Blister on ball python

[Big Borg Reptiles]

We bought two little specter females (a little over 200g) a couple of weeks ago, and upon arrival both seemed very healthy. A few days after having them, we noticed that one had a small lump on the side of her neck that appeared to be just like a blister. We decided to monitor it for a few days and see what happened.

In the meantime, I did some research online, and of course the first thing that popped up was blister disease. It is definitely NOT blister disease (hopefully I never have to encounter that ), but I did find one person who had a similar issue. She described it in the exact same manner, and the pictures she posted were identical. She said that she kept an eye on it and it started getting small after a few days. There was no further update past that.

We deduced that it was probably irritation from the burlap sack she was shipped in rubbing on her or from her rubbing against her tub while adjusting to her new home. However, the blister appeared to keep getting larger (or rather, more full). I have had burn blisters on my feet that eventually became so filled with fluid that they became extremely painful, so we decided that we should alleviate some of the pressure.

Both of us work in research labs (and in my girlfriend's case, a hospital as well), and so we are both very familiar with sterile technique and precision. Therefore we were not concerned about causing any additional harm by making a small hole to reduce the fluid. We did so, and the fluid that came out was completely clear (so no infection and not a tumor), and eventually it was just loose skin. We felt to see if there was a bump under the skin (indicative of a parasite), but it felt exactly like loose skin feels after popping a blister. None of this seemed to cause her any pain in any way.

The problem is that it has been a week or so now, and the blister has begun to fill back up again. It is only about half as full as it was at its worst point, but it is definitely there. It still is not causing her any discomfort, and to the touch it is very clearly just fluid filled.

I am curious if anyone else has encountered something like this, and if this is something that just takes some time to go away. She is otherwise extremely healthy, has eaten every time we have done feeding, and does not have any other body issues. Other than this blister, she seems to be doing just as well as her sister. I thought that after her shed it would help, but now that it has refilled I am curious what the issue is (she is in shed right now).

Because of her otherwise immaculate health and her apparent ignorance of this blister even existing, I do not feel it necessary to "rush her to the vet because she is going to die tomorrow if I don't", which is the general response I see about these sorts of things. I want to know if anyone has had a similar experience and how they resolved it, or if anyone has some advice based on general experience.

My girlfriend took my tablet to work, but if people want to see pictures I will be able to post them later tonight. Thank you in advance for your responses.

 

[EmeraldBoid]

Anything filled with fluid is bacteria ' s best friend, it's clean...for now, but if you do not find what is actually causing the blister then it will likely progress to blister disease. Usually minor stuff like this though can be eliminated by removing anything sharp in the cage and keeping the tub on the dry side for awhile though. Obviously though you will need a vet for any professional advice and/or treatment if this progresses.

Good luck.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

Anything filled with fluid is bacteria ' s best friend, it's clean...for now, but if you do not find what is actually causing the blister then it will likely progress to blister disease. Usually minor stuff like this though can be eliminated by removing anything sharp in the cage and keeping the tub on the dry side for awhile though. Obviously though you will need a vet for any professional advice and/or treatment if this progresses.

Good luck.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't blister disease generally a large area that is affected, and caused by conditions where humidity is far too high? This snake is kept in the exact same conditions (heat, temp, tubs) that all other new snakes are, including her identical sister...she is the only one that has this bump, and it is just one in one spot. The scales are not bubbled up, look moist, look lifted or anything...it's just a very noticeable little bump that feels exactly like a small blister that you would get on your finger.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

Also, the skin over the blister does not appear to be thin or have any sign of developing into a sore...it is simply a very small area of very normal looking scales that feels like a normal blister.

 

[EmeraldBoid]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't blister disease generally a large area that is affected, and caused by conditions where humidity is far too high? This snake is kept in the exact same conditions (heat, temp, tubs) that all other new snakes are, including her identical sister...she is the only one that has this bump, and it is just one in one spot. The scales are not bubbled up, look moist, look lifted or anything...it's just a very noticeable little bump that feels exactly like a small blister that you would get on your finger.

If you want a full professional description then you will have to see a professional. Most diseases are going to start out small and certain things can predispose individuals to said diseases (I.e. this fluid filled blister that can easily become a nest for bacteria). I think I worded my post awkwardly, if it were my snake, then I would stop my usual misting routine and check to make sure there are no sharp edges anywhere. If I did not see improvement within a few days or so then I would go to the vet for some testing.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

I admit that I am not a professional, but I feel I am definitely competent enough to read up on what blister disease is, what it is caused by, and look at dozens of pictures of it on google to determine that this is not blister disease. That's why I was hoping for a response from someone who has personally or indirectly experienced this particular manifestation. Like I said, I am not an expert and could be very wrong, but I don't think one small blister that is not forming a sore is a sign of blister disease.

To me, until it is clearly something serious, I do not feel it necessary to pay money to see a vet to tell me what I already know; that it is a blister and just to keep an eye on it until it looks like it's getting worse. I was hoping that someone on these forums had experienced something similar and could tell me how long it took to go away, and if they did anything besides keep an eye on it to help with the process.

This is why I specifically stated in my very first post, please do not tell me to run to the vet because it's a horrible disease. Unless someone has had the exact same thing happen to one of their snakes and they know for sure that it needs to see a vet, this recommendation is very useless to me (and seems to be the standard response every person gets when ANYTHING is wrong with a snake).

Our first thought was to check for anything she could be rubbing on that would cause irritation, but the tub is perfectly clean, smooth, and is cleaned bi-weekly at the same time as the other snakes (whether the tubs look like they need cleaning or not), so there is little concern of bacterial contamination. I appreciate your response though, and I apologize in advance if this comes across as rude.

 

[EmeraldBoid]

And I apologize as well if my response came off as rude. I never said this blister will become blister disease, I simply said that in theory it could advance that way. I offered advice on preventing this possibility. I never said it was life threatening, you asked for personal experience and I gave it to you by describing what I would do. I am sorry if any of that offended you or if I somehow missed something in your initial post. I hope everything turns out ok.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

Ugh. This is what I get for not ever uploading photos before. I'm trying to get some pics up to hopefully show what is going on.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

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The first image shows the blister near her neck (I can't seem to get her to hold still for a picture to save my life. The next one is to show that the skin looks perfectly fine there, it's not thin or looking like it's going to form a sore. The third picture is just showing the rest of her body, that her stomach is completely normal, that there are no other abnormal scales or areas.

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[EmeraldBoid]

I think I see what you mean now. I did see that one time in a scrub python. It actually randomly disappeared a day before I was heading to the vet, I went anyway because I wanted another fecal on her anyway. Long story short nothing noteworthy came up. I have never seen in it a ball before though. It looks she is shedding, or it could be the camera though. Maybe see what it does after the shed unless you get some more accurate info.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

No it's not the camera, she's definitely going in to shed. I'm glad to hear that you had a similar experience and nothing came of it...that's kind of what I was expecting, but still wanted some advice from people who have seen it before (because this is new to me).

That was my initial plan, was to see what happened after a shed. The fact that it filled back up with fluid is what concerned me, but I suppose that's what blisters do.

 

[EmeraldBoid]

No it's not the camera, she's definitely going in to shed. I'm glad to hear that you had a similar experience and nothing came of it...that's kind of what I was expecting, but still wanted some advice from people who have seen it before (because this is new to me).

That was my initial plan, was to see what happened after a shed. The fact that it filled back up with fluid is what concerned me, but I suppose that's what blisters do.

Well part of the shedding process is a build up of certain oils and other fluids so if there was still a place for it go then it would likely go. I feel I made you rather frustrated with my previous replies, you have my sincere apology.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

No it's perfectly fine, I just hate when people say "go to the vet!" unless they know for sure it's something serious that could kill the snake...a lot of new snake owners end up getting freaked out, and I just don't like seeing it. The advice you gave besides that is exactly what I would think to do, so it was good to know that we were along the same thought process...and I think the pictures helped to show what I was actually talking about instead of painting a potentially very different mental image. I'm hoping the shed will help a lot, but if it continues for much longer afterward then I might look into getting a professional opinion.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

Just for anyone who has a similar situation and reads this later, I wanted to give a brief update.

Our little girl 'meatball' had a perfect shed, but afterward the blister was still there. We waited a few more days but it didn't seem to be getting any smaller (or larger, which was also good), but we decided to relieve it again. We used a syringe that was meant for diabetics to inject insulin and made a very small hole in the blister again. (We did NOT use the syringe to draw out anything, ONLY to make a small hole). This of course was after disinfecting the area and making sure we were working at a clean station.

We slowly drained the fluid again, and it was still completely clear (so still no indication of infection or anything else that would concern us). After this draining, the skin in the area actually looked perfectly normal and not loose at all, which was reassuring. We monitored her for a couple days but it did not seem to be reforming.

I just checked her again this morning, and unfortunately it did refill, but only a very tiny bit. I'm going to keep monitoring her to make sure it doesn't get any bigger, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the fluid will reabsorb on its own. I will post any other updates as they happen just in case someone stumbles across this later and wants to know. She still appears very healthy and still has not refused a meal.

 

[EmeraldBoid]

Just for anyone who has a similar situation and reads this later, I wanted to give a brief update.

Our little girl 'meatball' had a perfect shed, but afterward the blister was still there. We waited a few more days but it didn't seem to be getting any smaller (or larger, which was also good), but we decided to relieve it again. We used a syringe that was meant for diabetics to inject insulin and made a very small hole in the blister again. (We did NOT use the syringe to draw out anything, ONLY to make a small hole). This of course was after disinfecting the area and making sure we were working at a clean station.

We slowly drained the fluid again, and it was still completely clear (so still no indication of infection or anything else that would concern us). After this draining, the skin in the area actually looked perfectly normal and not loose at all, which was reassuring. We monitored her for a couple days but it did not seem to be reforming.

I just checked her again this morning, and unfortunately it did refill, but only a very tiny bit. I'm going to keep monitoring her to make sure it doesn't get any bigger, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the fluid will reabsorb on its own. I will post any other updates as they happen just in case someone stumbles across this later and wants to know. She still appears very healthy and still has not refused a meal.

Uhm...head scratcher. The scholar in me wants to say there is something going on endocrine wise...problem with fluid distribution...excess of one hormone causing the release of a little extra fluid, but the snake keeper in me still wants to observe a little more considering how benign if not totally harmless the issue seems to be. I was actually going to bump this thread earlier and ask for an update, but figured you would anyway when there was something to report.

 

[EmeraldBoid]

Uhm...head scratcher. The scholar in me wants to say there is something going on endocrine wise...problem with fluid distribution...excess of one hormone causing the release of a little extra fluid, but the snake keeper in me still wants to observe a little more considering how benign if not totally harmless the issue seems to be. I was actually going to bump this thread earlier and ask for an update, but figured you would anyway when there was something to report.

View attachment 621224

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

I think the fact that it's reduced in size by about 2/3 each time is encouraging. If it kept getting back to its original size I would have taken her to the vet already, but it's definitely MUCH smaller than it was. Like I said, I'll post another update as things progress.