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  1. #1
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    My Frankie's skin looks wrong


    She is well cared for Ive had her 18 years and we are not sure how old she was when we rescued her from a wildlife place - maybe 5. She eats and sheds regularly and her heat side is 29.7c. She moves around happily when she's not asleep on her heated bed (she has no access to direct heat to burn her)
    What might it be?
    Happy to take her the vet is required.

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  3. #2
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    Re: My Frankie's skin looks wrong

    If I had to guess, I'd say that looks like a fungal infection, but that's just a guess. Kudos for getting your girl to 23 years, and a rescue at that! I know bps can live 30 - 40 years, but that's still an accomplishment.
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  4. #3
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    Yay another older BP~ My oldest boy is also around that age. He moved to California with me as a smol little guy in 2000

    As far as your girl....
    Does she eat live or f/t? Is there maybe decor she's wedged up against and may have cut herself at some point without you noticing?
    My boy has the larger space between scales and gets dulled out like your before a shed...but the worst 2 spots look almost like a scarring. So a ratbite or some wound maybe?
    Maybe something from her pre-rescue days that you just happened to notice while catching her in shed?

    Either way, maybe a temporary setup in a clean environment while you evaluate her would be good. A nice soak with some chlorhexidine if you have it on hand couldn't hurt. Just make sure to give her a few minutes with clean water to drink during the soak before adding the chlorehex. It's not good for them to drink but good for wounds. A local pharmacy had some over the counter as a skin care wound flush so you might be able to find it near you as well.

    If any seeping or skin sloughing at the area happens I would definitely get her to a vet. She'd probably need antibiotics or possibly antifungals as well.
    Otherwise I'd keep an eye on it and keep her in that clean setup for a bit just in case.
    Last edited by Armiyana; 06-08-2023 at 12:06 PM.

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  6. #4
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    Re: My Frankie's skin looks wrong

    Quote Originally Posted by Jewells View Post

    She is well cared for Ive had her 18 years and we are not sure how old she was when we rescued her from a wildlife place - maybe 5. She eats and sheds regularly and her heat side is 29.7c. She moves around happily when she's not asleep on her heated bed (she has no access to direct heat to burn her)
    What might it be?
    Happy to take her the vet is required.
    Just to add because of some of your replies (I really appreciate them - thank you)
    I clean her viv every week and give her fresh water. She lives on a towel ontop of lino (the heat pad is under that) which i wash weekly too and the mice are frozen. She has loads of room and nothing to scrape against apart from her bark hide.
    She has a very large bowl to bathe in and I spray her daily when I can see she is about to shed (as she's never been a good shedder) and I make sure all skin has shed everytime.
    As I said, I have had her for 18 years so I cant see it being how I keep her that's the problem? I was just wondering if it's an old age thing. I have contacted my Vet now too.

  7. #5
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    I'd have to agree w/ Armiyana on this- those look like old healed scars to me (from scraping something, most likely) - I'm not seeing anything that looks "fresh"? (no raw or oozing spots?)

    You mention she's "never been a good shedder" & that can cause such marks- when skin gets stuck on, it can trap moisture & pathogens. Snakes may also cause damage when they rub too hard to remove it. Scales also get some damage (bent) when snakes squish into snug hides- not a big deal, & not necessarily preventable- that's "life". (It's a bit like humans getting calluses on elbows or hands.)

    Honestly I'm not seeing anything that would make me rush to a vet visit. If you want to try some diluted chlorhexidine, you could just sponge it on rather than "soaking" your snake -which most snakes find stressful, & that way there's no chance of them drinking the medicated water while soaking.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 06-08-2023 at 01:27 PM.
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