scales

[spokism]

hi, im new as you may already know. I have a 2 year old ball python. I dont have much experience with snakes, and i was just wondering if the scales on the underbelly, were supposed to be a little bit loose?

[littleindiangirl]

Nope! They sure shouldnt be.

Have you read over our caresheet? It will help you to set up the bp's enclosure to ensure you have proper heat, hides and humidity for your snake to make sure he stays healthy and sheds perfectly.

http://ball-pythons.net/modules.php?...warticle&id=59

Have a read, and you can also post a picture or a detailed description of your set up to help us figure out what can be improved on. (things like how you heat it, measure it, what you use as substrate etc...)

[spokism]

its not like they r falling off, but if he rubs up against something rough, like one or 2 come up a little but and it like makes him like stick to cloth. do u know what i mean

[littleindiangirl]

its not like they r falling off, but if he rubs up against something rough, like one or 2 come up a little but and it like makes him like stick to cloth. do u know what i mean

Well, if the scales are raised up or sticking out from the body, not sitting flush, the first thing I would look for are mites. Mites are nocturnal so you may not see a problem until it's big.

Or... the scales could be bent in half a little, like a crease, and it's not really good, but neither is it terrible like scale rot or something similar.

When in doubt, always take the animal to a quality reptile vet.

[edie]

maybe try to get some pictures

[spokism]

you cant really tell whats happening in the pics

[bimmer]

i think i know what you mean... i just got my bp and when you are holding him if your hand or fingers go the opposite way his scales are going they feel like they almost get caught but not really... IS this normal???

[littleindiangirl]

i think i know what you mean... i just got my bp and when you are holding him if your hand or fingers go the opposite way his scales are going they feel like they almost get caught but not really... IS this normal???

Well yes that's normal. Thats the way the scales lay, the grain of the scales, the direction of how they lay on top of each other all the way down towards the tip of the tail.

If you go against the grain, you force his scales to bend up and backwards away from the grain.

[spokism]

o, yea, thats what i was talking about. Thanks for clarifying. i was getting worried

[frankykeno]

Those scales on your snakes belly are called "scutes". They are a specialized scale and basically what your snake walks on if you want to think about it that way.

This is a really nice link that explains all sorts of interesting facts about how nature made your snake. Well worth reading and maybe printing out.

http://animal.discovery.com/guides/r...s/anatomy.html