Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok i used to have a chondro who dies from excessive blisters on his underside from me keeping the humidity too high. that was back when i knew nothing of these awsome animals. my second chondro wich i have had maybe 8-9 months is doing awsome... but it has been taking him a while to shed...an unusally long time so i checked him out today and he has what appears to be a blister much like my other chondro had.... but i dont ever let his humidity get much above 80-85 and for no more then a day or two....normally his cage will sit around 68-75 with about a temp of 78-85. so i know it cant be the humidity...my question is can they get these sores if it is too dry as well as too humid? my last snake died form this so i would love to figure out how this happend and how to help him heal!

please help me.... thank you

What are you heating your cage with???
what are you checking temps with??? (brand)
what kind of cage are you using?
how old is the cage?
has the cage been used for a different animal???
what are you using for substrate?
what are you using for perches???
how close can the snake get to the heat source???

i believe your problem is one of those things, so let us know and we could probably answer your question better... i would wonder if they are not just blisters, but a bacterial infection as well...

Shiloh
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

What are you heating your cage with???
75w basking lamp

what are you checking temps with??? (brand)
zoo med thermometers and humidity gauges

what kind of cage are you using?
custom built screen top, all other sides glass, front are two sliding doors

how old is the cage?
as old as the snake 8-9 months

has the cage been used for a different animal???
nope

what are you using for substrate?
just repti carpet

what are you using for perches???
mainly two bird shower perches, they suction cup to the glass.. he loves em ive tried other things like driftwood and grapevine but he always goes back to that

how close can the snake get to the heat source???
about a foot away is the closest he could possibly get but normally hes a little over two ft away from it.

ill try to post a pic of the cage sometime today...if you need me too

Your humidity sounds fine. You know, I keep saying this, but i meen it. I know alot of well known and well respected breeders who only mist their animals while they are in shed. Other than that... It's just the ambient room humidity that does the trick.

I mist my animals about once a week (more if they are in shed) and don't have a problem with any. Though i live in a pretty humidy city (Seattle) if i say, lived in Arizona.. i would definaly mist more often.

thats waht i do...maybe once a week... but i noticed him gettin pale so i up it to twice knowing hes coming up on a shed... i have no idea where else this sore couldve come from... if i can ill try to get a pic of it to post.

my sorong has some weird looking things(dont know exactly how to describe them)kinda like patches where the scales seem to be growing in the wrong direction.kinda gives the impression of a scar that healed up but considering how they are in a couple areas(one on one side and one on another side,not at all near each other,and considering how i bought the snake at a fairly young age(6 months)and they looked the same ever since i have owned him,i dont think they are scars but just maybe he was born this way.does anyone know what this is or know what i am talking about??when i get my camera back ill try and capture it on film but i dont think it will be easy/

Your enclosure looks pretty good... the perches have GOT TO GO!!

They are made for birds to hold on too and a course, abrasive grit is supposed to help keep their toenails short and not need trimming. They are awful for birds feet too and can create very bad sores on the soft tissue. I can only imagine how abrasive that would be on the smooth belly skin of chondros.

Replace the perches right away with a natural branch if possible, a pvc perch is a good back up. Apply a small amount of Neosporin/antibiotic cream to wounds on the belly and allow to heal naturally if the sores are not too extensive

Good Luck... I am surprised that the snake even stays perched on these except for the fact that they are the highest point in their enclosure.

thanks for the advice but i believe the picture is misleading. these bird perches are meant for them in the shower... while it may look rough and abrasive but i assure you they are not. i know of many people using these with their chondros. it is actually a textured soft rubber wrapped around a pvc pipe. with the way the light hits it in that pitcure it looks alot harsher than it is... its just textured enough to grip... and it is extremley soft. and on the plus sid it swivels and it is held up by 3 huge!!! suction cups so no messy gluing or afixing branches.

when i first got him i had wood in there and he really didnt prefer it. plus a while back (4 months or so) he got mites and i found the would tend to take up residecne in the wood more so than the shower perch.

so i assure i am not a complete moron and i did do some research and the picture is misleading! lol! thanks for the compliment.. i really like the setup of my cage its eye appealing functional and my chondro seems to like it.

hes actually shedding right now... so ill have to double check those sores tomorrow and get a better look at em... im just glad hes shedding FINAlly!

These shower perches are a "new item" for birds since I was involved in the bird trade. I did a little research and the only descriptions I was finding was that these are generally made of "texturized PVC" so that the birds can attain a good grip in the shower. It's still incredibly suspicious to me to have a textured surface like that.

It would be worth a try to me to try removing the perches, there is something irritating their bellys. I know a pretty fair amount of chondro people too and this is the very first time I've seen a perch like this used and have never seen them in snake enclosures before.... although, if it was not harmful to the snake, I like the ease of removing the perches and the flexibility of location. Perhaps the idea is right, just wrong desing for these snakes?

hes been on them for just shy of a yr and this is the first sign of any irrataion which is what makes me think its something other than my perches. also there still softer and less texurized than most wood perches ive seen people use.

i understand that this is just now happening, but lets review the facts...
both snakes had the same problem.
both snakes used the same type of perches.

i dont know of anyone else having this problem nor can i think of a past event... nor can i think of another person in the community using those perches...

i think you should look into it and consider new perches...

Shiloh
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

Well, OK then.... I've worked professionally with animals of many species for over 30 years now, side by side some very fine veterinarians. A large percentage of animal problems are directly related to husbandry issues. We've always considered any potential answers, these problems don't necessarily present themselves overnight.

I saw that those perches are DESIGNED FOR BIRDS in the shower. They are not designed for normal 24/7 use inside a regular cage. They are designed to be tough to resist the chewing of birds for a short time period. This is all I know about them.

You might consider posting your inquiry on the Morelia Viridus Forum and/or ChondoWeb, as you will find many more experienced GTP keepers there.

I will now say since you know it's not something simple like the perches causing your deadly problem, it must be something much more serious. I would recommend going to an vet with extensive reptile experience. This seems like a pretty rare problem to me, I've never seen it before.

The vet will want to run some fecal tests to rule out parasites. Possibly take blood sample or perhaps a smear from the affected area. Take pictures of your enclosure, and your records for feed/shed/defecation to assist your vet in a proper diagnosis. Don't forget your checkbook.

........ or you could, try replacing the perches for a week and see if it doesn't start to clear up on it's own.

If it's not the perches, my bet is on a parasite issue now. Best wishes for your second GTP.

It's likely either the perches or the humidity. Blisters and skin problems are most commonly caused by excess moisture. Try turning that humidity down to 60%. Humid is good, wet is bad! For perches just go with roughed up pvc or wood, forget the fancy stuff, it's just a waste of money.
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Dennis