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I just perchursed a yearling yellow rat snake from a expo. And now it ia getting what lookes like rottin scales under its throught im not sure what caused it maybe mites but i havnet seen any in my collection ina long time. what can i do for it and will he shed it off? ive also got the same problem with a wild caough eastern gater snake

thanks Zach

Hi Zach. Your description is a little vague, but I think you can rule out mites as they won't cause much damage to scales. Can your describe the condition in a little more detail? Is the area discolored? Does it smell? Is it only on the edges of the scales or the whole scale? How big of an area? How has it progressed since you first noticed it?

If it were me, I would put both animals on paper substrate with a small water dish and a simple hide (like a small cardboard box) and separate them from the rest of the collection then monitor them very closely for a few weeks at least. Keep close tabs on feeding, defecating and shedding as well as any strange behavior. If the throat issue gets worse or either animal is not eating or drinking, I would get it/them to a vet for a checkup ASAP. To be honest, it doesn't sound like anything serious and should hopefully clear up with a shed or two. Good luck.

Billy

>>I just perchursed a yearling yellow rat snake from a expo. And now it ia getting what lookes like rottin scales under its throught im not sure what caused it maybe mites but i havnet seen any in my collection ina long time. what can i do for it and will he shed it off? ive also got the same problem with a wild caough eastern gater snake
>>
>>thanks Zach