Scale rot?

[lunasjy]

I noticed my ball python has yellow, dry looking scales. I looked up scale rot and not sure if this is what she has from pictures I have seen. In pictures scale rot looks much sever like red, falling off, painful scales. My ball python's scales just look discolored and dry. Her humidity fluctuates around 45-62%. Her last shed was on the 13th of November. It was in three large pieces but she got it all off herself. She is on unprinted newspaper. If she does have scale rot, is it something that needs to be seen by a vet? Other websites are saying scale rot can be treated at home using neosporn. I am not sure if this is right... but if she needs a vet I have one very close to me and I could make an appointment in the morning if necessary. Sorry the picture doesn't show it very well. It is only about 2 inches of damage on her side. She does have three bunched scales on the other side that are affected. So is it scale rot and should I bring her to the vet?

[meganmarkita15]

Was it scale rot?

[MercedesBenz]

Why would scale rot?

[Morjean]

Why would scale rot?

Scale rot is a bacterial infection found in snakes, it's often caused by the enclosure being too high in humidity for extended periods of time. Like, high humidity to a point where the substrate is moist for example.
Can also be caused by the enclosure being dirty, when the animal has to slither through their own excrements....

Treatment is (usually) a trip to the vet, a betadine or similar solution treatment, and anti-bacterial medication prescribed by the vet

If you Google around a bit, there's a lot more and more scientific (but also contradicting, for some reason) information on it!

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[StephenT]

I do believe that may be a very mild case of scale rot. Make sure your enclosure isn't damp, no condensation, not poorly ventilated, etc. There are indeed home remedies for minor cases, though if that patch grows at all then it would probably be in your best interest to take it to an exotic animal vet. Polysporn/neosporn can indeed be used as a treatment, though I've read that progress wouldn't be noticed untill your royal has shed. There is also a betadine solution that you could soak your snake in, but I would do more research on that before doing it. I'd say to try the neosporn treatment for a bit and constantly check that the patch does not grow/ no new patches arise. If that does happen, don't push your luck and make an appointment with a vet.

I hope your royal makes a quick recovery!

[O'Mathghamhna]

Honestly, it really doesn't look like it to me. It might be the very beginning/early stages of scale rot, but it's not anything that would cause an internal infection at this stage. If you have a vet who does herps in your area you could always take it by and see if they will prescribe you a topical. Betadine soaks are a common suggestion, but I'm hesitant to suggest it for something so minor like this. Maybe a diluted Betadine application to just this area would be OK, and see how that works. What kind of substrate are you using, and what are your humidity levels?

[Freakie_frog]

No that is not scale rot. It is simply a case of some dry scales on your snake. White snakes like Pieds, albinos, Lucy's and the like tend to show it more prevalently than do their darker cousins. Certain mutations seem to be more prone to it. Things like albinos and Lucy's seems to have "softer scales" and as such can sometimes show slight scale dryness or damage better just due to their color.

Also scale rot more often than not appears on the belly of the snake where it comes in contact with the damp dirty substrate not the back of the snake.


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[StephenT]

No that is not scale rot. It is simply a case of some dry scales on your snake. White snakes like Pieds, albinos, Lucy's and the like tend to show it more prevalently than do their darker cousins. Certain mutations seem to be more prone to it. Things like albinos and Lucy's seems to have "softer scales" and as such can sometimes show slight scale dryness or damage better just due to their color.

Also scale rot more often than not appears on the belly of the snake where it comes in contact with the damp dirty substrate not the back of the snake.


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I stand corrected!