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Ok, I have a really wierd question. I'm going to try to get some pictures of it, but I have a baby corn snake that is developing black scales. He is a motley amel, and is supposed to have no black in him, but there's a few scales every once in a while that are black, in random spots. He didn't have it when he was born, but has it now. I was worried about it, thinkin' that the little black spots were mites or something, but no, they look like little black scales. Anyone had this happen to them before? I'm gonna attempt to get pics in here, but if anyone has had experience with this, let me know what's going on! Thanks.

AJ

Picture one of the black spots

another picture

i could be way off here, but freshly printed newspaper could rub off on him if he crawls under it?? I don't know if it can happen to that extreme, or if you even have him on newsprint. Have you tried to wipe it off at all?
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Dianne
AKA IcedGoddess
0.1 Snow (Ruby)
1.0 Anery A (Breaden)
0.1 Amel (Edana)
0.0.7 Normal het-snow (no names yet)
1.1 Bloodred (Vlad the Impailer and Natasha)
0.1 Anery Stripe (Morticia)
1.0 Candy Cane (Kane)

1.3 Cats (Alexys{f}, Mikki{f}, Timothy{m}, Seven{f})
0.1 Child
1.0 Boyfriend
IcedGoddess Creations
Castle Serpents

well, I've given him a bath, and it doesn't come off. I've also noticed it there through sheddings. Any other thoughts?

n/m
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Dianne
AKA IcedGoddess
0.1 Snow (Ruby)
1.0 Anery A (Breaden)
0.1 Amel (Edana)
0.0.7 Normal het-snow (no names yet)
1.1 Bloodred (Vlad the Impailer and Natasha)
0.1 Anery Stripe (Morticia)
1.0 Candy Cane (Kane)

1.3 Cats (Alexys{f}, Mikki{f}, Timothy{m}, Seven{f})
0.1 Child
1.0 Boyfriend
IcedGoddess Creations
Castle Serpents

feces, but since you have given him a bath and the spots have not come off, I guess thats not it either. I have seen spots on my snakes periodically that look similiar to this after they have inadvertantly crawled through feces. It doesnt come off too easily during a bath either, but if they retain this after a shed, then it is a skin problem.
Good luck
Brian

last picture

sorry, double posted a picture, forgive me.

burn marks.. You're not using a heat rock or anything are you? Thats NOT what I'd call "black" scales here and there, they look charred...

How hot is your UTH!? How humid is the enclosure? Could be rot?

well, I don't use a heat rock or an under the tank heater. They are in a ten gallon with a nice lid, with a dome light above them, not touching the metal. Nothing I can think of would burn them. I'm not at all a fan of heat rocks, and I've never used UTH's. I seriously doubt that they are burned, but who knows. Any other thoughts?

What about bite marks?? I used to find those on my amel once in a while, but not since I stopped feeding live...

Just a thought...
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Have You Hugged Your Herp Today?

That's interesting.Ive seen were the bottoms of snakes that were cooked on heat rocks kinda like that.Scale rot the same way.Do you feed live prey and use lighting as a heat source?Could it be a fungus?Ive never seen anything like that on the top side of a snake.If it gets any worse i would take it to a vet....Paul.

Fungus? Can snakes get fungus on them? Would it come off with a shed? Should I seperate the baby from the other babies? Wassup with this?

AJ

p.s. He's not really eating either...

I would keep it away from my other snakes just because i dont know what it is....

It looks like there is a browning and a drying of skin associated with the spots. If this is so, it could mean scale rot.
Try some antibiotic cream. He should go into a shed cycle to rid himself of it, if this is the case. Keep him clean and dry, but provide him with lots of clean water to drink.
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...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."