I am looking for some advice or similar experiences from anyone who has ever had this happen or knows what might be causing it.

We have a male hypo that is about 2 years old that gets very dry, almost crunchy skin. This is not due to lack of humidity and he sheds on a regular basis. In fact, his sheds are always perfect, one piece donuts. However, between sheds he gets very dry feeling. If you look very closely at the picture of his back you can see how the scales are dented or deflated looking.

I noticed it, but never thought too much of it, until last night. We were cleaning cages and changing water so I had him out. I was holding him and noticed he felt particularly dry, and then I saw what appears to be a gash or tear on his neck. I can only assume that the skin on his neck split when he ate his last meal, because there is nothing in his enclosure that could do this.

We feed F/T, so he was not attacked by his dinner. I have heard of this happening to a rescued animal that was dehydrated and then fed a rabbit that was much too large for that particular snake. That is NOT the case here. We tend to feed rather conservatively and I am positive that the meal was in no way to large for this guy, if anything, some people here might considerate it rather small. His body weight and muscle tone are excellent and there is no reason for him to be dehydrated, if that is what is causing this. His stools and urates are all normal and regular. In fact every thing about him is normal, except the dry skin.

The only thing I can think is it some sort of vitamin deficiency or possibly dehydration. But I am at a loss as to what might be causing it. Humidity is good, he has fresh water and eats regularly. He is not kept any differently than our other 40 some, perfectly healthy boas.

Any thoughts or similar experiences welcome, because this one has me really scratching my head.

Thanks,

Kathy & Denny

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