scales irritated and peeling after shedding

[emsbp]

hi all,

i have my first BP and he shed for the first time in my possession a few weeks ago, the scales on his tail are very irritated and peely, underneath what’s peeling looks raw. what could this be and how can i treat it?

https://ibb.co/c1yKQjS
photo

[Dylan_]

hi all,

i have my first BP and he shed for the first time in my possession a few weeks ago, the scales on his tail are very irritated and peely, underneath what’s peeling looks raw. what could this be and how can i treat it?

https://ibb.co/c1yKQjS
photo

Maybe scale rot?. That doesent look all that great imo i would probably bring him to a vet to make sure hes okay and see if he needs medical attention

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk

[Bogertophis]

Please have a vet see your snake A.S.A.P. Make sure it's a qualified exotic vet whose practice regularly includes snakes.

https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661


How are you housing this snake? What kind of heat equipment? How is it regulated? (thermostat???)

A photo of your set-up & details would help, but right now it's more important that you get him some medical care. Now.

[zina10]

This is past the point for home treatments.

This is very severe and needs to be seen by a Vet that specializes in reptiles. This is a severe infection. Could be caused by burns or scale rot. The scale rot in itself can be caused by burns or to wet and unsanitary conditions.

You really need to take the snake to be seen, this needs antibiotic shots AND ointment.

Meanwhile, tell us about the setup you keep this snake in. What kind of enclosure. What are the temperatures. What do you use to heat the enclosure. What do you use to control the output of heat (thermostat). What do you use to measure the temps. What is the humidity? What do you use as substrate?

How long have you had this snake, how long have you noticed this issue, has that snake ever eaten for you?

Could you post pictures of the setup?

I know that seems like a lot of questions, rather then answers. But to truly help you out, we need all this information.

The snake needs to be on paper towels and kept absolutely clean and sterile. The heat needs to be correct and controlled. This snake needs antibiotics (vet) before this turns toxic, if it hasn't already done so.

Good luck and let us know ..

[MR Snakes]

Please have a vet see your snake A.S.A.P. Make sure it's a qualified exotic vet whose practice regularly includes snakes.

https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661


How are you housing this snake? What kind of heat equipment? How is it regulated? (thermostat???)

A photo of your set-up & details would help, but right now it's more important that you get him some medical care. Now.

This is past the point for home treatments.

This is very severe and needs to be seen by a Vet that specializes in reptiles. This is a severe infection. Could be caused by burns or scale rot. The scale rot in itself can be caused by burns or to wet and unsanitary conditions.

You really need to take the snake to be seen, this needs antibiotic shots AND ointment.

Meanwhile, tell us about the setup you keep this snake in. What kind of enclosure. What are the temperatures. What do you use to heat the enclosure. What do you use to control the output of heat (thermostat). What do you use to measure the temps. What is the humidity? What do you use as substrate?

How long have you had this snake, how long have you noticed this issue, has that snake ever eaten for you?

Could you post pictures of the setup?

I know that seems like a lot of questions, rather then answers. But to truly help you out, we need all this information.

The snake needs to be on paper towels and kept absolutely clean and sterile. The heat needs to be correct and controlled. This snake needs antibiotics (vet) before this turns toxic, if it hasn't already done so.

Good luck and let us know ..

Agree with these two, ASAP. Good luck.

[emsbp]

He is in a 25 or 30 gallon long tank, i forget which. As a heat source i have a heating pad, i don’t have a thermostat yet but i check at least two times daily to be sure that it’s not too hot. he is already on paper towels instead of a substrate and i change them any time they get wet/dirty. Humidity stays between 52 & 55 % and i check that daily as well. He has eaten well for me for the past two weeks, this week he wasn’t interested but i tried to feed him sooner than usual.

This problem started a little less than two weeks ago, it was right after he shed. i assumed he had rub too hard while he shed because it didn’t look that bad at first, his scales were just a little pink. as it progressed i started using a vetericyn spray, today my mom and i researched scale rot so we soaked his tail in a chlorhex solution and put on Veterinus Derma Gel.

I know saying this is going to cause issues so please don’t fault me for this, but i can not take him to a vet, i don’t have the money for vet bills because all of the vets near me charge insane amounts. My mom used to work as a veterinary tech though and said she would talk to some of her colleagues that are still in the practice and see what they would do.

thank you all for your helpful input.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Good news it has nothing to do with a shed, bad news it's serious however from a picture and not having a full idea on how the animal it's hard to tell what you are dealing with.

There are two options here, Burn or Scale Rot, scale rot does not present itself overnight and I would think you would have noticed brownish scales starting to appear and would have intervene before it gets to that extreme, so it leaves you with the most likely culprit and that is a burn which means lack of thermostat or thermostat failure.

That's a case for a vet we are not in the mild range here we are in the serious enough that Anti-bitotics will likely be needed along with Silver sulfadiazine.

If dealing with a burn in the mean time and do not have a thermostat, UNPLUG your UTH immidiately (same if faulty) and go to home depot and get a dimmer like this as a temporary solution until you get a T-Stat.

In either case remove the substrate used and keep your animal on clean paper towel and keep it dry.

[Sunnieskys]

I'm going to say it and be that person....

if if you do not have money for a vet...you should not have the animal. This is part of having a pet. You need to find someone who will properly care for this animal.

[zina10]

How do you check the temperature of the heat pad ?

I am sorry to say, but checking twice the day is not sufficient. I don't know of any heat pad that runs in a safe zone for a snake. All of them tend to get to hot if they aren't regulated. There is one brand that claims they won't, but I have had them, and yes they do!

That looks like a deep burn. Remember, what feels warm to us, is usually much to hot for a snake. Our bodies run at 98 degrees. The heat of the pad should not be higher then 90 degrees. So even if our hands are a bit colder then 98 degrees, if the pad feels warm, its probably to hot.

If your mom was a vet tech she can clearly see this is bad. There is only so much you can do externally. The layer of scales is gone in places, it is raw skin you see. Infected , too. Things like that quickly go toxic.

I understand money issues. I do. But there is nothing else I can say other than that you NEED a thermostat. There simply aren't any what, ifs and maybe's about it. You can see why. This is a living being and some things are simply not negotiable. You can get a thermostat on Amazon for $30.

I suppose you can keep treating at home if you have no other option. Us fussing at you won't change the facts. But I implore you to try to figure out a way. Make payments at Vet or to family members or friends. Even if a new snake is cheaper then the Vet, this is YOUR animal and it is suffering. You took it on, its your responsibility.

I'd like to sugar coat it to make you feel better, but in this case, there simply isn't any sugar coating.

Keep it clean and keep treating it. Do not use all those different methods at once, the area is raw and some treatments damage healthy but fragile and exposed tissue..

[Stewart_Reptiles]

i don’t have a thermostat yet but i check at least two times daily to be sure that it’s not too hot.

And this is usually how burns happen, UTH MUST be controlled

but i can not take him to a vet, i don’t have the money for vet bills because all of the vets near me charge insane amounts.

And while I understand how expensive it gets vets also offer payment plans, I am sorry but when you own an animal you owe it to them to take them to a vet when needed just like you would a dog or a cat.

Pet ownership is a great responsibility and if it is a financial burden than it needs to be reconsidered and surrendering the animal should be considered as well.