reappear. Should I be concerned about the marks on her back? How do I remove that from her back?