Belly Rot, Batadine treatment?

[PJMPena2012]

The thread said C&P, so here goes, PLEASE respond asap. I need tos tart treating her before it gets bad

1. How long have you had your ball python?
3 Months


2. How old (or how big) is your snake?
2.5 Ft.


3. Does it eat on a regular schedule?
yes, every 2 weeks, but should it be more often?


4. How long since its last meal?
3 days


5. What type/size prey is being offered?
small rats, f/t


6. How often do you offer food?
every 2 weeks. She eats it like a champ.


7. What type and size of enclosure does it live in?
30x18x25, 5 gallon tank.


8. What are you using as substrate? If it has depth, how deep is it?
I have using the shredded aspen wood, about 1" deep. Until it is gone from her previous owner, She had mites when I got her (he said he was neglecting her, lack of time for her) so I used paper towels for that. And now that IU have discovered her belly rot, I am back to paper towels. Have been for 4 days.


9. What type of heating do you use?
Lamps on top of her cage. 2 70 watt bulbs.


10. Do you use a thermostat to control temperatures?
no, I just monitor her cage with thermometers. Her lamps stay on one side, so if she gets too hot, she goes to the other side of the cage, which stays about 10 degrees cooler.


11. What do you use to measure/monitor temperatures?
thermometer strips. 3 of them, 1 is 1" from the bottom on the right side of the cage under her lamps, one is at the top on the side without lamps (she can reach the side with lamps with her tree, if she stretches out), and one on the bottom one inch from the bottom, on the side without lamps.


12. What are the surface and ambient temperatures in the enclosure?
80-85 degrees on the side with the lamps, about 70-75 on the side without.


13. What is the average humidity level?
I am still working on getting a measuring device for that...sorry


14. How many and what type of hides does the snake have?
She has a stump hide, synthetic. It is a large "bonsai" tree, but from plastic.


15. Is water readily available at all times?
yes. It is in a large bowl, short enough for her to get in and out of as she pleases. I change it daily/ every other day.


16. Does the snake live alone or does it share the enclosure with anything else?
alone.


17. How often and for how long is the snake typically handled?
daily, depends on how much homework I have. Never less than 45 minutes. she loves attention.


18. Does the snake have any medical history (old injuries or illnesses)?
She appears to have some burn scars and maybe some mite scars. None since I have had her. She has had a few run-ins with mites at her old owner's house. She has belly rot now, and there are no local herp vets that I have found. Columbus, Ga if anyone can help with that one.


19. Do you have any other reptiles? Have you brought in any new reptiles recently?
no, and no.


20. Is there anything specific or unique about your situation that we should be aware of?
What I think is belly rot, is some redness under her scales on the bottom. It almost looks like when we scratch our skin too much it gets red and spotty, but under just some of the edges of her belly scales, and only on her top 3rd.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Welcome to the site!

Can you post a picture of her belly?

How to post pictures: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...with-pictures)

First thing i noticed is that your cage temperatures are low, and the thermometers that you are using aren't very good. One of the key ingredients in getting a sick snake better is providing perfect cage conditions.

See if you can get one of these thermometers from Walmart. They only cost $12 and a standard cage will only need 1 of them to monitor the entire thing.



The sensor probe will go on the hot side of the cage directly under the heat lamp(s) and the unit itself will sit inside the cage on the cool side. This will measure your hot side, cool side/air temperature, and cage humidity.

The cool side needs to be 80 degrees while the hot side should be 90 degrees these temps don't need to be exact, but try to keep within +/-2 degrees of them.

You might need to get a more power heat lamp to do this. I would recommend these bulbs for 24/7 use:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

Humidity should be between 40% - 60% normally and 60% - 80% during shed.

Which brings me to a question. Are you sure that your snake isn't simply going into shed?

Once we can see what is going on we can start to help solve this problem.

[PJMPena2012]

Thanks for responding soon. I'm sure it isn't just shedding. Her belly turns pink when she sheds...and she just shed maybe two weeks ago (her first one in her new home!!! ) unless she could be shedding again. it seems to irritate her, as she keeps "scratching" it on her tree hide. I'll take a picture of her cage, and her belly and post them both as responses to this one. and thanks for recommending that!!!! which section did you find that in? Pets? or like gardening?

[The Serpent Merchant]

electrical/lightbulbs

[PJMPena2012]

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4d3ccbd9.jpg

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0c2f63df.jpg

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps13158f59.jpg

The brown solution you see is her betadine soak (10%), I have only had it in there a few minutes. She soaked in it for maybe 3 minutes. Do I need to make it longer? and how often?
Ahh! I'm freaking out over it! I feel so bad for her...

[The Serpent Merchant]

Well her belly doesn't look too bad. I was expecting something a lot worse.

I would soak her for 15-20 minutes 2 times a day.

[PJMPena2012]

Also, the lamps arent usually there, I moved them when I got her out and asked my husband to put her cage back together...including the lamps, which are now in the correct spot on the right side of the cage. Her tree is usually in the middle as well, I moved it to put the big bowl of soak in.

[PJMPena2012]

Okay, since you said 15-20 minutes twice daily, a few questions arise:

How do you keep a snake in water for that long?
How do you keep the solution warm enough for her for that length of time?
and where can I get Betadine in bulk for cheap?


and as far as lighting, Would just some stronger bulbs work? Those heat lamps are rated for up to 150 watt, and I really can't afford any expensive bulbs right now...I'm a college kid lol and a mom, I'm always broke.

[The Serpent Merchant]

The easiest way is to use a plastic tub with a lid. You can get one for $5 at Walmart

I wouldn't worry too much about the solution cooling off. As long as the water temp is between 75-85 degrees you shouldn't have ay issues. (think water temp that you would bathe a baby in)

A single 75 - 100 watt Infrared heat bulb should do the trick unless your room is really cold. Infrared bulbs can be used 24/7. I like this particular bulb: http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

The only place I've purchased betadine before is Walgreens, so I can't really give you a recommendation on that one. a google search is probably your best bet unles someone else comes along.

[katiekat]

You can get wal-mart brand or off brand betadine for about $3.00 the last time I checked, just be sure to make sure the solutions are the same chemically, it will say it below the brand name on the bottle. I always make sure about those things because I'm a bit paranoid of picking up the wrong thing lol