Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, im here looking for chris harper as i have been told he has a lot of experience with Gonyosoma oxycephla, and may shed some light on my post...i have a few gonys both green and the "java" form and all are doing really well but one of my greens is turning blue?!?!?! i noticed this two sheds ago when she got a few blue scales along her spine, then yesterday when she shed i noticed a big patch of blu scales that definatly wasnt there a few days before...i was wondering if anybody else had experienced this or could shed a bit of light on it..
regards to all..
shane..
Link

Wow...That is a very brillient blue! Like every other herper, I would love to see a truely blue colubrid. There are as you may know, a few ash blue species, but from what I've seen that color is the bomb to be sure. Cross your fingers, if it turns out a pied you may have a gem there.

Art in Indy

I have seen that and I have had one blue Gonyosoma, but I'm afraid not in the same snake. But the only time I saw blue spotting like that is was a skin infection and that blue is the color the infected area turned after the prescribed soak solution, which I think was dilute Nolvasan.

Are the scales raised at all in the blue area? Do you use any sort of Chlorhexadine compound (like Nolvasan) when you disinfect the cage or water bowl?

Otherwise, the blue Gonyosoma I had was nowhere near that color.

Also, are those rasied, reddish scales in the upper right hand corner of the picture?
-----
Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

0.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Malaysian locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

I would add that superficial Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections tend to have a blue/aqua color to them. e.g. in humans P.a. nail infections the entire nail may turn blue/green. Since scales are very similar to nails, that may be a possibility.

Hi again, i have just another GOOD look and scales are perfectly normal apart from the colour, also i cant see any red or raised scales on her at all she look fine (i couldnt see in yhe pics so had a look)... as for the blue there is also a few single blue scales scatered over her body that i found while looking,,??
i have used no chemicals in that viv at all for months now and non on her, (i use aspidiloites miles for treating mites which is a preditor mite so no chemicals there, and a mild bleach solution which is fully rinsed and aired for the viv)..but have not used either for months..
i asked sue on the rat snake foundation forum about the blue, and she said she had heard of it once of a european keeper who got the reply it was some sort of breeding/mating colour change, but when she tried to get a few more details got no reply...
sorry to be a pain, and thanks for looking..
shane

( i will take a few more pics when i finish work and post them about 4/5 o'clock..)

thanks..

Those scales look perfectly healthy to me!
Gonyosoma are known to have many strange colors within their normal "background" coloration.
With any luck, it will continue to get more of that "aqua-blue" coloration!

All I know for sure, is that if my toe nails start turning that pretty shade of blue, it's time for a doctor visit!LOL.

best regards, ~Doug
-----
"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"