Hi all,

I have a 2-year-old male BP that developed a couple of sizeable blisters on his belly in the last couple of days. He is of good size and weight, and just ate a mouse a couple of days ago. As soon as I noticed his belly today I removed him from his tank (10-gal aquarium with locking screen lid, undertank heater on one end, retreat box on the other), completely disinfected the tank with Quatricide (it's air-drying now) and tucked him into a temporary box with a dry towel underneath him. I have talked with my local vet and the herp vet will (hopefully) have time to chat with me tomorrow, but I can't afford to have him treated right now. I've looked through the archives for "blister disease" posts but couldn't find many that dealt with BPs, nor am I really sure that these aren't burn blisters. His box does not seem too humid, no more than the house, which is pretty well-ventilated, nor does it seem too cool. His retreat box does have a damp towel in it occasionally for humidity, but it was dry when I checked on him. He's never had shedding problems or been sick before, and my other 2 snakes, which are housed differently, have never had this problem in the near-20-years I've owned them. (My adult female BP turned 17 this year!)

After all that, here are my questions: do I treat these blisters any differently if they are thermal rather than humidity-related? How long should I plan on treating him for this ailment? How difficult is it to manage care for such a condition without veterinary supervision? How do I keep his box heated with an undertank heater without aggravating the blisters? (I was planning on replacing the 1"+ thick calcium-sand which had been his substrate with layers of towels so as to prevent him getting too much belly heat, or irritation from the sand.)

Please feel free to email me privately if this topic has been covered too often to rehash publicly. I am open to constructive comments and do not neglect my snakes. They always get appropriate care and handling; it's just that cash is tight right now.

Thanks in advance for any and all helpful suggestions!

Anna (broadwingdesigns@hotmail.com)