He is anorexic and hasn't fed well since brumation. He is the father of the hatchlings. I notice that he has shriveled scales on his back the length of his body. Underneath the scales seem loose (maybe getting ready to shed) but the edges on some are edged in brown. Thanks.
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Please look at the pics and tell what is wrong with my 10yr old male Brooksi.
Passport
Jul 12, 2004 03:42 PM
Replies (5)
Passport
Jul 12, 2004 03:44 PM
Next pic
Passport
Jul 12, 2004 03:46 PM
Pic
Brandon Osborne
Jul 12, 2004 05:32 PM
It looks to me like the snake could have some form of scale rot. What kind of substrate are you keeping them on. Usually this comes from soiled or wet cages. I would take another look at your husbandry methods and see if that could be the culprit.....and in no way is this meant to offend you. There is always a reason for this kind of problem, and it's usually associated with an untidy cage. Good luck.
Brandon Osborne
Passport
Jul 12, 2004 05:56 PM
in a 50gallon tank with sliding screen top. His heat is a small uth. He doesn't soak in his water dish and the aspen is never wet/damp. I called my reptile vet and he told me that this could be a symptom of his age. He doesn't have any blistering, just some deterioration of the scales. He was not encouraging about this condition. Of course, he was only going on my description. I haven't opened his mouth to see if there is anything going in in there but when a friend comes over to hold him for me I'll do that. If it appears that all is not well in his mouth I'll take him on Saturday for a thorough exam. Might do it anyway. I don't want to lose him but I don't feel good about this at all. The vet stated that most/many geratric animals show poor quality coat, skin, and in this case scales. Ten years is not ancient but definitely not a youngster either. Thanks, for your comments. I'll update on him as soon as I can.
Brandon Osborne
Jul 12, 2004 07:38 PM
I wouldn't consider 10 years to be ancient for a male king. What kind of aspen do you have him on. I recently tried a different brand than I normally buy and it seemed to cause skin problems on a few animals. This was an inferior type of aspen compaired to the finely shredded aspen. I've since switched everything back to newspaper to see if the problem can be solved. I wouldn't worry about it too much. This type of skin disorder is uaully easy to erradicate. Good luck.
Brandon Osborne
