Scale rot and possible other problems.

[ShelbyCraig]

Bought a spider 2 weeks ago at an expo, didn't notice it when i was looking it over but it has what i believe to be scale rot in a small place. I treated it with triple antibiotic, just got him out today to do the same thing and it has spread to other parts, at least 5 spots that i seen if not 6 or 7. another thing is that as he was crawling through my hand it seems that his belly scales [im assuming] were coming off in my hand, it wasn't a part of a shed or anything of that sort, they're small and clear...I'm at a lose of words with what to do.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Post a picture of it we can't help you without seeing it.

[ShelbyCraig]

Pictures were not coming out great so i had to make a video, and im hoping that is better.

[ShelbyCraig]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyTOy...ature=youtu.be

Heres a video.

[The Serpent Merchant]

That doesn't look like anything i've ever seen, but I'm no expert in ball python illnesses/injuries.

What are you using as a heat source?

[babyknees]

I would take him to a good reptile vet to get him checked out, double check your husbandry and also contact the breeder you got him from after the vet tells you what is wrong.

[Domepiece]

I would take him to a good reptile vet to get him checked out, double check your husbandry and also contact the breeder you got him from after the vet tells you what is wrong.

X2 get that bad boy to a vet.

[ShelbyCraig]

im using flexwatt as a heat source on a herpstat, paper towel substrate. I have no clue what im going to do about a vet. There is one about 50 minutes away but i dont even have money to take him there.

[ballpythonluvr]

Not to be a downer or anything but that poor snake really needs to see a vet. This does not look like anything that can be treated at home. When you acquire an animal like this you really need to make sure you have the money to care for them, especially in cases like this.

[Homegrownscales]

That does look like scale rot. He should be seen by a vet. That's one of the very unfortunate parts about having exotics. You should always always be prepared to have to spend the money to take them in whenever necessary.
You also unfortunately made a very common mistake. You used neosproin regularly on a reptile. Neo is not made for anything with scales. Especially to treat a fungus or skin infection. I never recommend putting anything oil based on any animals with scales. It softens the scales only promoting infection and as you see it causes the scales to flake off. I would stop that immediately.
My second peice of advice is to immediately bleach his enclosure out to disinfect it. Use paper towels and you will need to keep his cage compleatly disinfected for as long as this takes to heal. It will need to be hospital clean. Many people use 2 different enclosures that they can switch into daily and bleach out the used one.
Thirdly, get betadyne and wash him in this daily. You can either put it right on the sores. Or create a beta bath. Water temp 88.f and put the beta in the bath until the water is tea colored. For him though I would recommend daily treating the sores with the straight betadyne daily and every other day give him a soak in the bath. Doesn't need to be for long maybe 5 min and then after the bath put the straight beta on the sores.
The most important part is to never put the neo on him again. And to keep that enclosure sterile.

Neosproin doesn't work for them like it does for us. You never ever want to keep applying it to an animal with scales. It does nothing good. I never use neo at all with any of mine for anything. For minor bite wounds or scratches I just apply betadyne and watch it. You should always keep a supply of betadyne handy.

I'll add again that he should be seen by a vet. These things can escalate to be more serious than it already is. In the meantime you can follow those earlier steps and it should help prevent it from getting worse.


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