Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello, i purchased a male sub-adult(supposedly c.b)E. Hognose which has been taking frozen thawed toad scented mice. he tested negative for a 1st stool sample,and is free from mites/ticks. however even though appears healthy i noticed he has a few raised scales and when i run my hand over them it feels like a few small bumps( i know its hard to poss diagnose without pics)could parasites/traveling worm? what kind? cause the scales to raise. i have been keeping him on aspen shavings. or could this be possibly drying out or irrating his scales. i also found out that the previous owner had fed him a few wild caught toads.

i was also wondering when i scent pinkies from a w/caught toad could the toad transmit patho/disease to the frozen thawed pinkie mouse(also toad urine) which is being consumed by the snake. is that also true that No pest strips can kill lungworms?

there isn't too many experienced herp vets by me, the ones i have come across recently try to bluff and do not have much knowledge in herps. one vet tried to injet ivermectin to treat a tapeworm in my friends green tree python, thanks for taking the time out ot read this sorry for so many questions, thanks again dj

In my experience hognoses do pretty well at humidities of 30 or 40%, so unless your house is super dry, dryness probably isn't a problem. That's based on my Western, though. If Eastern's need higher humidity I'd look into that. I've been through a tiny bump saga myself. Well, the snake still has the bumps, but she's doing ok. Parasites can encyst themselves under the skin. But there are other things that can cause this too and my vet said the only way to tell for SURE is to cut the bumps open. But my vet tried anti-parasite meds without opening the bumps, maybe a vet could do the same for you.
It's a tricky situation, but the bumps themselves usually aren't life threatening. Oldherper will have some better info, I'm sure.
Heh heh, my dog's barking at the TV.
I'd like to know if live toad scenting can cause problems too, because I was thinking of using my pet toad to scent my hog's mice.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

hello, i purchased a male sub-adult(supposedly c.b)E. Hognose which has been taking frozen thawed toad scented mice. he tested negative for a 1st stool sample,and is free from mites/ticks. however even though appears healthy i noticed he has a few raised scales and when i run my hand over them it feels like a few small bumps( i know its hard to poss diagnose without pics)could parasites/traveling worm? what kind? cause the scales to raise. i have been keeping him on aspen shavings. or could this be possibly drying out or irrating his scales. i also found out that the previous owner had fed him a few wild caught toads.

The raised scales/bumps could be one of several things. Subcutaneous nematodes are one possibility, but it could also be cycsts, tumors, or something else. This will have to be examined by a vet for diagnosis. Just because one fecal exam shows negative does not mean that he doesn't have parasites. Sometimes the worms just aren't shedding eggs.

i was also wondering when i scent pinkies from a w/caught toad could the toad transmit patho/disease to the frozen thawed pinkie mouse(also toad urine) which is being consumed by the snake. is that also true that No pest strips can kill lungworms?

It is doubtful that you will transmit parasites by scenting pinkies with a toad or it's urine. Parasite eggs and larvae generally aren't present in urine or on the skin. I suppose it is possible that a no-pest strip can kill lungworms, they can also kill a snake if improperly used. Killing lungworms is a tricky business. You do not want to try to eliminate them all at one time. The snake cannot eliminate the dead worms from his lungs the way he can from his intestines. If you have too many dead lungworms in the lungs, they can cause blockages which can prove fatal or they can start to decompose in the lungs (which can also prove fatal).

there isn't too many experienced herp vets by me, the ones i have come across recently try to bluff and do not have much knowledge in herps. one vet tried to injet ivermectin to treat a tapeworm in my friends green tree python, thanks for taking the time out ot read this sorry for so many questions, thanks again dj

Ivermectin can be the proper drug for treating some things, even in herps. There are certain herps, such as Chelonians, some Rattlesnakes, and Indigo Snakes to which Ivermectin is dangerously toxic. In most species it can be used successfully if properly dosed by a qualified vet. Ivermectin has a rather small margin of safety. It is very useful as a dilute spray for treating ectoparasites.