Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My ball just ate for the first time in about a month and he shed right before he ate. When I took him out before feeding him to make sure all the shed was off his eyes I noticed that one of his eyes looks as if it has a dent in it. A dimple is the only way I can explain it so it could possibly be pictured in your head. His eye has never looked like this before so I'm a little concered. If anyone could reply to this I would appriciate it. Thanks.

The same exact thing happened to my BP after feeding him a mouse after he shedded. I think the mouse might of punctured it. I messed with it and it only worstened. It turned kind of cloudy. So I suggest you dont mess with it. I put some ointment on the eye only once. The eye didnt really look like a situation wich i should of put ointment until it was gone. I dont even think the ointment was needed in my opinion. The only reason i put ointment was to be safe and because i messed with it. Well after the snake shedded the dent was gone and the cloudyness went away. Is the eye cloudy? If it is not, the BP probably still has the eye functioning,probably could see good also.

Juan Medina

More than likely it is a humidity issue. The eye(s) will dent in if the humidity is too low.

Don't go messing with the eye or putting anything on it.

Bring the humidity up in the Tank, and most likely it will return to normal in a day or so, sometimes sooner.

There is the possibility it was caused by injury, but most of the time its just the humidity is too low.

TomChambers

sometimes the eyes dimple when your humidiy is too low.
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Misty

6 ball pythons and adding...
Marilyn (A.K.A. garbage gut)-male
Lil Girl-female
Hiss-female
Skiddish-male
no name-female
Big Bucks-male albino

...it's low humidity that causes these dents in BP spectacles. So why is it that most BP's don't get dimpled spectacles when the humidity is low, and why don't most other snake species get dimpled spectacles when the humidity is low? The answer lies in the uniqueness of the BP spectacle, which is prone to denting regardless of ambient humidity. The bottom line is that denting rarely is associated with any pathology and is self-limiting. This is not to say that there CAN BE associated pathology. Barring that, denting alone will correct with the next shed if not before. So no worries mate...
Scott J. Michaels DVM

scott,
I am just trying to understand your response (I might be a bit slow)
You are saying the spectacle is prone to dents despite humidity.

Why is this true, what is unique about ball spectacles??

I used to have snakes that would display dented spectacles a few times a year (in aquariums). After bringing the humidity up the dent would correct itself in hours.
Since switching to racks, a few years now, I have never had a dented spectacle again; I believed it was due to the more consistent maintenance of proper husbandry (ie fewer fluctuations).
TomChambers

...but denting and micro-fractures seem to be a great deal more common in BP's than any other species of snake at least in my experience, and I've examined a few. That is not to say that low humidity does not commonly manifest as denting in BP spectacles, it's just that I've seen numerous dented BP spectacles in practice in specimens that were not dehydrated to any degree. There's just SOMETHING to this, but I for one do not know why.
One other thing, the same underlying 'defect in physiology' may be why it is so difficult to remove partially-shed spectacles in BP's, and why it is so easy to damage same when doing so. That is why I strongly recommend that these be left alone until the next shed, and to insure proper shedding conditions when it occurs.
Thanks for asking!
Scott J. Michaels DVM

I had a few BP's with unique eye issues this year, and I have been giving my vet a real workout. So recently I find BP's eye's very interesting.
Thanks again for responding
TomChambers