butter belly looks sickly!

[sookieball]

ok so i just got this guy in a week ago and put him in his new enclosure.

ate one meal, and is very active.

i took him out to show off to my bro and this was on his belly!!











i checked the substrate and he didnt burrow so its not a belly burn. its a glass tank so i do worry it will happen sometime but my other balls dont borrow so i hope he wont.

and i have felt the substrate and its not burning hot just warm on top.

i think one of his hides is too harsh, its like a stone texture. maybe he just scrubs against it to hard?

[cinderbird]

what kind of substrate are you using?
how often are you changing it?
what heating source do you have?
what is the temp right now?
what are you using to measure the temp?
what are you using to control your heat source?

[Patrick Long]

If its warm on top of the substrate to your touch, its too hot. Do you have a Tstat connected to the heat pad? Are you monitoring temps with a thermometer?

[AkHerps]

You have to remember we are mammals so we have a high body temp, if we touch something and it's warm, that means it's close to our body temp and probably too high for most snakes.

[sookieball]

what kind of substrate are you using?
how often are you changing it?
what heating source do you have?
what is the temp right now?
what are you using to measure the temp?
what are you using to control your heat source?

If its warm on top of the substrate to your touch, its too hot. Do you have a Tstat connected to the heat pad? Are you monitoring temps with a thermometer?

You have to remember we are mammals so we have a high body temp, if we touch something and it's warm, that means it's close to our body temp and probably too high for most snakes.

eco earth.(because its digestable and higher humidity for glass tank)
i change out the ecoearth every month.
UTH but not on Tstat. i have one for my other snake so i can put it on that one too to help control it.
right now the hot sides at 90 and cools on 76
i dont have one of those laser THERM's but im thinking everyone else uses them so ill be on that train if you all recomend.


so it does look like belly burn?

**EDIT*** i just felt the substrate over the heatpad and its not warm at all? kinda cool to my touch. yesterday that i checked it i had a heat bulb on too (because they are all kept outside in my entryway to my room . its closed off so no bugs and no drafts, just 2 dogs as room mates and good air circulation. but maybe the buld heated the top of the hide too much and thats how he got (if it is) belly burn?

[rabernet]

No - it looks like scale rot - from substrate being too moist. How wet do you have the eco-earth?

[ZiggyTheBall]

wow...thats looks painful...u should call ur local reptile vet

[sookieball]

wow, i should go with my gut more often. i thought scale rot too.

its still kinda moist. i know it. i just put in the ecoearth! so it is too moist. blast!

ok i have him another males tank right now (the other male is in the females doing their thing for a couple days!)

so ill dry out the tank and substrate and place him back in couple days when the other male gets his break.

[rabernet]

I would just put him on dry paper towels for now. If you keep him dry - it should go away with his next shed.

[Miss Tuniwha]

I took in a snake that had that a while back.. it was from the person not cleaning the bedding after the water dish was spilled.. he said if the snake was dumb enough to tip it over, he could deal with wet aspen. (classy guy)

after a couple weeks of me having her on clean bedding.. she healed right up.. it looked JUST like what you are showing.. (a few people here might even remember me asking what it may have been back then, lol)

So I agree that it looks like scale rot..

Get him on DRY substrate, and hopefully it will clear right up