Help! Random spots of blood in cage!

[Claire&snek]

Hi! My ball python is healthy and eats perfectly fine. Cage temps range anywhere from 73-80 degrees F ambient and she has a heat mat as well that she usually uses for a hot spot. Humidity can range anywhere from 50-75 depending on if I’ve just sprayed the cage down.
So what is the issue? Well, a few times this has happened but it is random. I will find tiny little blood spots somewhere in the cage. It is usually like one or two little spots that could go ignored unless you look directly at it. Today I found a skinny line of it in her cage. What’s funny is that whenever I check her she has no marks or scabs anywhere, like it never happened.
The only thing I can think is that maybe it is because she is really rough in the cage? But I find no scabs. Let me know what you think of if it and you think that could be it and it is nothing to worry about.
Thanks so much to all!

[Bogertophis]

My guess is that it's from her meals- maybe you just didn't notice at the time? OR, she has swallowed some indigestible bits of course substrate (wood chips, bits of branch?) and in passing that, it irritated her cloaca- that could have resulted in the smear, though maybe not the tiny specks. The smear might also have been her sliding over a droplet (from her prey) after she ate.

73* is rather low for ambient temp, btw.

[Homebody]

So what is the issue? Well, a few times this has happened but it is random. I will find tiny little blood spots somewhere in the cage. It is usually like one or two little spots that could go ignored unless you look directly at it. Today I found a skinny line of it in her cage. What’s funny is that whenever I check her she has no marks or scabs anywhere, like it never happened.

How many times is a few times? How often does this occur? Pics of your BP and it's enclosure would help us to give you a more informed opinion.

[Claire&snek]

No because I changed her paper towels last night so it happened sometime last night.

Also I should clarify 73 at night sometimes but during the day anywhere from 76-79

(I can't give a picture because I don't know how) but I can describe it... She has two black breeder hides, 5 plastic plants suctioned to the walls that she loves to fall from, a glass water dish, a digital thermometer and humidity, paper towels for substrate, glass enclosure with a back drop along the back and sides. (I plan to do a bioactive enclosure this summer)

The spots show up maybe like twice every three months. Mind she also falls from the suctioned plants and is very rough every night.

[Bogertophis]

No because I changed her paper towels last night so it happened sometime last night.

Also I should clarify 73 at night sometimes but during the day anywhere from 76-79

(I can't give a picture because I don't know how) but I can describe it... She has two black breeder hides, 5 plastic plants suctioned to the walls that she loves to fall from, a glass water dish, a digital thermometer and humidity, paper towels for substrate, glass enclosure with a back drop along the back and sides. (I plan to do a bioactive enclosure this summer)

The spots show up maybe like twice every three months. Mind she also falls from the suctioned plants and is very rough every night.

Okay, I'd take out the plastic plants & see if there's any more blood spots. Plastic plants usually have sturdy wires for support, that are coated & have leaves added- when leaves come off (after a snake climbs on them), it exposes sharp wires that can injure your snake- tiny puncture wounds between scales will not show up easily- they could bleed briefly before stopping, leaving you wondering where the blood came from. The danger, would be the same for snakes as it is for us- a deep puncture wound that gets infected with anaerobic* bacteria. (*examples- tetanus & gangrene are caused by anaerobic bacteria) Not to mention that frequent falls onto a hard surface aren't very good for a snake's body either- best prevented.

[Homebody]

I can't give a picture because I don't know how

Here's a link to a thread that gives instructions on how to post pictures. It's worth learning as it will improve the quality of the advice you get from the community. But, you did give a good description. So, I feel like I can imagine your enclosure and I agree with Boger that it must be the plants.

The spots show up maybe like twice every three months. Mind she also falls from the suctioned plants and is very rough every night.

I am intrigued, though, about what you mean by "rough"? You said it twice. Rough every night doesn't sound like healthy behavior for a ball python. Does this behavior concern you? Is that why you're switching to a bioactive enclosure?

[Zincubus]

No because I changed her paper towels last night so it happened sometime last night.

Also I should clarify 73 at night sometimes but during the day anywhere from 76-79

(I can't give a picture because I don't know how) but I can describe it... She has two black breeder hides, 5 plastic plants suctioned to the walls that she loves to fall from, a glass water dish, a digital thermometer and humidity, paper towels for substrate, glass enclosure with a back drop along the back and sides. (I plan to do a bioactive enclosure this summer)

The spots show up maybe like twice every three months. Mind she also falls from the suctioned plants and is very rough every night.

It’s easier to download the free TapaTalk app as it has a one click , FREE , photo upload option


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[Claire&snek]

Hi! I really appreciate all the comments so thank you!
Yes, I am switching to bio-active because of a couple reasons. First I think it will give her more to climb on without using the plants which cannot hold her very well as she climbs the glass sides. It would also be more enriching for her. Also it would be less to clean and keep up with since the isopods would take care of bacteria.

Also when I say rough I mean she will put all of her weight on the plants and since they cannot support her weight for long she will fall from them. Ever since I got her over 2 years ago she has always loved to climb and is super active at night. (She has a 40 gallon)

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[mlededee]

Do these spots correlate to your snake using the bathroom? Both males and females will sometimes evert their cloacal regions to some degree when evacuating their bowels or when passing urates. If this sensitive area then drags along the ground it can cause a very slight amount of bleeding (slight being the key here).

Sometimes you will see some blood spots or as you mentioned, a thin line of blood on the substrate when you are breeding ball pythons. This is due to the everted hemipenes of the male rubbing along the enclosure floor as some point in the breeding process.

So I am wondering if that is what you might be seeing here. If so, it's pretty normal and nothing to be worried about as long as everything else in your enclosure and husbandry is in order.

[Claire&snek]

Actually, it's funny you say this. It happened right after she peed. I had just changed her paper towels because she peed and I woke up the next morning and found it.

Also it is like a super thin line, like I was searching the cage for more blood and that's how I found it, nothing too obvious. Could that be it?