I have a het that hasn't been feeding for about 2.5 months now... ok not too worried about that cuz I've come to some realizations about BP's and accepted this fact of nature.

He shed about 2 months ago, not perfect but about 90% in one piece. He shed again about 3 weeks ago perfectly, one piece. If people here are like me, I get really happy when they shed in one piece.. because it means they are happy and healthy. Remember, this was around 20-25 days ago.

I went away last Friday for Ohio, and he had not come out of his hide since I came back on Monday.

I looked in his cave tonight, and saw some old skin as he RECENTLY shed. I was really puzzled by this because for a snake that is not feeding, 3 weeks is a really short time between sheds. So I pulled out the shed, and noticed it was only about 50% and it was only from the head to mid-body.

Let me interject by saying that he has lived in his cage for a solid 2 months. Under Tank Heater, wood chips, climbing branches, hides, water dish.. and he's had no problems for at least 60 days.

To continue, I looked at him and he seemed slow and not his usual self. I picked him up to find this:





Ok .. deep breathes I tell myself. The shock/disbelief has subsided only slightly.

I ruled out burns because as I said, he's lived in his tank for 2 months and the Under Tank Heater has never done this, and I highly doubt that it could have done this while I was gone for 3 days. It also could NOT have been any feeder animal in the tank because I sit there and watch the mouse's every move while it's in there.

My next move was to get his rubbermaid container and fill it with some warm water and a few drops of betadine, and put him in it. This should at least clean the area and loosen up the remaining old skin. I'm thinking polysporin and paper towels in the tank for the next while..

However I'm really really at a loss as to what happened. PLEASE HELP.

This looks like it could be "Blister Disease" (also known as scale rot or necrotizing dermatitis) caused by Aeromonas bacteria. Sometimes snake mites are vectors for this bacteria, so check for mites. Blisters can also be caused by substrate that is too wet. I would recommed taking your BP to a vet to get some antibiotic treatment (my Reptile medicine book recommends Aminoglycoside) started. "A dry substrate and a well-ventilated cage are absolute necessities for successful treatment and prevention."

HOWEVER it could be burns from the Under Tank Heater (if it perhaps malfunctioned and over-heated??) or it could be some type of fungal infection, which is growing between the old and new skin.
A qualified reptile vet should be able to give you a clear diagnosis and treatment plan. If you want my advice don't wait... get an appointment today!!!

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Andrea

Wow, poor snake, that looks pretty awful, and poor you - i would have freaked if I came home to that. Andrea's suggestions are good, but as she said, remember we're not vets and for an accurate diagnosis and treatment you need to get to a vet asap.

I don't know if it looks like a burn, but UTHs can cause burns - is the Under Tank Heater inside the tank? We had one inside a viv with our female hognose and it malfunctioned and overheating, burning some of the substrate. Luckily we found it in time and the female was fine, but it could have started a fire and I hate to think about that
Now, admittedly, we still have a couple of UTHs not on thermostats, but all are outside the tanks, and most have thermostats, and we are slowly switching everyone over to thermostatically controlled heat cable or thermostatically controlled CHEs - thermostats for this many snakes isn't cheap but it is better to be safe than sorry. Plus it means you can go away and not worry about the temperature as they will remain constant and at the right temp.

Good luck at the vet, i hope your snake is ok, please let us know what happens.

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

awww poor guy. hope you find out what happened and get him some treatment. good luck.

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Wow...that's awful. I would definitely take him to a good herp vet. I don't use Under Tank Heater's because I live in fear of burns...I use lamps above the screen tops of my cages. But as the others said, it may be a disease or a fungus rather than burns. The only way to know for sure is to go to a qualified vet. I hope everything works out ok.

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~Juliane~

from the photo posted it looks like it is confined to the underside of the snake,,leading me to believe it may be burns. I agree with all posted that a trip to the vet is essential. Keep us posted and good luck.

__________________
Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

I am so sorry, that is kinda scary. Please keep us posted on his condition.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

This is what i've read up on Blister Disease

Blister disease is common in many captive reptiles. It is most often associated with the maintenance of these animals in damp, filthy environments. The first sign is usually a pink to red appearance of the bottom-most scales. Later, these scales become swollen and infected by bacteria and fungi.
At the first suspicion of this disease, you must seek veterinary help. Treatment involves use of topical and injectable antibiotics. Furthermore, the underlying sanitation and hygiene problems must be corrected. Blister disease is preventable if you are aware it and if the enclosure in which captive snakes are housed is kept dry and scrupulously clean.


I noticed the pinkish coloring on his belly recently, but I can't say that the tank is damp or filthy... it's actually the exact opposite.

After I cleaned the area and some of the old loose skin came off, I was able to see a little better what was wrong with him. It looks like cuts, deep ones, and in some areas, you can see huge gaps between scales. He's moving around a lot, but it looks like he's "limping". He gets around with his tail in the air, or by dragging his tail on the side.

My BP I had awhile ago had that exxact same thing, they advised to stop all heat pads so did, all the vet help didn't. It died. Hopefully you can catch this one in time.

My BP's belly turns slightly pinkish just before he goes into the blue phase of shedding; so that might be what you noticed.
As we mentioned, none of us are reptile vets here and it is impossible to make any definitive diagnosis from the pic.
Please take your BP to a vet soon!!

Diggy415, did your vet say what the condition was? burns? Infection? I still think the sooner a vet is seen and some treatment started, the better!

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Andrea