Loss of Pigmentation??

[SadistripeS]

I have the cutest little male spider, IMHO. However, it appears he's losing pigmentation as he ages. I don't mean just a mild fading, but completely white scales similar to a Lucy.

A brief history:
I got him in early August. When shipped he was already in shed. After a couple days, I aided him in sloughing off the patchy pieces. In doing so, I noticed a couple of abnormally colored scales. I kept an eye on the and didn't see any changes...until after he shed again. This time the scales were white, and I found a couple more "weird" scales.

He just finished shedding (again) yesterday, and guess what? The patch of white scales has grown. I've been looking for some sort of explanation, but have found none so far.

I've checked him many a times for mites/ticks and other parasites. He seems to be in perfect health.

Hopefully someone will be able to shed light on my little guy's magic scales.

Thanks!

[gmolurus]

are you talking about dull looking scales? sometimes they can appear very light. if so it could be a bacterial infection

[SadistripeS]

No, they are not dull looking; they are white.

When I get my camera back, I will try to post pictures since it will make what I tried to say more clear.

[TooManyToys]

Yup, we need a picture

[JLC]

Jim....that has GOT to be the most annoying signature graphic I have ever seen! I swear I almost slapped my monitor to get the bug off!

[uafgrad]

I saw a similar thread with pics of a spider that almost looked like an anxathic.

Basically, if I remember right, it started changing right after a shed and lost its pigment

[Ladydragon]

Jim....that has GOT to be the most annoying signature graphic I have ever seen! I swear I almost slapped my monitor to get the bug off!

ahahahaha.. I nearly did the same thing. its so annoying its great.

[WingedWolfPsion]

I guess it COULD be the IMG gene? Can you post pics? I was reading about that recently, and it's a fascinating mutation.

From what I've been reading, the gene can manifest in more than one way, and usually the ball pythons look normal at birth. It can take up to a couple of years to start showing up. Then they will start developing increasing pale/white patches on the sides, and black/dark scales on top or scattered into the pattern. OR they shed one day and overnight look like perfect axanthics (quite a shock), and then slowly start developing black scales and getting color back over time until they're super dark and dirty-looking.

Every once in a while someone talks about their ball python shedding out and turning grey, and then the color comes back after a few sheds. There's some weird stuff going on out there. ^_^

As long as there doesn't appear to be any pink/red color around the patch, and the scales in it look normal and healthy, it's probably nothing to worry about--and you'll just have to wait and see what happens.

[Mindibun]

^ Great post. Saved me from having to write that all out.

I was gonna give you more rep, but I was told I had to spread it around first. How promiscuous.

[SadistripeS]

As long as there doesn't appear to be any pink/red color around the patch, and the scales in it look normal and healthy, it's probably nothing to worry about--and you'll just have to wait and see what happens.

I double checked after your post to make sure there were no pink/red colorations. Happy to say I found none.

He pooped sometime during the night and his stole showed no obvious signs of internal problems. Though, I am getting references from some of my other herp friends in the area to find a good vet that can analyze it for me.

I'm getting the camera tomorrow, so I'll post pics of my baby then.

Thanks again!