Reptile & Amphibian Forums

4 y/o male bp. other wise healthy snake, has been having some shedding issues. It has happened in the past where his tail tip becoms very raw and red/bleeds sometimes and what i would call "whole scales come off" revealing a white underlying 'tissue'. I have taken him to the vet in the past for this and we given SSD cream (SDD cream cant remember) and put him on Baytril IM injections. That was about a year ago. He got better, started eatting more (but the weather was warming up and that might have helped being that he always eats less in the winter.) Anyways, THIS time the scales on his back (dorsal) are dry and flakey after his last shed and heh as a very small heat blister from sitting on his undertank heat pad all week. I turned the heat pad down and put some towels on top of to to keep him from burning himself. He is still active (more now that i have turned the heat down surprisingly) is well hydrated, i have been soaking him to see if that would help but the scales look to be damaged. triple antibiotic topical (without the pain killer) has been going on the heat blister, SSD on the tail and just reciently on his back. Any idea what would cause the dryness or what else i could do to help him get better? Let me know if you might need more info. PS he's in a 40 gal, kept now at about 75-80 degrees (maybe lower), reptile carpet, fresh water, hide rock and cork bark.

1) your temps are too low. You should have ambient temps in the low 80's with a hot spot around 86.

2) You need to KNOW what your humidity levels are. It sounds like the main problem is that you have very little humidity. Get a humidity gage from your local pet store or online. It shouldn't set you back more than $15.00 at the most. Your humidity levels should be around 60% but boost them to 70% when he is in shed. You can buy a water bottle with a spray head at almost any walmart or Kmart. Also, if you have a screen top on his enclosure, cover a portion of it to keep the humidity at the proper level.

3) Get rid of the reptile rug. If he is getting burned by the under tank heater than the rug isn't thick enough. I recomend a thick layer of news paper covered in a generous layer of cyprus or coconut mulch. This will keep him of the heater and retain heat and humidity allowing for better environmental control. Change out this substrate weekly to maintain cleanliness.

4) Give him a hide on the hot AND the cool side of the cage.

5) Follow the links at the top of this page and read the care sheets on these peoples websites.
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"Can't you just feed it vegetables"? No, no I can't you stupid hippie.

As Johnavilla said: Way to cool. He is probably sitting on the hot spot because he is too cool. Reptile carpet gets hung on snakes. I use a thick layer of aspen but a lot of people complain because of the dust. I haven't had that problem. Cypress or coconut works great too. Definitely check the humidity.

Hope you get things worked out for him. You will both be lots happier.
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Lead us not into temptation. We can find it on our own.

I turned the heat down because of the burns (i failed to mention that he does have a heat lamp opps). I am working on the humidity currently. I have also let him soak in warm water and then tended to any open wounds. I will keep you posted.

First get out of the glass aquarium , go by a large flat plastic container with a snap down lid , put holes it by a uth and a thermostat and a water bowl , you are cooking your snake plain and simple place it in the above new enclosure and if it does not improve see a vet , you are not keeping a lizard or a monitor but a snake you ARE COOKING YOUR BALL PYTHON TO DEATH , THEY DONT NEED HEAT LAMPS!

You don't turn the heat down to deal with a burn, you just apply the proper medication and ointment. Also, get rid of that heat lamp and if you do get rid of the glass tank (not at all a bad idea) you may want to go with a molded cage like a vision. They are a bit pricey but if you are only keeping one animal they are more aesthetically pleasing than a tub, easier to prevent escape with and just as easy to maintain a proper environment with. It sounds like you are disregarding the advice you have been given. It is sound advice and I hope for the sake of your snake that you take it.
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"Can't you just feed it vegetables"? No, no I can't you stupid hippie.

Is your UTH inside the tank or under it? They do not give off enough watts to burn that severly, or they shouldn't anyway if they are working properly and the setup is proper. I hope you didn't place it inside the tank
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~Kristen
Ontario, Canada
0.1 Normal Ball Python
1.2 Pastel Ball Python
0.2 Spider Ball Python

ok. . . the heat lamp went on WHEN THE HEAT PAD WAS OFF. shesh... one person says its too cold... someone else says im cooking him. one, im not cooking him. two, as soon as i saw the blister i turned the UTH off but turned the ceramic lamp on (and it is on a stand so sont tell me its too close to the tank). I increased the humidity, put some damp towels in his hid boxes, misting etc. btw, the blister has gotten much better and the area is no longer swollen. I just wanted to know if other people have seen this and what they have done to rectify it. I'm not some little kid whoes mommy got them a pet snake for their birthday. Simple question. . . would like a simple answer, not a lecture.

I have several ball pythons , and I also spent the money and recently purchased my first vision rack to properly house my ball pythons , since these snakes can be very expensive I am talking about , hets , and morphs the price of a vision rack to actually house them in is actually small since I plan on buying 10 more female hets which cost from $500-1500 apiece so you need to first read , read , and read some more about the snakes that you have so this want happen again , and please keep asking for advice good luck.

Ok, telling me to read care sheets is not the kind of advice i need right now but thanks. You dont think i read them all over and over again when i got him 4 years ago as a baby? I have worked with vets, zoos and breeders so i am not a newbe to this. I just wanted to know if anyone has seen this and what they do for it. Hense the post's subject title.

Rarely do i post things here because of this. People see someone with a simple problem that usually has a simple answer and thinks "OMG i know this and i can't believe this person is so dumb as to now know." So they post stuff basically just to insult the questioning person or so they can just get something posted. Stop assuming that people that post here are stupid.

You posted with a problem that by your own admission is a recurring one. We noticed problems in your set up and issues with the way that you were dealing with the problem (ie. lowering the heat)and we gave you advice. Considering the nature of the problem, referring you to care sheets was not an insult it was sound advice. Most of us who have had issues like this (myself included) learned from our mistakes and the guidance we got on this and other sites and have stopped having these problems. We are only trying to help you do the same.
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"Can't you just feed it vegetables"? No, no I can't you stupid hippie.