Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,
I'll post a picture when I get a chance but I wanted to ask a few questions about some scale problems on my corn snake. My wife bought me an anery motley corn for fathers days,which was cool of course,and back then I noticed on ONE of scales on the belly that it looked a little dried out at the tip. I figured it was from a bad shed ... not a big deal I thought. I was looking at the snake last night and noticed there are a few scales that are dried out looking.They could have been there and I just didn't notice it or could have gradually gotten like that.They are all on the belly area and run up the length of the snake.Now it's not the WHOLE belly,just some scales. They are brown/yellowish in color and are mostly on the belly.I also noticed a little patch of missing scales on her back,about 3-4 of them which could have been there before,I am not sure.Looks like it's a little scarred over also. The snake is in a shedding cycle,the first since I got her. Now could this snake have dropped some eggs before I got her and have some health problems?I seen some other snakes develop scale problems after dropping eggs so I am curious.(I never bred,but have heard breeders mention it) She is about a 33 inch snake. Has anyone ever seen this problem? If it doesn't look any better after the shed I will take her to a reptile vet around here. (and be milked for everything in my pocket)

I am glad my wife bought me the snake but this is one reason why I myself like to see the snake before I bring it into the house,another reason WHY I don't buy reptiles from pet stores.I care about the health of the animal of course but obviously I don't want to pay a HUGE bill either!I'll try to post some pictures later tonight when I am off work to give you a better idea of what I am talking about. The snake is kept in a 29 gallon tank with aspen for a subtrate. The warm side is usually 81-83 degrees with the cool side around 75 degrees. She ate twice since fathers day and has refused food the last two weeks(My guess is because she was ready to start shedding). I keep all my cages clean so I am SURE this was a problem before I got the snake. Unfortunately I called the pet store and they said... 'We can recommend a reptile vet,the snake was healthy when in our care and must have been something you caused. Figures...Pet store reptiles always seem to develop health problems.

Not the greatest picture cause it was done with a cam but you can clearly see the spot that I am talking about. Is this from a bad shed/retained skin or something else that requires a vet? The snake is in a shed cycle now...so I guess I will know more after the shed.

The snake shed this morning and all appears to be fine. She is nice and shiney and no problems with any of her scales. I think the pervious owner/pet store provided a poor enviorment for the snake and it had a bad shed last time around. All the old dry skin was on her shed. Just goes to show you what poor husbandry can do to a snakes health. I made sure I provided her with a humidity box when I noticed she was in a shed cycle. Just shows you that something as simple as a tubberware box filled with damp paper towel can really help your reptiles. I will be keeping a close eye on her though. Could also be something that always happens before she sheds. Either way I feel a whole lot better now.I was kind of worried it was some sort of fungus or bacterial infection but that would still be there after the shed.

What you've described on the ventral scales sounds very much like skin blister disease, but from the pic it looks like a mild case. The problem usually is due to keeping the animal on a substrate that is too wet or too "fouled" for a prolonged period. This allows the bacteria to develop and the snake to become infected. The problem may well have been due to improper husbandry at the pet store. Just make sure your substrate is kept dry and clean, and remove the poop as soon as possible. You should be okay from here on.

As for the missing scales on the back, it might be related to the blister infection but I doubt it. I would watch the affected area for a while, and if you see any change at all for the worse, consult a vet asap. This might be a fungal infection that would require a fungicide application.
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MichaelB