Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Sorry this is not about a corn snake but I was hoping someone here might be able to help...

I am looking for some advice or similar experiences from anyone who has ever had this happen or knows what might be causing it.

We have a male hypo boa that is about 2 years old that gets very dry, almost crunchy skin. This is not due to lack of humidity and he sheds on a regular basis. In fact, his sheds are always perfect, one piece donuts. However, between sheds he gets very dry feeling. If you look very closely at the picture of his back you can see how the scales are dented or deflated looking.

I noticed it, but never thought too much of it, until last night. We were cleaning cages and changing water so I had him out. I was holding him and noticed he felt particularly dry, and then I saw what appears to be a gash or tear on his neck. I can only assume that the skin on his neck split when he ate his last meal, because there is nothing in his enclosure that could do this.

We feed F/T, so he was not attacked by his dinner. I have heard of this happening to a rescued animal that was dehydrated and then fed a rabbit that was much too large for that particular snake. That is NOT the case here. We tend to feed rather conservatively and I am positive that the meal was in no way to large for this guy, if anything, some people here might considerate it rather small. His body weight and muscle tone are excellent and there is no reason for him to be dehydrated, if that is what is causing this. His stools and urates are all normal and regular. In fact every thing about him is normal, except the dry skin.

The only thing I can think is it some sort of vitamin deficiency or possibly dehydration. But I am at a loss as to what might be causing it. Humidity is good, he has fresh water and eats regularly. He is not kept any differently than our other 40 some, perfectly healthy boas.

Any thoughts or similar experiences welcome, because this one has me really scratching my head.

Thanks,

Kathy & Denny

You've got me scratching my head too! If it's not husbandry then I can only guess that it has a genetic cause. Not saying that there's something wrong with your snake's genetics, but perhaps the snake comes from a line of snakes that have weaker scale and skin development? He might just have some special needs that normal husbandry doesn't care for (i.e. "sensitive" skin).

You could try a soaking regimine with him and see if it helps, or adding supplements to his meals, as you suggested that it may possibly be a vitamin deficiency. I've had some snakes that just had more difficulties than others and though kept in the same conditions as others of the same species, they needed extra attention.

Sorry that I couldn't give you any answers, but I do hope that you can get the problem resolved with your snake. You have my sympathy at least! That split in the skin at the neck is worrisome (neosporin on the split and smaller prey items is what I would do for that). Good luck with him.

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Lora

Thank you for the response! Your thoughts seem very similar to ours on the issue. We have been treating the open wound with neosporin since we discovered it and purchased some pedialyte just last night to soak him in. Before soaking though we use a little trick we learned from our local vet (we're very lucky to have a GOOD herp vet who makes house calls), liquid bandage to seal the wound to minimize the chances of infection. The stuff works great and does not seem to bother the animal in any way!

Thank you again for your input!

Kathy & Denny

Wow- a herp vet that makes house calls! You are lucky! The liquid bandage idea is an excellent one, I'll have to remember that...

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Lora