Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey I just got back from my dads house where my ball python was. He doesnt have much experience with snakes so when I saw him I was concerened. He looks skinny, and had the shed still on him and it wont come off. when I tried to get the old skin off by soaking, it started to but accual scales started comming off. You can accually see the muscle. I know this is not normal and I am scheduling a vet visit for him. Does anyone know why this is happening? Im not abusive to my reptiles, and all my other snakes are in great condition. It is just this one Im having trouble with... PLEASE help. I just want him to be ok...

Unfortunately, sometimes it happens that there is just an unhealthy snake. It could have parasites or a number of things, I hope the vet can figure it out, but sometimes if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. I wish you the best in your vet visit!

-John

keep us posted what the vet says...

i would be willing to bet it rubbed on something rough in the cage or even the lid... if i had more details i could probley figure it out but make sure you give vet as many details such as you can including how long you had it and what kind of cage.... another possibility is a rodent bite. If the bite is in the mouth that could be a reason why it refused food and therefore is thinner. Rodent bites are pretty nasty on snakes especially when the snake eats the rodent because it then stretches the skin and the wound. The bites get puffy and the soemtimes the skin dangles. I had this happen to one snake it was a really minor bite but once it stretches it stretches. It takes a while to heal but shed after shed it improves.
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we're here because a hobby became an obsession

some days you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant...don't know who started this saying but it's the truth

I have seen something similar (weak skin that tears easily) in a boa constrictor and a reticulated python. I do not have a rock solid diagnosis for the condition. However, it may be scurvy (vitamin C deficiency). Snakes are supposed to be able to make their own vitamin C. However, I think that it is possible for scurvy to develop in a high stress situation, particularly when not being fed.

The boa healed up. He was in a low stress environment with good food and little handling for a few months, with no other treatment. If I was working with him today, I'd also shove a commercial vitamin C tablet down a dead rat's throat before feeding the rat to the snake. I'd do that every couple of weeks for a couple of months.

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian. If a vet tells you to do something different, follow his advice.

Paul Hollander

Have you been to the Vet? How's he doing?