Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Wondering if this is normal... one of my ball pythons right before he sheds his belly turns pink. He's had 3 sheds since we've had him and has done it every time. Before and after the shed he seems to be healthy and his belly is white. Any ideas?

I don't think its scale rot because its not a patch of his belly, its the whole underside.

Unfortunately I cannot help you out immensely with this one. I cannot see it, nor do I have an immense ball python specific background to rely on.

In general:
Pink belly colouration, be it transient or not, can be normal, the result of a first degree burn, a sign of sepsis or of course, the ellusive "none of the above". As you can see that combined with the normal behavior you probably don't have much to worry about, however some causes of pink belly colouration can be serious. Discuss this on the ball python forum, but just as importantly, see if you can get someone with a good amount of experience to come over and take a look for themselves. There is nothing like a hands-on exam. If all turns out well, then you at least got to show off your collection

Ian

Hi:

My male ball python had a pink belly for a long time, which was NOT the result of burning or rot, and when my friend who has custody of him took him to the vet (Cornell Vet School, clinic), they said it was a vitamin deficiency. I'm not sure what Dave (my friend)did, exactly, to treat Izzy--- but ask around about that as a possiblity.

Hope it's not serious.
Antigone

cool thank you all for ur help