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Registered User
Beginning of scale rot?
Hello, today I took my ball python out of his cage and notices he has a few brownish scales under his mouth and head but no where else. I remember seeing that this can be a sign of scale rot but I am not 100% sure if it is beginning of scale rot or if I am just being a little paranoid. Might be worth mentioning that 2 weeks or so ago he had a stuck shed that was pretty bad. I took all the shed off of his body myself but couldn't get a little bit under his head and behind it on the bottom. Eric Alan on another thread informed me that the shed I couldn't get off should be no problem and would come off with his next shed. He has eaten twice from then with the most recent feeding being march 31.
I took some pictures but my camera wasn't focusing so I don't know how much you'll be able to gather from them. If you need better ones let me know.
http://imgur.com/SwTEpon
http://imgur.com/GUHX4UZ
Thanks!
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Are you talking about the yellowish colored spots on his nose and chin? He's a banana combo so it's hard for me to tell if that's his pigmentation or something else. Better pictures in better lighting might be in order. I've honestly never seen or heard of scale rot on the face, though I don't have the same level of experience some of the other members here do.
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Scale rot can happen anywhere the snake stays in contact with too much moisture for too long. Most commonly you will see it on the underside of the jaw and on the belly, but it can happen anywhere. That said, I don't see any obvious discoloration in the pics you provided.
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Registered User
Re: Beginning of scale rot?
Originally Posted by Lizardlicks
Scale rot can happen anywhere the snake stays in contact with too much moisture for too long. Most commonly you will see it on the underside of the jaw and on the belly, but it can happen anywhere. That said, I don't see any obvious discoloration in the pics you provided.
I took a little bit better pictures. My camera doesn't seem to want to focus.
http://imgur.com/iixxFe3
http://imgur.com/yybf0Ud
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Looks more like a little bit of stuck shed than scale rot. I can see some stuck shed on the neck of the second pic so it's probably stuck to the underside of the jaw as well. Stuck shed gets a funky color after a little bit.
Last edited by piedlover79; 04-03-2017 at 05:10 PM.
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Registered User
Re: Beginning of scale rot?
Originally Posted by piedlover79
Looks more like a little bit of stuck shed than scale rot. I can see some stuck shed on the neck of the second pic so it's probably stuck to the underside of the jaw as well. Stuck shed gets a funky color after a little bit.
Ok, so it'll probably clear up after his next shed?
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Registered User
Re: Beginning of scale rot?
Stuck shed can be easily removed. I would recommend soaking your snake in a tubberware container for about 30 min. with lukewarm/room temp water. I just pop some holes in the lid and close them in there (fill it to about half their body girth).Afterwards you can help rub the remaining skin off with a damp wash cloth. Hope this helps!
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I would not soak a snake for 30 mins, that's a long time to stress a snake by forcing it to be in the water that will cool down in that time and you'll remove a lot of the snakes natural oils that help it shed. Just up the humidity in the tank and the small patch of skin should come off on its own, if you want if it's still there a few days after upped humidity you can gently rub the skin with a wet wash cloth.
Last edited by piedlover79; 04-03-2017 at 06:43 PM.
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Registered User
Re: Beginning of scale rot?
I would try that first. I've only ever soaked mine when I first got him and he had some really stuck shed. Make sure to especially keep the humidity up while they're in shed.
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