Yet another "Scale rot??" question

[Thegadealer]

That's looks to me more like excessively dry scales & possibly some heat damage (pre-burn) from UTH use, rather than "scale rot". Are you taking the temperature over the UTH & where the snake actually can touch the glass? -or just relying on what the t-stat says it is? Because those readings are probably different, & if you're counting on a snake to not dig under the substrate, well, that's what they do. Yes, BPs can be clueless about letting themselves get too warm- perhaps because they're more heavy-bodied, they don't realize damage is occurring until it's too late. So as their keeper, you have to do their thinking for them, lol. And yes, a pinkish belly can be a sign of impending shed, but it can also be a "burn". It's critical that you take the temps accurately & adjust them- A.S.A.P.

Oh I should've mentioned in the original post that I only put the UTH on the bottom of the tank a few days ago, whereas this belly dryness started a little before I received Luna from my friend a week ago. Prior to that, my friend had the UTH stuck to the side of the tank (which I didn't believe gave a good hotspot, so I moved it) so I assume she wouldn't have gotten any heat damage from that. But yes, now that I've got the UTH under the tank, I've got a digital thermometer measuring the temp right on the glass where the snake could touch, as well as checking the temp of the glass with an IR temp gun every so often. The temp hasn't gone over 92F since I've had her.

Could the excessively dry scales have happened just because of the humidity being a bit too low?

Re using diluted Betadine, no, you never want your snake's head in that, they might drink some! Avoid soaking anyway, it's stressful, & overkill for what you're trying to do. Just dab the solution on topically, if needed for an infection. You'd want about 3 parts water to one part Betadine, & never let a snake ingest it, please!

IF you needed a topical antiseptic, you're better off using the water-based* Vetericyn ointment- it's FOR snakes, whereas ointments made for humans or warm-blooded pets are petroleum based, and that WILL mess up your snake's future sheds for a while IF you use much of it.

Okay, great to know all that! Do you mean I should use Vetericyn ointment instead of polysporin and the like? Didn't realize it could mess up sheds, it's recommended so much on here. Also, if it's just dry scales should I even be applying anything at all or just leave it be until the next shed?

Aspen substrate stinks for BPs- it's dehydrating, it holds no moisture that BPs require- you need to fix that, & /or offer a humid hide (warmish side).

Weird, I also thought aspen was recommended for BPs! Makes sense about the moisture though. I've been mostly keeping the humidity up with some damp moss under the heat lamp but not inside the actual hide. Will change that up.

The "cool side" of tank is WAY too cold...you did say you were fixing that??? For a snake to heal from ANYTHING, or just to stay healthy, the temps are MOST important because their entire metabolism depends on temperature. OK?

Ya I've been trying to move stuff around to figure out the heat issue, but I think I'm just going to have to get a radiant heat panel to solve the problem. The UTH is a good hotspot but the CHE isn't enough the heat up the air in the rest of the tank. Would a higher watt CHE help (my current one is 100W), or a second CHE even? Or is an RHP my best bet? I've got the screen on top mostly covered by tin foil wrapped plexiglass, except for where the CHE is sitting. I know a glass tank and screen top is never the best option for heat but I want to make it work if I can, without insulation hopefully.

Here's a pic of some advanced "scale rot" for you: (hoping it shows up) Basically a bacterial infection of the scales, & causes include wrong temperatures, excessive humidity, a dirty cage, or even physical damage that allows an infection to get going. You might see discoloration, blisters or puffy scales.

Ya that's the sort of thing I keep seeing when I research scale rot, but I just haven't been sure what it looks like in it's early stages. I never want to let it get to that level if I can help it!

Thank you so much for all the info Bogertophis! It's a great help