Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My Puget Sound has recently developed a blemish. See photo.

If anyone remembers, I treated him for mites recently, I used the zoo med mite off spray.

I have had him out every day, and no more crawling "black pepper" is evident.

I just moved him to a bigger taller tank, he was spending all his time up between the edge of the tank and the screen cover.

That concerned me as he was getting too darn close to his basking lamp, AND constantly falling back down into the tank.

I also just switched his substrate to the zoo med astro turf style cage carpet. (the aspen would get stuck to his fish and worms.)

The blemish is about 2-3 MM in diameter, raised up slightly and displacing scales.

ANY and all recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Wayne A. Harvey

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1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.9 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garter - Princess
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua"
0.1.10 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snakes
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
0.1.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Growing fast!
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
0.1.0. calico RAT
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

That was the WC one right? looks like the WC female i got from bob had three of those bumps, i went to the vet and he determined that they were parasites, he said they were very easy to treat and only costed $100. he made little X's on each bump and removed the parasites then he gave me a chemical bath solution to use every night and a creme to use every night. After the first shed she was healed up real nice. Never came back

Wayne,
I hope you get that cleared up OK. Are you familiar with the carefresh type products, they are not harmful if swallowed in small amounts and pass easily, and the garters like burrowing in it, plus it's very absorbant and easy to clean, I really like it, just my oppinion and another substrate option for you. Also with my turtle tanks I suspend my heat lamps from the ceiling of the room using small linked chain with a plant hook hanger screwed in to the ceiling, you could apply that same thing to your snake tank and have the light 1-2 inches above the screen top and no worries, and put a log under it for basking. Not trying to give you advise man, as you don't need it, but just giving you other options, there is certainly more than one right way to sucessfully house a garter.
Best wishes for Sky,
Jeff B
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You'll get your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.2 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

Jeff, I love advice from anyone, suggestions and ideas are how we progress forward.

Is carefresh that stuff that looks like reconstituted newspapers?

What I set SKY up with for now is 1/2 of the cage has "repti bark" and he burrows in it a lot.

The hide log is one of those "nauga wood" logs, and I just moved it so that one end of it gets gently warmed by the lamp.

In a few more weeks I will use low watt fluorescent since the ambient air temperatures of summer will cause the basking spot to become too warm.

The taller tank seems more suitable, he cannot get up into the screen now, I was worried he could snag up a scale or two on the screen.

Ever wonder if your snakes really understand how well they got it going on?

Guaranteed food, shelter, medical coverage & no predation. and all they have to do in return is bask, eat and live.

Someone find me a deal like that!!

Regards,
Wayne

-----

1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.3 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids (30 plus released!)
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC
0.1.0 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snake (Her children were raised & released)
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Growing fast!
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

Wayne,
Yes, the carefresh is the pulverized newspaper in clumps stuff. It works very well, but is not very natural looking. I have more utilitarian set-ups, plastic tubs in rack, but you have natural display tanks, so it might not be for you, to each their own. I guess I misunderstood you, I thought you were worried about Sky getting to close to the backing lamp and getting burned from it sitting directly on the screen top.
I guess if we wanted "that deal" we should have married "wealthy" huh?
Jeff
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You'll get your regius's to the wall, man!
1.0 pastel Python regius
0.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
0.2 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.1 Ambystoma tigrinum
0.2 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.1 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
1.1 heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus

Jeff,
Wealthy women run the other way when they see me (and my snakes). So I guess I have to work like everyone else

Yes (you are right)I was very concerned that he may burn himself, it was a combination of everything. He was up in that screen more than down on the bottom. He also fell from up there a lot. I guess I was just wanting that blemish to be a self inflicted wound rather than parasitic.

The "Swag" lighting is a wonderful idea, They sell the chains and everything at home depot, and it sounds like it would be attractive to the eyes also. Thanks!!

I have used the carefresh, it worked great, but just like you said it was ugly.

There is nothing wrong with "utilitarian" setups, the racks that many breeders have with "sweater boxes" are just that, functional and simple.

The display cages are just my way of showing off the animals.

well OK, it also emulates the natural surroundings that the animals would see in the wild, and in my mind less stressful to them. (my fiancé won't let me stack up old boards and tin on the floor, since that would be natural to many Garters and milk snakes.)

Substrates all have some sort of a downside with animals that eat sticky foods, I watched one of my snakes choke to death in my hands once after eating a garden slug that got totally covered in coconut hair. I felt so helpless and stupid for allowing it to happen.

I found a store on ebay that sells that fake grass cage carpet for less than most stores charge for anything else. 2 in a pack, so it's easy to swap one out and clean the other.

Most of the snakes eat in a tote box, then get returned to the cage, but Sky flips out too much, and I don't want to risk a regurgitation by handling him after he eats.

It's looking as if I will have to go see the vet about his little "blister" and prepare myself to cope with a worst case scenario.

Thanks,
Wayne
-----

1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cane" Rescue
1.2.3 Storeria dekayi Casper, Xena, Athena, & Kids (30 plus released!)
0.0.2 Thamnophis marcianus - Checkered Garters "spot" & "Zig"
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC
0.1.0 Storeria occipitomaculata - Red Belly snake (Her children were raised & released)
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Juvinile CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Growing fast!
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal" WC
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
2.4.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.