Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so i was just sort of browsing over the forum as i usually do and i noticed a post from a little
while back about a condition that seems sort of similar to what i'm dealing with right now
there was a short thread about a guy who noticed "bumps" on the sides of his blood python.
now, one of my girls has developed a few scales along the side that have developed a bit of a
brown coloration. there's no significant swelling or change in the texture/feel of the scales
but scales that used to be sunburst orange are now sort of a drab brown. i'm in one of th labs on
campus right now so i'll have to wait a few hours before i can get some pics up. it's only along a
small section of her side about 4-6 inches in front of the vent. i know for a little while the
humidity in the cage was pretty high, sometimes soggy, but i got some new fancy digital
thermometers and things have been perfect since then. the area doesnt seem to be spreading or anything
just a few little blotches. any help would be much appreciated and like i said, i'll have some pics
up in a few hours. is it possible that this is just part of the typical color change?

while i'm at it i'll ask this question too. the same little girl, i got as a yearling (roughly, she's just a hair over 3')
from NERD at the NRBC show in chicago last october. when i got her home i set her up in a 3' rubbermaid
with a nice big water dish and two hides (one moist, one dry) temps were roughly 90-92 inside the hide on the warm
end, 86-88 ambient on the warm end, and 74-76 ambient on the cool end, humidity at 78%.
the first time i tried feeding her, about 2 weeks after i brought her home i fed the same way i've
been feeding all of my bloods. stick 'em in a rubbermaid tub with some thawed rats and let 'em go to work.
well, that first time she went to work no problem, pounded 'em down. however, the next feeding she refused
and subsequent feedings the same respone. eventually i decided to try live, well, she took that no problem,
and the f/t i offered her after that, same thing. pounded it no problem.
well, that was about a month and a half ago and i still havent gotten her on straight frozen.
is there something i'm doing wrong? a step that i'm missing in switchin her to frozen?
i've been over the FAQ at pro exotics many times and i dont know, she's just not going for it.
anyway, i'll stop running my mouth and let you all get back to doin what it it we all do best,
loving those big fat bloods
thanks in advance for any help... cheers
-voodoo

Hey, those bumps or scales coloration is like a scale rot form, from what I read its from too much humidity.Whats working for me is taking a damp cloth and adding hydrogen peroxide to it and cleaning the infected area.It said to do this twice daily, I did at first then gradualy went to once a day.Then get some polysporin and treat the infected area.If you catch it in time you wont loose any scales and as he sheds out it will go away.As for your ft, I usually feed fk, until I place an order here soon with rodent pro.I hear running hot/warm water on the head to heat it up will help.Hope this helps, that polysporin is a miracle worker.

is polysporin just some sort of anti-bacterial topical ointment that i can get at most any drugstore? or is more of a specialty item than that? just curious, and like i said, it's just a discoloration in the scales, they dont look any different feel any different, nothing. hell for all i know it could have looked like that when i got her and i just noticed it and started to worry too much... i'll watch it and see if it spreads and see what happens with her next shed. but for the time being, i cant see why it would hurt to try out your technique. thanks man

-voodoo

Polysporin should be available at your local drugstore. Its what they use in hospitals and stuff to disenfect wounds and various things.
-----
"It's my snake, I trained it, so I'm going to eat it!" - Mad Max, The Road Warrior

You said you were just putting the mouse in a rubbermaid with the snake? That's interesting that your other bloods take it that way; I know that it did say to do it that way on the Pro Exotics caresheet, but my blood just sort of dragged them around when I left mice out for him. I get the best feeding response with him when I actually touch the mouse to his nose and sort of nuzzle him with it. It's kind of hard to describe . . . And anyway I'm probably the least "expert" person on here, but that was what struck me about your post (the fact that you said you just left the mice in the rubbermaid with the snake -- unless I'm misinterpreting it?)

Sorry if I'm rambling; hope this helps, anyway.
-----
A. Fox

for my babies i usually sort of dance a rat pup in front of them (thouroughly thawed and warmed) and then set it there in front of them, put the top on and walk away. i'll go back 10 minutes later and it'll be gone. with my big male i can just put two thawed rats in a tub and put him in there and he'll go right to work on them. but neither technique has worked with my female. what struck me really odd was that after she takes the first live one, she wont strike at the f/t's that i offer to her, she'll just go ahead and start swallowing it, so she obviously recognizes what it is, just wont take it right from the start.

-voodoo