Does anyone know what this could be?

[Skiploder]

about burns: sure, really bad burns can "stick out" by forming blisters, but then the discoloration would be waaaay more extreme and these blisters would be directly under the top layers of the skin.

True.

[Skiploder]

I have seen a snake with body-wide blisters like that from an unregulated heat lamp at the veterinary hospital where I work. The snake had no direct access to the lamp, but was still burned.

I'm also in the Bay Area and would love to know more about both the vet who saw this animal and how the animal was treated. Can you describe what type of snake it was, the lamp set up, etc. Both vets I use will take photos of burns and other skin issues - especially ones that do not fit the "normal" presentations - but also to document the healing process.

[Spiritserpents]

The severe burn that we saw (The entire snake was like one of those jelly-filled stress balls. Almost the entire dorsal and lateral surfaces were a single giant blister) included signs of sepsis and 'bruising'-type color changes. The owner had no money for medications and did not want to euthanise, and elected to take the snake home. It died that night.

She had a relatively shallow tank for her snake and a dome lamp for heat. The snake couldn't escape the heat source.

Could other things have been compounding? Absolutely, considering the snake was 6 years old and barely bigger than a new hatchling. He weighed all of 120 grams.

[Skiploder]

I have seen a snake with body-wide blisters like that from an unregulated heat lamp at the veterinary hospital where I work. The snake had no direct access to the lamp, but was still burned.

The severe burn that we saw (The entire snake was like one of those jelly-filled stress balls. Almost the entire dorsal and lateral surfaces were a single giant blister) included signs of sepsis and 'bruising'-type color changes. The owner had no money for medications and did not want to euthanise, and elected to take the snake home. It died that night.

She had a relatively shallow tank for her snake and a dome lamp for heat. The snake couldn't escape the heat source.

Could other things have been compounding? Absolutely, considering the snake was 6 years old and barely bigger than a new hatchling. He weighed all of 120 grams.

Was it several blisters or a single giant blister?

Thanks in advance.

[Spiritserpents]

We're not sure if it started as several that merged, or was always the giant one. When you tilted the snake, all the fluid would pool in whichever end was lowest. It was probably a combination of factors that led up to it. The vet was pretty certain it was mostly from the heat lamp, but as I said there was a multitude of things being done wrong for that snake. It was close to a year ago that we saw this snake, I think, and I can't remember if they were feeding it only pinky mice, or fuzzies. The whole appt was sort of a trainwreck.

[Spiritserpents]

If you still think it was something other than a burn, I'd actually love the information so I can provide it to the vets where I work. I had to tell them about the spider wobble (we had one in from a pet store), and about stargazing in corns (brought in my 'gazer so they could see the corkscrewing he does) and they're always interested in learning more about reptile diseases that don't get much study in academic papers.

[Skiploder]

If you still think it was something other than a burn, I'd actually love the information so I can provide it to the vets where I work. I had to tell them about the spider wobble (we had one in from a pet store), and about stargazing in corns (brought in my 'gazer so they could see the corkscrewing he does) and they're always interested in learning more about reptile diseases that don't get much study in academic papers.

Without seeing the snake and looking at it's "blisters", it could be a couple of things.

I've had imported animals come in with fungal dermatitis that presented as raised red blisters and separated skin - eventually concluding with crusty lesions. They have been successfully treated with antifungals targeted at the causative agents.

I've also seen reddened fluid filled bumps form on the ventral and lateral sides of female snakes that I swore were skin disease but which turned out being oviduct infections that were oozing fluid into the subdermal areas adjacent to the ova.

That's why assuming it's something is fruitless. The direction should be toward a qualified herp vet and a necropsy or histological sample if applicable. Then a definitive diagnosis can be made and if these results are shared with the community, the community becomes wiser.

[neeceytc04]

Thank you everyone, I really wish I could say what had happened but even the vet said she had never seen anything like that before so at least now he is not suffering anymore and believe me I'm keeping a close eye on my other snakes.

[bcr229]

Thank you everyone, I really wish I could say what had happened but even the vet said she had never seen anything like that before so at least now he is not suffering anymore and believe me I'm keeping a close eye on my other snakes.

Did you request a necropsy?

[Pythonfriend]

just asking: what is the price tag for a full necropsy?


i would maybe just have requested the affected area to be cut open to see what the heck was under the skin there. just a cut to see what it was after the snake has been put to sleep.

actually no, i probarbly would have requested a puncture or cut with the snake sedated to see what it is, and have the snake put down while still under sedation if its something incurable.