Belly Question....

[whippet]

Okay so I have looked at like 40 pictures of belly rot...and none look quite right, but most of them are severe cases, and I am worried about my Louis. He is on that red reptile bark. UTH and overhead light. Temps seem fine. If anything I struggle with it being too dry not too wet. Cleaned regularly...no extra moisture. I am just wondering if it's brown dirt in the crevices as he crawls around, or the beginnings of scale rot. If it is rot, what do I need to do next?

I could not get a picture...so I took a scan. Gives a great look at it I hope.

[Patrick Long]

that looks like bark dust to me. i use repti bark as well, i may be completely wrong, but that does just look like dust

[bigballs]

if it is substrate dust or dirt then it could be easily washed off so try that first. if not then start giving your bp a bath in warm water and betadine once a day for around 15-20 mins. i dont know if this is the actual treatment for belly rot but your picture looks very similar to something one of my snakes started getting and once i bathed it a few times it fully went away. i also think that it is caused from too dry or too wet a substrate because thats when i noticed my bp getting it.

[Larry Suttles]

That definitely looks just some substrate dusk and color. I wonder if reptile bark uses any type of artificial coloring?

[monk90222]

I'd soak em first to see if it comes off....also you actually put your snake on the scanner?...thats awesome!!

[xdeus]

The bath may or may not work depending on what type of dye is used for the bark.

However, I would give the snake a lukewarm bath and then place him on newspaper or paper towel until his next shed to see if it goes away. I've never heard of a case of scale rot from substrate that is too dry, so that leads me to think it is the substrate. Even so, I'd keep a close eye on it and take him to the vet if it doesn't improve.