Whats wrong with my ball python?

[Alan664]

My stingerbee has not eaten in about 3 weeks and i noticed a weird scar on her belly. Sometimes its light pink and other times looks like a regular belly color. Does anyone know what it could possibly be from the pictures?

[Mr. Misha]

Descibe your terrarium setup including how you heat the enclosure and what are your temperature and humidity readings.

[Alan664]

The substrate is orchid bark and the temperature is 84 f and the humidity is 60%

[Mr. Misha]

The substrate is orchid bark and the temperature is 84 f and the humidity is 60%

Again, how are you heating your enclosure? Do you have a heat lamp, UTH, or both? If you have a UTH is it regulated by a thermostat?

[Viol8r]

Again, how are you heating your enclosure? Do you have a heat lamp, UTH, or both? If you have a UTH is it regulated by a thermostat?

This is being asked cause it looks like a possible burn....

[Alan664]

I only have a heat lamp. No heating pad since my room is really hot, so there is no need for one. I don't see how it could have gotten burn since there is no heat rocks or heating pad.

[Alan664]

She looks good since she comes out of the hide and wonders around and does not lay on the water bowl. But she just wont eat. I was thinking it was scale rot but i'am not 100% sure.

[kitedemon]

It does look like scale rot to me. I see why many went to a beginning of a burn, with that eliminated.

It is also a possible irritation, orcid bark is often a mix of a bunch of things and may have a variety of different barks inside. plants are animals and they often have offensive and defensive 'behaviours' like everything else. It is a possibility that the snake is reacting to something inside that batch of bark. You may want to consider a switch to paper for a while and see if it clears up. If humidity is an issue (paper is hydroscopic) you might try coco coir instead. it is inert and similar in humidity keeping characteristics.

[Albert Clark]

The substrate is orchid bark and the temperature is 84 f and the humidity is 60%

Actually when I first looked at it I thought it was a old burn that resolved and has been healing. On second look it appears that it could be a early scale rot condition. Immediately switch to just paper towels. Deep clean and disinfect the enclosure. Consider a vet to be sure. In the meantime, betadine soaks at least twice a day with Neosporin ointment applied to that area intermittently. Clean and disinfect everything that was in the enclosure also. If that ventral area doesn't show improvement with your treatments in 3 days I would call a vet. Good luck. Stay in peace and not pieces. A.C.

[Alan664]

I was thinking it was the substrate too since i just changed it from cypress mulch to orchid bark about a month ago. I will soak her with betadine daily and is silver sulfadiazine cream good? I have some that i could use instead of neosporin. Or is neosporin better?