Hello,
I believe my 1.5 year old ball python has scale rot and I have some questions about it as I have never dealt with this before. I would rather not see a vet right now given the coronavirus going around.
Just some background info: 4 weeks ago mushu started to hide under his log as he was getting ready to shed. I kept his enclosure extra humid, and once he shed and came out I noticed he had defecated in his hide. These factors combined with the heat pad underneath his hide lead me to believe he most likely has scale rot, as this provides the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Anyway, he went back into his hide and hadn't come back out for a few more days.
5 days ago I took him out of his enclosure so I could clean it out. It was then I noticed he had a brown patch on his underside. I will post some pictures below. I started treating him immediately with a betadine solution bath 2x a day for 20-30 minutes, rinse, dry, and neosporin to the infected area. I transfered him into another temporary enclosure while he heals with a heat pad, an old clean t shirt for substrate and a small cardboard box for a hide. I also disinfected his usual enclosure.
A few questions:
1. do you think this looks like scale rot or is it something else?
2. how long will it take before i start seeing results from this treatment?
3. Should I continue treatment until the brown patch goes away? He wont be shedding for another month or so, which is when I would expect the nasty scales to come off.
4. Do you think it is possible to treat this from home without seeing a vet?