My new BEL has darker or missing scales on his head ?

[Beretta]

Either he’s missing scales or has darker scales on his head for some reason I know he’s supposed to be all white being a BEL butter/Mojave . Could this be from a bad shed ? Can it be fixed with his next shed ?

https://imgur.com/a/4qwRFUK

[Homebody]

Either he’s missing scales or has darker scales on his head for some reason I know he’s supposed to be all white being a BEL butter/Mojave.

Looks white to me. Maybe a different shade of white but still white. How old is he and how long have you had him? The color of young ball pythons does change as they age.

[Beretta]

Yes it looks like spots of darker shade of white , I had him for 3 weeks he was born august 10th last year , he’s still a baby I believe or a juvenile bp. I just wanted know if this is normal or common

[Bogertophis]

I don't think those are missing scales, from a "bad shed", or abrasion-damage at all- simply because injuries are nearly impossible to get on separate & individual scales like that.

If you look closely (with magnification) at those scales, do they look a bit shriveled? If so, I'd bet it's a minor skin fungus, as I remember seeing & dealing with the same thing when I kept BPs many years back (& I had it confirmed, then treated with a topical medication obtained from my vet). It can spread if ignored- the warm & humid environment that is typical for BPs tends to promote this sort of thing. Much easier to treat while it's just a "small" area.

Check with your vet- if these scales are as I described above. If you do nothing, & assuming it's what I think, it probably won't disappear with future sheds, but is likely to spread further. It needs the proper anti-fungal (topical) medication- not hard or expensive to treat, but it takes some consistent attention to make it go away fully. BPs seem very prone to this- I never see this on any other snakes I've kept.

[Homebody]

If you look closely (with magnification) at those scales, do they look a bit shriveled? If so, I'd bet it's a minor skin fungus ...

If it is a fungal infection, it's a good thing he's white. There is no way I would have noticed such a subtle color change on my normal BP, at least not until it got much worse.

[Bogertophis]

If it is a fungal infection, it's a good thing he's white. There is no way I would have noticed such a subtle color change on my normal BP, at least not until it got much worse.

No, my BPs were all "normals" & it's very easy to see- it's the texture difference & it makes those scales appear a bit grayed & just different. At first, the scales are just random like this, but if you wait (not knowing what it is & waiting for a shed to "fix it") it can also end up affecting larger areas, also on their body. I suspect that a snake's own individual immune system determines much of how much this progresses, or if it does. (I seem to recall someone here posting something similar here, & they claimed that for their snake it went away after a shed or 2?)

I also don't know why it seems to show up first on top of their heads? If you look closely, you'll often find such aberrant scales here & there on the snake's body also, but it's good in a way- the head is more noticeable.

[Beretta]

Honestly he don’t have any along his body it’s just on his head I got him from a good breeder from mike wilbanks one of the best in the game I wouldn’t think he would sell me a snake with a fungal infection but this my first and I am not experienced with ball pythons at all so you think I should take him to the vet? Because I want to handle this issue as soon as possible I know it’s not normal all his scales should match not be discolored . But I was told after he sheds they get new scales so I thought that would fix it for sure .

[Bogertophis]

Honestly he don’t have any along his body it’s just on his head I got him from a good breeder from mike wilbanks one of the best in the game I wouldn’t think he would sell me a snake with a fungal infection but this my first and I am not experienced with ball pythons at all so you think I should take him to the vet? Because I want to handle this issue as soon as possible I know it’s not normal all his scales should match not be discolored . But I was told after he sheds they get new scales so I thought that would fix it for sure .

It's not something that even a good breeder can prevent- & you also said this snake didn't visibly have it when you got him. Give up the blame game- & just accept that all living things may "catch things"- it's part of life- and when a snake is rehomed, it's very stressful. That stress lowers their ability to fight off infections, just as it does in humans & other animals- that's why it's recommended that new snakes be allowed to just settle in (eat & sleep, no handling & minimize stress) for the first several weeks- so that anything they may have come in contact with, they are better able to fight it off.

This [skin fungus] doesn't usually seem to spread fast, so if you want to wait & see if a shed "fixes" it, it won't hurt anything. Snakes don't exactly "get new scales" when they shed, they only lose the outer layer of their scales when the "shed" skin comes off. Issues like this usually remain.

That begs the question though- do you have a qualified (herp) vet in mind? If not, this may help you find one: https://arav.site-ym.com/search/custom.asp?id=3661

[jmcrook]

I honestly think fungal infection is way off here. White/light colored snakes show blemishes far easier than a more darkly pigmented snake. It probably laid on its head in an odd way or had a few tough scales on its last shed. Make sure husbandry parameters are on point, nothing sharp/too abrasive in the cage, and let it shed then go from there.
Similar thread from a couple years ago. Never heard back from the OP but I'd guess that's because it resolved itself
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ld-ball-python

[Bogertophis]

I honestly think fungal infection is way off here. White/light colored snakes show blemishes far easier than a more darkly pigmented snake. It probably laid on its head in an odd way or had a few tough scales on its last shed. Make sure husbandry parameters are on point, nothing sharp/too abrasive in the cage, and let it shed then go from there.
Similar thread from a couple years ago. Never heard back from the OP but I'd guess that's because it resolved itself
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ld-ball-python

You may be right- it's impossible to diagnose these things online- that's what veterinarians are for. We're not even seeing the scales close up. All we can do is suggest what it could be, based on what we've seen before that appears to be the same. I hope it's nothing, but time will tell. At any rate, it bears watching.