Rescue situation, newer keeper

[Caitlin]

You're getting good advice, so I don't want to overwhelm you with another voice. I did want to chime in on a couple of significant points, though. For what it's worth I was raised in a family of veterinarians and worked my way through undergrad and grad school as a vet tech in exotics and laboratory settings.

The scale loss you are seeing is most likely due to the fact that this snake had a severe infestation of mites (based on your observations). This could also account for the brown patches and raised/rough scales, though these may also be signs of scale rot. I'd be a little surprised to see scale rot, just because this snake was not well-hydrated. Snakes dealing with mite infestations or injuries to their skin will expend a lot of energy to self-correct these problems via frequent sheds and even dropping damaged scales. This is part of the healing process.

I really want to stress that what you are seeing so far is not congruent with the 'slipped skin disease' caused by chronic vitamin deficiency. Believe me, you'd know if this snake had that and it'd be horrible. Be glad you aren't dealing with it. In the meantime, please don't give vitamin supplements, as this can create more problems than it causes for a snake that doesn't actually need them. When you do offer food, just be sure it's whole rodents or chicks that have been themselves fed high-quality food.

Try not to fret too much about a few scales dropping off. It's true that anything oil-based, including antibiotic ointments, can cause scale damage - but this is typically only seen after frequent use over a long-ish span of time. This snake's body is trying to self-correct after dehydration and mites, so I would expect to see scale loss and even frequent sheds for awhile. Good basic husbandry is going to resolve most of the issues you are experiencing.

Snakes with wobble respond very well to some pretty simple adjustments in husbandry that can decrease or eliminate wobble episodes, but right now the priority is stabilizing and treatment. If you are interested later, though, I am glad to discuss details of wobble husbandry with you.

[GuardianHunter]

You're getting good advice, so I don't want to overwhelm you with another voice. I did want to chime in on a couple of significant points, though. For what it's worth I was raised in a family of veterinarians and worked my way through undergrad and grad school as a vet tech in exotics and laboratory settings.

The scale loss you are seeing is most likely due to the fact that this snake had a severe infestation of mites (based on your observations). This could also account for the brown patches and raised/rough scales, though these may also be signs of scale rot. I'd be a little surprised to see scale rot, just because this snake was not well-hydrated. Snakes dealing with mite infestations or injuries to their skin will expend a lot of energy to self-correct these problems via frequent sheds and even dropping damaged scales. This is part of the healing process.

I really want to stress that what you are seeing so far is not congruent with the 'slipped skin disease' caused by chronic vitamin deficiency. Believe me, you'd know if this snake had that and it'd be horrible. Be glad you aren't dealing with it. In the meantime, please don't give vitamin supplements, as this can create more problems than it causes for a snake that doesn't actually need them. When you do offer food, just be sure it's whole rodents or chicks that have been themselves fed high-quality food.

Try not to fret too much about a few scales dropping off. It's true that anything oil-based, including antibiotic ointments, can cause scale damage - but this is typically only seen after frequent use over a long-ish span of time. This snake's body is trying to self-correct after dehydration and mites, so I would expect to see scale loss and even frequent sheds for awhile. Good basic husbandry is going to resolve most of the issues you are experiencing.

Snakes with wobble respond very well to some pretty simple adjustments in husbandry that can decrease or eliminate wobble episodes, but right now the priority is stabilizing and treatment. If you are interested later, though, I am glad to discuss details of wobble husbandry with you.

Thank you for this. We have only been keeping reptiles, ball pythons specifically, since September of 2022 when my son came home from repticon with his personal BP. So, we have learned a lot in a short time, but haven’t had to go down this road yet. The new fellow we acquired had a little more going on than I expected, and found out minutes before he was being dropped off. The two little scales dropping off and exposing the next white layer concerned be a good bit. I’d love to hear your thoughts on diminishing his wobble symptoms, especially since his is pretty bad and hard to watch. Please feel free to private message me.

To all, I value everything you’ve all suggested and advised I look into. Thank you for the time you’ve all spent responding to my questions and your instruction. I will update the thread as we continue through the journey for everyone interested.