Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The snake is an adult WC female. She was collected this spring and quarantined for 60 days approximately. She has been in my reptile room now for about three months. She has fed and shed fine from the very beginning. Last week she refused food and I noticed she was going into shed for the second time, less than three weeks since last shed. She soaked continuosly until yesterday. Today I noticed (hard to miss) that the first third of her body was covered with pussy blisters, especially her head. The skin on her head and around her eyes was swollen and sickly looking. Her right eye was almost closed with swelling and was a solid white color. I decided to force the shed. It wasn't ready to come off but I decided it was my best course of action. Ended up scraping the head a little and she bled a little. After shedding the skin for her I smeared antibiotic cream all over her head and eyes. All looks well now except her belly is a little wrinkled.

Anybody have an explanation for me. I've heard of skin blisters forming in too high of humidity but have never seen it in any of my snakes. Was the soaking the cause or was it a symtom of some other problem. Real bummer because I was supposed to ship her out on a trade in a few days. No way I'm trading her now. I would never send somebody a snake with health problems. Any way, does anybody have any advice or opinions on what is/was wrong?
-----
International Snakes Meetup
International Herpetology Meetup

Yes. The soaking had everything to do with it. Prolonged soaking in waterbowls is one of the best ways to encourage a minor exposure to Body rot to grow into a major attack. If you need to soak your snake, do so in a sterile (or just plain clean) water bowl and only for a few hours. If she defecates in it, rinse asap. For now, keep her clean and dry and she should be ok. You might want to try leaving the water bowl in one day a week, especially if she continues to try and soak....Frank

The humidity/dampness/wetness has to be removed and she is to be kept warmer than normal and completely dry. NOW, the hard part is that she is going to be dehydrated because she is sick and losing ALOT of water in making those blisters. BUT of course she should not be allowed to have a water bowl. What I do, if she doesnt have any blisters on her head, is hand-water her til this clears up. If she does have blisters on the head I would tube-feed water 2-3x/day.It is also important to remember how contagous these blisters are....DONT let the snake run through your hands and infect other areas, and make sure to thoroughly isolate and wash up before dealing with any other animals. As far as the blisters themselves, I have had VERY good results using hydrogen peroxide on the damaged area under the skin(yes-pop them blisters!).It will encourage scarring but it will also completely disinfect the area and encourage the healing process much quicker. Good luck,Jeff

Well since I shed her her skin has looked fine and I have been hand watering her once a day. She drinks readily. She seems to be losing alot of weight and her ribs are now easily felt. She is still refusing food. Any idea why she would decide to sit in a water bowl for so long? Thanks a lot for your responces. I hope I quarantined her early enough.
-----
International Snakes Meetup
International Herpetology Meetup