Raised scales?

[MalachiJ]

New to the hobby, my male albino bp has to small spots on his midsection that have raised scales, other than being raised the look completely normal. Is this a problem? Anything I can/should do to prevent this?

[DVirginiana]

Pictures? In all likelihood it's just an area that's been roughed up a bit. This can sometimes happen due to prey scratching at them (if I'm remembering correctly you feed live?) but in my experience that is only temporary and the scales will go back to normal after a day or so. Could also be something in the tank that the snake is rubbing against and roughing up the scales, so double check and make sure there are no sharp edges or anything the snake can get to. Raised scales could also happen due to an infection; if this is the case, you would probably see fluid buildup or swelling at the base of the scales causing them to stick out. That's less likely IMO though.

[MalachiJ]

Yeah I feed live but I just noticed it today (doesn't mean it wasn't there before) and I haven't fed in a few days now. Also just realized I posted this in the husbandry section.... Woops. Going to try and get the app to post a pic but my phone is really not agreeing with apps lately

[kiiarah]

When you say raised scales, do they look folded? With large snakes and generally thick bodies snakes it is common to see lines of folded scales running from top to bottom of the snake at regular intervals. This is because the thickness of the snake causes the scales to fold when they coil and can leave a linear indentation. If the scales are flat but raised this is not the cause, but just for an example my ball python now weighs 600 grams (nearly a year old) and I am starting to see these folded scales from the pressure he puts on them while resting. He is not that large, so with heavy bodied pythons it seems to be a common thing even at a relatively small size. Pictures would definitely help determine the cause though. Also are the raised scales on his midsection or are they around his chin or face? I think I have read somewhere that mites can hide under scales causing a raised appearance and can be hard to notice if you don't know what to look for. Common areas for mites to hide are below the scales under their chin around their throat or around the eyes. It is also common to find them around their vents.

[MalachiJ]

Now that you say that they did look kind of folded. they started just below his spine and went straight down until just above his under scales(not sure what they're really called). It covered probably 1/3 of an inch. Was on his mid section. Not sure if they're still there or not I didn't notice them earlier when I handled him, but I didn't look for them either. (stupid me.....)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KitaCat]

When you say raised scales, do they look folded? With large snakes and generally thick bodies snakes it is common to see lines of folded scales running from top to bottom of the snake at regular intervals. This is because the thickness of the snake causes the scales to fold when they coil and can leave a linear indentation. If the scales are flat but raised this is not the cause, but just for an example my ball python now weighs 600 grams (nearly a year old) and I am starting to see these folded scales from the pressure he puts on them while resting. He is not that large, so with heavy bodied pythons it seems to be a common thing even at a relatively small size. Pictures would definitely help determine the cause though. Also are the raised scales on his midsection or are they around his chin or face? I think I have read somewhere that mites can hide under scales causing a raised appearance and can be hard to notice if you don't know what to look for. Common areas for mites to hide are below the scales under their chin around their throat or around the eyes. It is also common to find them around their vents.

I've noticed this on my big female BP's, who like to sleep all coiled up.