Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a young GTP which is eating well and defecating regularly. It has a small spot between its eyes where it is white and the scales are missing. I originally thought it was just from rubbing, but it has shed and has not gone away. It also seems to be growing very slowly. My humidity is a bit high, (mid 80's to low 90's) so I am working on lowering that and dabbing the spot with betadine twice daily. Is there anything else I should be aware of or be doing? Thanks for any input.

Marc

I have a young gtp with the same issue. It was most likely caused from rubbing and will not disappear right away with shedding if it does at all because scales are missing. You will notice it more readily after it sheds which would explain why it appears to be growing. Personally, because it is not an "open" wound, I do not treat it and see little concern. My animal originated from Bushmaster so the rubbing occurred in Indonesia or the trip over because the animals were distributed by several sellers, and pitcures of this clutch showed several of them having the same issue. As long as the rubbing wasn't caused by something in its current enclosure, and it isn't an open wound, I wouldn't worry about it. If the scales grow back, it will take time. Not sure, but I thought I read somewhere that scales do not grow back.

Bart

That's interesting, this animal was also farm raised in Indonesia as were the animals you mentioned. When I got it, it already had the `rubbed spot'. It must have gotten it in transport. In one of the other threads in this forum I read of a fungus and was concerned that it might be that. I wasn't sure how to recognize a fungus if it was. Thank you for your input. Although I've kept colubrids for decades, this is my first attempt at GTP's and in some regards I feel like I'm starting all over again. Thanks again.

Marc

You might want to get fecals done if you have an import as most likely yours will have parasites of some kind. Bushmaster has some fine animals, but they still often feed lizards to start babies and as a result they will have parasites. Then you can check that you don't have some kind of parasitic or fungal problem. Rub marks do often dissapear with shed depending on how bad the rub was.
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