Rescue situation, newer keeper

[Homebody]

Man I really hope not…that seems really involved and awful for him.

Your bp doesn't seem thin, so I wouldn't ordinarily think he has a disease caused by a vitamin deficiency, but something is causing his scales to fall off and neither a burn nor scale rot seems to fit. If your vet doesn't diagnose the cause right off the bat, maybe, you should ask if it could be due to a vitamin deficiency. Just a suggestion.

[GuardianHunter]

Your bp doesn't seem thin, so I wouldn't ordinarily think he has a disease caused by a vitamin deficiency, but something is causing his scales to fall off and neither a burn nor scale rot seems to fit. If your vet doesn't diagnose the cause right off the bat, maybe, you should ask if it could be due to a vitamin deficiency. Just a suggestion.

yeah he’s not super thin…crackly dry. But not too thin. Any chance that untreated mites could have damaged him that badly? He had a LOT.

Second: I would be inclined unless it would be detrimental to load some vitamins in his food proactively. If it’s water soluble and he gets rid of what he doesn’t need, that is. Is there a recommendation on brand?

[Bogertophis]

So, regarding his back it’s really scaly with a few raised areas. The first thing I asked was if there was a heat lamp, because I was immediately thinking maybe a burn. But they didn’t have a heat lamp...

Just keep in mind that when people give up their unhealthy pets to others, they don't always tell the truth about how the animal "got that way". I've heard a few tall tales myself. I'd personally still consider this might be a burn. I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying it still could be.

[GuardianHunter]

Just keep in mind that when people give up their unhealthy pets to others, they don't always tell the truth about how the animal "got that way". I've heard a few tall tales myself. I'd personally still consider this might be a burn. I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying it still could be.

I had a theory on this: I don’t know that this guy used a thermostat and Sunny has wobble
of the corkscrew variety. (He had since he was bought from the breeder 5 years ago). I wondered if just maybe he pretzeled himself kind of upside down on the heat pad and burned himself.

but… it doesn’t explain the random brown dead looking scale here or there either.

[Homebody]

Second: I would be inclined unless it would be detrimental to load some vitamins in his food proactively. If it’s water soluble and he gets rid of what he doesn’t need, that is. Is there a recommendation on brand?

I wouldn't treat with with vitamin supplements without a vet's approval. Snakes usually get all the vitamins they need from their prey. Adding vitamins without direction might cause other problems.

[Bogertophis]

I wouldn't treat with with vitamin supplements without a vet's approval. Snakes usually get all the vitamins they need from their prey. Adding vitamins without direction might cause other problems.

I agree! If anything, I've seen some vets give B-vitamins- but other vitamins in excess can be harmful (toxic).

[Homebody]

Unfortunately today a couple brown scales actually came off. Like…the scales. Exposing the skin underneath.

If you haven't already, you should also reconsider putting him on paper towels to keep the newly exposed skin clean.

[GuardianHunter]

I agree! If anything, I've seen some vets give B-vitamins- but other vitamins in excess can be harmful (toxic).

I wouldn't treat with with vitamin supplements without a vet's approval. Snakes usually get all the vitamins they need from their prey. Adding vitamins without direction might cause other problems.

Got it. This was the spot where I had also applied neosporin before knowing about silver sulfa. If the scale health was already poor, is it possible it totally loosened the worst of the damaged scales?

[Bogertophis]

Got it. This was the spot where I had also applied neosporin before knowing about silver sulfa. If the scale health was already poor, is it possible it totally loosened the worst of the damaged scales?

Yes- Neosporin is known for causing scales to "de-laminate" (for lack of a better term). A little bit used briefly for a small wound isn't usually a problem, but with scales that are already damaged, I would think that may have made it worse.

Either way, with scales damaged as these are, I'm not surprised that a few have come off & left spots without scales- they'll likely stay that way, as small scars. Make sure there's no skin breaks for infection to enter, now & in the future (ie. those spots without scales will be less protected & therefore more vulnerable to injury).

[Caitlin]

You're getting good advice, so I don't want to overwhelm you with another voice. I did want to chime in on a couple of significant points, though. For what it's worth I was raised in a family of veterinarians and worked my way through undergrad and grad school as a vet tech in exotics and laboratory settings.

The scale loss you are seeing is most likely due to the fact that this snake had a severe infestation of mites (based on your observations). This could also account for the brown patches and raised/rough scales, though these may also be signs of scale rot. I'd be a little surprised to see scale rot, just because this snake was not well-hydrated. Snakes dealing with mite infestations or injuries to their skin will expend a lot of energy to self-correct these problems via frequent sheds and even dropping damaged scales. This is part of the healing process.

I really want to stress that what you are seeing so far is not congruent with the 'slipped skin disease' caused by chronic vitamin deficiency. Believe me, you'd know if this snake had that and it'd be horrible. Be glad you aren't dealing with it. In the meantime, please don't give vitamin supplements, as this can create more problems than it causes for a snake that doesn't actually need them. When you do offer food, just be sure it's whole rodents or chicks that have been themselves fed high-quality food.

Try not to fret too much about a few scales dropping off. It's true that anything oil-based, including antibiotic ointments, can cause scale damage - but this is typically only seen after frequent use over a long-ish span of time. This snake's body is trying to self-correct after dehydration and mites, so I would expect to see scale loss and even frequent sheds for awhile. Good basic husbandry is going to resolve most of the issues you are experiencing.

Snakes with wobble respond very well to some pretty simple adjustments in husbandry that can decrease or eliminate wobble episodes, but right now the priority is stabilizing and treatment. If you are interested later, though, I am glad to discuss details of wobble husbandry with you.