fluid buildup under skin

[cassirose]

My bp has an area where there is fluid buildup under her skin. Her skin is stretched out and if I move her the fluid moves around in this pocket of sorts. I have no idea what this is. Its almost like a blister. The fluid looks pinkish in the sunlight. Please help

[Albert Clark]

My bp has an area where there is fluid buildup under her skin. Her skin is stretched out and if I move her the fluid moves around in this pocket of sorts. I have no idea what this is. Its almost like a blister. The fluid looks pinkish in the sunlight. Please help

Wow! Need a picture of the whole animal and the affected areas. Include a description of the enclosure with your husbandry numbers and a pic of the enclosure would be helpful. Stay in peace and not pieces.

[AnnaK231]

Cassie, a good guess (without seeing pics) is that it IS a blister from a burn. If you have an under the tank heat pad that is not on a thermostat, disconnect it ASAP.


Again, without seeing pics it's hard to say for certain. Check the underbelly and see if there are burns, if there are call an exotic vet and get an appointment IMMEDIATELY. If it's a bad burn go ahead and see if they can get you in over the lunch hour or call an emergency exotics vet.

Please keep us posted.

[cassirose]

Wow! Need a picture of the whole animal and the affected areas. Include a description of the enclosure with your husbandry numbers and a pic of the enclosure would be helpful. Stay in peace and not pieces.

Heres some pictures of her and one of her tank. Sorry the glass needs to be cleaned.
http://m.imgur.com/qOICkEH
http://m.imgur.com/I1VvhMfthe blister starts where my thumb is on her body down to where it is bulging.http://m.imgur.com/TMRy6lC its hard to see but her scales are starting to turn pink on her belly.
Ive also noticed a small pink area thats starting to become a blister next to her head as well.
http://m.imgur.com/32LPQfLAs for the enclosure itself. Theres coconut fiber substrate from zoomed, just a plain heating lamp on top on the right side of tank. Temp not so sure the thermometer I had broke, but I know shes not getting overheated or underheated. Sorry for hyperlinks the pictures wouldnt show up for some reason on post. Im on mobile device so this may be why. Ill be glad to answer any other questions

[dr del]

That really doesn't look good.

I'd be really tempted to have a vet look at that and triple check the temperatures at all points of the enclosure. I'd be worried the whole dermis will slough off with the shed.

[salt]

Your snake needs to go to the vet. Has she been eating? Please take a look at the how to set up a glass tank thread. Also how can you be sure that your temperatures are in safe range if you don't have a thermometer?

Consider picking up a temperature gun.

[Albert Clark]

My bp has an area where there is fluid buildup under her skin. Her skin is stretched out and if I move her the fluid moves around in this pocket of sorts. I have no idea what this is. Its almost like a blister. The fluid looks pinkish in the sunlight. Please help

Well, thanks for the pics, they were very helpful. It looks very serious and the blistering could be from several things. How long has she had the blistering? How old is she? It's very obvious that she is very dehydrated and nutritionally deficient which is making it more difficult for her to heal. Everything at this point is secondary until she gets evaluated by a herp vet. The little girl looks really sick boss! I would make a appointment for the vet right away to give her a chance to get better. Stay in peace and not pieces. Good luck!

[anicatgirl]

Whoa dang...... Vet time ASAP!

[Skiploder]

My bp has an area where there is fluid buildup under her skin. Her skin is stretched out and if I move her the fluid moves around in this pocket of sorts. I have no idea what this is. Its almost like a blister. The fluid looks pinkish in the sunlight. Please help

You need to take the substrate out and get her onto a paper towel substrate.

This could be fungal or bacterial - I've seen it both ways. Your goal at this point should be several-fold:

1. Dial in you husbandry parameters. Proper regulated hot spot, ambient, etc.

2. Provide as clean and sterile environment as possible for the eventuality that these blisters may break.

3. See a qualified reptile vet as soon as possible. Not a dog vet, not a farm vet, but a vet that can properly diagnose and treat this animal.

Without laying hands on the snake I cannot pin point the exact cause of this. My understanding of your setup is that you have no undertank heat, only an overhead lamp with no way for her to get close enough to receive a burn on her dorsal or lateral sides. The pink belly scales could be several things - from benign to worrisome. Problem is that I cannot see enough from the pictures to determine whether the distress to her skin is triggering a shed or whether something more serious is occurring.

I'm a little baffled because you appear to have a screen top. Many of these fungal and bacterial diseases that result in dorsal or lateral blistering are caused by excessive humidity. However the fact that her ventral scales may be clear and the fact that you may have a screen top would rule that out - as the belly would be the first area to blister if conditions were excessively humid.

Now people are going to start chiming in here with recommendations to bathe her in some solution or another, or urging you to apply some ointment. Before you traipse down that road understand that if the problem is fungal, bathing in or applying common antibacterial agents will result in the fungal problem worsening.

Take her to see a vet, and in the meantime make sure that her temps are spot on and that her environment is as sterile as possible.

[cassirose]

Well Im scared it could be an infection from a wild mouse. She got loose a while back and ended up eating some mice that were in the house. But I will be taking her to the vet asap. I was not sure at all what it was and if it needed vet care.