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  1. #1
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    Question Scale rot with sunbeam?

    Hello, I'm new here. I'm not sure this is the best place for this post as I've never used a forum before but here it goes.

    The internet has been very lacking with this information so I hope someone here is experienced.

    I recently got a sunbeam snake at my local reptile expo. As soon as I got her, I noticed that she had some slight scale rot (I believe) on her chin.

    I decided to keep her on aspen with a humidity box in her bin to hopefully prevent further scale rot from spreading, and she seemed to like the aspen alot, she dug down in it and didnt really move. About a week later, she shed and almost all of the scale rot came off, with only a tiny speck still staying.

    While reading on the internet I noticed quite a few people saying that sunbeams are extremley fragile and drying them out will kill them! This terrified me, so I put her back on moist eco earth/cypress.

    It's about 3 days later now and there are at least 3 spots of scale rot on her now!

    I'm afraid to change her back to Aspen for fear of killing her or stressing her out even more. But she seems anxious on the eco earth, as she is always moving around, and the high humidity obviously is causing the scale rot to spread.

    I've been giving her baths in chlorahexodine every few days, but I've also read that handling them is very stressful for them. 😔 is this something that a vet is needed for?

  2. #2
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    I have no experience with Sunbeams...I was tempted many years ago when a local pet store had one, but with a little reading I found out they were usually
    wild caught & heavily parasitized. To my knowledge they do need a humid habitat also, I think you'd be better off seeing a vet so you know what you're
    actually dealing with & can get the right topical medication. Since you recently got her* you should also take a fresh stool sample too (check for parasites).
    *When you bought this snake, didn't you ask any questions of the seller, as to proper care & whether or not she is captive-bred or w/c, etc? That was your
    "golden opportunity". These are very appealing snakes...I HOPE she is captive-bred (& NOT parasitized) but you seem to have so little information??? Using
    the wrong medication can be just as harmful as using none at all...maybe more so because you delay the correct treatment wasting time on the wrong one.

    All the best, let us know how it turns out? I'd love to know more about them.
    Also hoping someone else here has direct experience with Sunbeams, but not making any bets...

    This article seems current & informative: https://www.outbackreptiles.com/2018...unbeam-snakes/
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 10-31-2018 at 07:27 PM.

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    dr del (10-31-2018)

  4. #3
    bcr229's Avatar
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    I do not own a sunbeam but they're on my bucket list so I've been doing research on their care. They are definitely not a beginner snake. Most sold at retail are wild-caught and come with free parasites, especially if they're in the $40-50 range, so I would schedule a vet visit and have a fecal done.

    They do need high humidity so I would not keep one on aspen. Most keepers use cypress mulch and/or coco husk as substrate. They burrow and primarily live underground so they need a fairly deep bed of whatever you use. They also do stress very easily so they are look-but-don't-touch critters until well-established.

    Do you have pictures of the affected area?

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    dr del (10-31-2018)

  6. #4
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    Re: Scale rot with sunbeam?

    I did talk to him about care. He told me that they are fairly easy to care for as long as you keep them in cypress with moderate humidity and dont overly handle them. He also told me that they treated them for parasites since most are wild caught.

    I do have photos but I'm not sure how to attach them. The internet seems to be decided that chlorahex is an effective way to treat scale rot and the nature center that I work at uses clorahex for all purposes as it is animal safe.

    I will schedule a vet appointment as soon as I get paid this week, for my cat too. I'm still hoping someone can offer advice though. Thank you for your replies.

  7. #5
    BPnet Veteran Alter-Echo's Avatar
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    I have kept a sunbeam for years, and have found her to be rather easy to care for. Temps in the 80s, 80% humidity, and 6in of eco earth in a 20 gallon tank have kept her healthy and happy so far. Mine comes to the surface a few mins after I put a frozen thawed mouse in, and eats about once a week.

    As far as scale rot goes, I'm assuming you will need antibiotics, since a dry cage is not really a good idea for these guys.

  8. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Alter-Echo For This Useful Post:

    bcr229 (11-01-2018),Bogertophis (10-31-2018),dr del (10-31-2018),seri246 (10-31-2018)

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