burn/scale rot??

[meg]

Hi! My names Meg (I'm new)...I have had my ball python, Penelope, since she was a baby...about 7 years now. Within the last week I noticed she had some strange looking marks on her stomach, I took her to the vet and he said they're burns. (Prob. from the uth malfunctioning/ overheating) So, I got a new UTH and have been putting Neosporin on her everyday and soaking her in warm (about 90 degrees) water and then adding a little iodine (she hates the iodine and I'm afraid it burns or something). My vet also gave me shots of antibiotics to give her every 3 days; however, after looking online at scale rot I'm afraid that's what it is. I will post some pictures and would love to get your opinions! And any suggestions on how to keep her in the water with the iodine, I dont want to force her but I know its important so it doesn't get infected.

Thanks!!
Meg (and Penelope)

[The Serpent Merchant]

Welcome to the site!

Some pictures would help, can you upload some to photobucket, then post them here using the "IMG" code?

Do you have any thing controlling your UTH? What are you using to measure temperatures in your cage? What type of substrate do you use? (Just want to make sure this doesn't happen again/make things worse)

Neosporin can do just as much harm as good. I would suggest that you stop applying it.

Most BP's aren't huge fans of being soaked and there isn't much you can do about it. I've found that the biggest factor is water temperature. too hot or too cold will make the BP freak out. You want a water temperature in the mid 80's F. If it feels warm/hot to you it is too hot for the snake. Apart from that I would suggest that you soak the snake in a container with high walls like a bath tub or large storage container.

[meg]

Right now, I am not using anything to measure the heat in the UTH (but I know I have to get one) she has the green reptile carpet in her tank and I have 2 thermometers in her tank (one on each side).

And I was wrong...it's not neosporin its A&D (not sure if that makes a diff). (I hope these links work!)

[The Serpent Merchant]

That's a burn alright, a nasty one too. First order of business is getting a thermostat to control the UTH. Here are some good ones:

1. Budget: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

2. MidRange: http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermos...stat-prewired/

3. Best: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

I can explain the difference between these if you want.

Any oil based cream can be bad. Right now you are in damage control mode. You need to provide ideal temperatures/humidity (90 F hot side, 80 F cool side 60% humidity) and a sterile cage. I would suggest switching to paper towels that can be replaced often at least until your BP is better. The iodine soaks/antibiotics should be enough without the cream to keep infection away. Besides that your BP just has to heal, but if your UTH is too hot right now things aren't going to get better. What type of thermometers do you have? Do they have a probe, or are they just stick on the wall type? If they don't have a probe you need to get one that does (link to a good one at the bottom of this post). UTH's don't heat the air in the cage, only surfaces they are in direct contact with (heat transfer via conduction rather than convection/radiation) If you don't have a probed thermometer that you can carefully monitor cage temps with then I would suggest unplugging the UTH until you can get a thermostat and probed thermometer. A heat lamp will do in the mean time. Just make sure the cage is above 75 F at all times.


More info on cage setup/heating/thermostats/thermometers/etc.

Cage Heating: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

Cage Setup: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!


A good probed thermometer:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...ndingMethod=rr

[meg]

Ok, first off, I'm glad to hear that it's not scale rot (not that I'm happy shes burnt but at least were treating the right thing). Second, the thermometers are the stick on the wall kind but I keep them on the floor of the tank...which brings me to 3. I am going to buy everything you just told me to right now. One more thing...she ate for the first time in a few months last night...I really don't want her to regurgitate her food so do you think I can leave her alone to digest until Sunday when it's time for her next shot?

[The Serpent Merchant]

Ok, first off, I'm glad to hear that it's not scale rot (not that I'm happy shes burnt but at least were treating the right thing). Second, the thermometers are the stick on the wall kind but I keep them on the floor of the tank...which brings me to 3. I am going to buy everything you just told me to right now. One more thing...she ate for the first time in a few months last night...I really don't want her to regurgitate her food so do you think I can leave her alone to digest until Sunday when it's time for her next shot?

You should be fine to leave her alone for a day or so, it will actually probably be beneficial (reduce stress) Just keep a close eye on her. I would recommend cleaning the cage and switching to paper towels first though. As I said in my last post a sterile cage is very important right now and paper towels make it much easier to see if anything is wrong.

[meg]

Ok, awesome. Thank you soo much! What do you use to clean your BP's tank? Previously, I've just used soap and water but I feel like thats not really doing a lot. Last thing, once I get my UTH thermostat what should the temp be on it?

[The Serpent Merchant]

Ok, awesome. Thank you soo much! What do you use to clean your BP's tank? Previously, I've just used soap and water but I feel like thats not really doing a lot. Last thing, once I get my UTH thermostat what should the temp be on it?

I use 1 of 2 products. Chlorhexidine or F10SC. Both are Veterinary grade disinfectants that are safe to use around animals when diluted properly.

Cleaners: http://www.reptilebasics.com/cleaning-products

Just dilute with water to the recommended ratio, spay dow the cage, let it sit for 20-30 minutes (this is important, don't skip), then wipe up. A thin layer will be left behind that will continue to work for a few days. Chlorhexidine is so safe some vets use it as mouthwash (very diluted of course)

You will set the thermostat to whatever achieves a 90 degree hot side in the cage. For example one of my thermostats is set to 96 to create a 90 degree hot side. This is where your probed thermometer comes in. Start by setting it to 90, then after you let things warm up check your thermometer and adjust the thermostat as needed.

[meg]

Wonderful! Thanks again for all the helpful info!! I'll be sure to ask you if I have anymore questions but I'm totally confident now that I will be able to get Penelope back to her normal self!

[Slim]

That's one of the nastiest burns I've seen in a while. The advice Aaron gave you is better than what your vet did. Stick to what he said and you have a chance of healing her up before infection can set in.

Anybody still think you can run a heat source without a thermostat? Ask Penelope what she thinks about that idea...