Quote Originally Posted by xAnthemia View Post
For those curious, the following PDF is a safety data sheet regarding the chemical Benzalkonium Chloride aka. Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride.

Safety Data Sheet PDF

From the PDF, it is stated...



The hazard assessment notes skin corrosion and irritation as a category 1B hazard. This explains the scale conundrum and the red skin. It should also be noted that serious eye damage is noted as a symptom as a category 1 hazard — it would appear that you are lucky your snake is not blind.

I have added this issue to a document I am working on documenting health issues relating to ball pythons as issue #1:1?1.
It does seem likely to be the cause of the redness- maybe some was missed when rinsing & wiping out the enclosure, & got on the snake's skin. It sure could have been worse...