Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all. My Candoia has started presenting with a patch of skin that looks dry and the scales look smaller and discolored. He also seems to be slightly swelling in that area. He just shed (for the first time, I might add) and it's more noticeable after the shed. His shed was complete, so I don't think it's retained shed. He only eats live house geckos. Could this be due to a parasite load? The swelling seems to be in the area his gut would be in. He eats 1 house gecko every 3 weeks, and he's about 4-6 months old. All other housing specs are good. He has not had a fecal yet. He's active and seems to be OK otherwise. Any thoughts before I take him to the vet?

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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

Swelling?

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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

Darkened skin

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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

>>Hi all. My Candoia has started presenting with a patch of skin that looks dry and the scales look smaller and discolored. He also seems to be slightly swelling in that area. He just shed (for the first time, I might add) and it's more noticeable after the shed. His shed was complete, so I don't think it's retained shed. He only eats live house geckos. Could this be due to a parasite load? The swelling seems to be in the area his gut would be in. He eats 1 house gecko every 3 weeks, and he's about 4-6 months old. All other housing specs are good. He has not had a fecal yet. He's active and seems to be OK otherwise. Any thoughts before I take him to the vet?

I don't know what it is but I did have it manifest on a couple of paulsoni I had last year. It cleared up in a couple of sheds. Never found out what it was.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Really?? You did? Was there swelling also? I was examining the scales and they lifted off a bit where it was dry. I'm just keeping neosporin on it at this time and hoping for the best. It's tough on snakes that have such a slow metabolism and are so small to be patient and wait and see.....Thanks for the response, Sonya.
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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

>>Really?? You did? Was there swelling also? I was examining the scales and they lifted off a bit where it was dry. I'm just keeping neosporin on it at this time and hoping for the best. It's tough on snakes that have such a slow metabolism and are so small to be patient and wait and see.....Thanks for the response, Sonya.

yeah, it was really sharp looking peaked swellings. then they cleared with a shed. I lost the snake with a heat wave but it had been clear of them after a couple sheds before that. Never found out what it was.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

Funny one of you should mention that your baby candoia had white little spike type "things" on thier body. I and another member in the yahoo group had some babies that developed those little "white things" they felt hard and pointy like little spurs. Never did know what they were but all the babies died right after they appeared Randy

He just ate a HUGE gecko, so it must not be bothering him that much...I will wait and see.
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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

It looks a bit like a blister or something... Is that possible?

Arjan

I don't know. It's dry and scaly, almost shrunken in that area. I've never noticed any blistering. I'm keeping an eye on him for the time being.
Thanks for the response.
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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

>>I don't know. It's dry and scaly, almost shrunken in that area. I've never noticed any blistering. I'm keeping an eye on him for the time being.
>>Thanks for the response.
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>>1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
>>0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
>>0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
>>2.0 Solomon Island Boas

If it is like mine were it felt like a hard point. But then when they shed it vanished and the only sign in the shed was a more translucent area. Go fig.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

I had 7 babies that all developed those and ALL died as well.

I cannot believe it! Interesting enough, all those babies were from a breeder somewhere in the NY area. I don't know if there was simply poor husbandry skills involved OR if it is a parasitic infection (which I REALLY think it was).

It was too late since shortly after mine developed that same exact thing...they died and I immediately disposed of them to prevent any spread of whatever it was.

I didn't finish reading this thread so I have a few more posts to read but I felt I had to reply ASAP after reading this crazy coincidence.
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Northeast Snakes
www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes
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0.2 Green Tree Pythons
2.2 Ringed Pythons
2.3 Ball Pythons
1.2 Hog Island Boas
1.1 Sonoran Desert Boas
1.1 Nicaraguan Boas
1.1 Argentine Boas
0.1 Solomon Island Ground Boa
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
7.8 Corns (various morphs)
1.1 N. Pines (Pituophis)
0.0.1 N.Diamondback Terrapin

I'll be anything that its a parasite...BUT take it to a quality herp vet and find out for certain. It may only cost you $40-50 for the visit and $15 for a fecal which sometimes are sent off to a lab or done right at their office. I would explain the rarity of this species and the liklihood that it could be an uncommon parasite not often seen in herps (or at least thats what I'd do). I'm not a parasitologist BUT I'm sure that since he is eating, both parasite and host may be able to live in a somewhat balanced symbiotic relationship without full deterioration right away. However, in time, the sigb could deteriorate and be stressed and may not show signs right away. I would not be surprised if it was a parasite, if he stopped eating in time due to the parasite/host relationship growing more unbalanced. Parasites will often kill their hosts in captivity, not realizing it will ultimately kill them as well. In the wild, the relationship is probably balanced out by so many factors, most of which are not fully understood. If it starting eating recently, the parasite load could have just begun to increase, whereas it may have been unnoticeable before. OR it could have been from the food its eating. However, I would not think thats the case since mine never ate house geckos (force feed guppies) and they developed the same thing you, randy and others described.

This is a BIG mystery. I would love to learn more about what happens. Who knows...you could be onto some new parastic organism/species specifically from candioa in what is already a poorly explored region of the world. So many possibilities.

Well, no matter what, I sincerely hope that I am completely wrong and you know that I wish you the best since I'd love to partner our sigb's up in a few years since they're close in age and we live relatively nearby one another.

Well, Please keep us posted!
Sincerely,
Jason
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Northeast Snakes
www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes
-
0.2 Green Tree Pythons
2.2 Ringed Pythons
2.3 Ball Pythons
1.2 Hog Island Boas
1.1 Sonoran Desert Boas
1.1 Nicaraguan Boas
1.1 Argentine Boas
0.1 Solomon Island Ground Boa
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
7.8 Corns (various morphs)
1.1 N. Pines (Pituophis)
0.0.1 N.Diamondback Terrapin

n.p

Looks like it has problems. worms.