Strange Head Spots

[Harmodious]

Hello!
I got this Banana Enchi Butter about three months ago and have noticed some strange spots on his head. Can someone please let me know if it is something I need to worry about? His home is kept at 75 on the cool side and 85 on the hot side with UTH in the middle for a medium side. It is also kept at 55% humidity give or take a few points. The tank is 3 feet long 18 inches wide and 18 inches tall. If there is more info you need please let me know!

thank you!

[Albert Clark]

Wow! Fantastic looking reptile! It certainly looks like a injury of some sort. Can you describe the settings on your thermostat and maybe give us a verbal and photo description of the enclosure? Where your probes are situated and are you feeding live prey? How long have the spots been present?

[Bogertophis]

Hello!
I got this Banana Enchi Butter about three months ago and have noticed some strange spots on his head. Can someone please let me know if it is something I need to worry about? His home is kept at 75 on the cool side and 85 on the hot side with UTH in the middle for a medium side. It is also kept at 55% humidity give or take a few points. The tank is 3 feet long 18 inches wide and 18 inches tall. If there is more info you need please let me know!

thank you!

The warmest side could probably be a few degrees higher (88*- keep under 90*) but I don't think that has anything to do with the "spots".

It appears to me to be some minor damage to the top of his head from rubbing on something- possibly he was too dry when he tried to shed & rubbed too hard? When he's in a shed cycle, it's best to raise the humidity to 65-75% to facilitate the removal of his old skin. Head rubs can also result from just climbing around- some snakes are more restless than others, or try to escape- so double-check cage enclosure for sharp or abrasive areas that he might have been injured by. If this is a tank with a screen top, consider how abrasive the screen top likely is- or if there's a wire mesh cover over a heat source, that too can be very abrasive. A rough screen top can be mitigated by lining the underside with non-abrasive nylon screen material, so he never contacts the rough stuff when he pushes or rubs against it.

[Harmodious]

Here is the tank set up. This was a week before the snake came home so I had time to regulate temp and humidity before he arrived. All the plants are soft plastic with no sharp edges or metal stems. He is fed a Frozen/Thawed mouse every Friday and the gage is locked with the key hidden so no one but Me can open it. Thanks again for your help!

[Albert Clark]

Thanks for sharing. Great points Boger! We still need info on how the enclosure is being heated. The wounds look like reddening irritations and excoriations. Are you using a thermostat to regulate your temps? Are there any bulbs in the enclosure?

[Bogertophis]

Even if there's nothing in the enclosure that's especially abrasive, some snakes will just push on something enough to cause abrasions to their scales. If they rub scales off, you may see a whitish (or very pale pinkish) scar that remains in their place.

It won't hurt anything- just like scars we may get- but if you see any injury that's fresh, it's a good idea to use some medication* to prevent infection- & especially on a snake's head. *Vetericyn ointment for reptiles is preferred, since it's water-based (won't mess up their future sheds like vaseline-based ointments will), or diluted Betadine (povidone-iodine is the generic name) dabbed on is okay too- just make sure it's diluted enough to look like weak tea. Once a wound is healed over (not raw) there's no point medicating.

[Harmodious]

Thanks for sharing. Great points Boger! We still need info on how the enclosure is being heated. The wounds look like reddening irritations and excoriations. Are you using a thermostat to regulate your temps? Are there any bulbs in the enclosure?

Sorry, there are 2 under tank heaters, one in the middle and one on the warm side. The warm side is also heated with a light that is suspended 3 inches above the top of the cage so that the snake can’t touch it. The thermometers and humidity gages are on the bottom front of the cage, as seen in the photo, one at each end of the tank.

And thank you all for the insight to the wound. I will make sure to make a Snek First Aid kit to keep around. I will also get fabric to put on the underside of the wire lid. He does LOVE to climb; so after all the input it sounds like that might be one of the issues. I really appreciate your help on this! And Sir Jelly Sammich (named by my 6 year old) does too!