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Scale rot in my rescued BP! Help me!

I

Imdancerd

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So I was trying to be good and follow the advice given about not handling the rescued BP until he's settled in, but I went to clean out the tank today and noticed that not only did Mr. No-Name defecate in his hide (which worried me), but when I picked him up I realized he has what I can only assume is a serious case of belly rot! I feel like this is not from my husbandry, but from his being outside in the NC humidity and wet ground for who knows how long, but I don't know. Now, if he already had a not very serious case of belly rot and I didn't notice when I recieved him could it have just progressed to this since I haven't been handling him? And is his lethargy due to the scale rot or does that indicate something else entirely? He had what I assumed was just a bad shed when I recieved him, but may have been early signs of scale rot. I feel so rotten because I didn't take him to the vet yet (I'm 8 months pregnant and well, life is crazy). Does this look like I could treat it at home for now? I will still take him to the vet, but my next day off isn't until the end of next week and I really don't want this to progress any further. I've read a few things about Betadine and Neosporin, would this help at all? Any and all advice is appreciated, I feel so bad for having let this slip by me. These are the pictures I snapped of it tonight.


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To save some typing, here is my response to a recent question on this subject. http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showpost.php?p=437995&postcount=2
Could it have progressed in the time you have had it? - probably, but how long have you had it?
Lethargy - more lethargic than a normal BP? probably not a good thing...note the comment in the above noted thread about septicemia.
What to do - keep him on newspaper and be meticulous about cleaning. Make sure the temps are right where they should be, now is not the time for "close enough". Personally, I wouldn't use antibiotic ointment - they are petroleum based and cause scale shedding. The betadine might be of some help, but it can also make it harder to monitor (scale staining). The belly also looks as if it is semi opaque, could be that a shed is pending...the way it looks after the shed will tell a lot. If the temps are correct, and the lethargy continues, a vet call may be in order.
 
Got him on October 3rd. As for the lethargy I have never owned a BP, but my corn has never EVER defecated in her hide and then stayed there. That just seems like a sick animal sign to me. As for septicemia...he's still drinking water, so isn't that a good sign? Yes a shed is pending, his eyes were clouded over so he will shed soon. Should I just change everything out, disinfect, moniter temps and see what he looks like after the shed?
 
There are a lot of factors to consider - the cage temps (cool and warm side/day & night, if applicable), heating method, substrate, source & onset of infection. You have had him for 2 weeks, that is ample time for this to have happened if something was not right with your setup...or if he was harboring an infection when you got him, regardless of whether there were visible symptoms.
For now, as I said, just use newspaper and make sure that the temps are where they should be. If you are using an UTH, make sure that the surface temp is not too hot. Then just wait for the shed and see how he looks. It can be difficult to ascertain degrees of lethargy via an online forum - especially since you are not familiar with the species - but, unfortunately, it will be important for you to assess. If, in fact, he is lethargic, and this persists after the shed, you may need to consider a trip to the vet. Post some more pics after the shed, and describe his behavior...we'll try to advise you from there.
 
If that is the only symptom, the humidity isn't a big concern right now...normally, you would be shooting for around 60-65%, but I wouldn't go to any great lengths to make that happen (it will be tough in a tank with newspaper, anyway). Mulch, or something similar is the easiest way to attain the humidity, but the moist substrate will not help the belly situation.
 
I sort of figured, but better to ask too many questions than not enough. My vets office should be open soon too so I think I'll pester them some as well.
 
Just wondering if you have more than one hide available for him? Might be a good idea if not because it he does deficate in his hide because that is where he feels safe, he will stay there if he has no where else to go and that can cause obvious problems with sitting in moist and dirty bedding.
 
I do have more than one hide-one on the cool side and one on the warm side. Should I remove his water dish so he can't soak in it?
 
Nope, leave it in there so he can drink. You don't want dehydration.
 
Harald gave you very sounds advice. Betadine is probably not what I would use right now and it can further irritate the tissues. Neosporin is a good choice. Moisture? Only if he is about to shed otherwise keep him as dry as possible. Bacteria and humidity are great friends! Newspaper is the bedding of choice, replace daily.

Good luck.
 
Well I called the vet today and she gave me some of the same advice-thoroughly clean enclosure, replace substrate with newspaper, make sure the temps are correct. She DID advise me to soak him for about 20 minutes a day in lukewarm water until he sheds (he is about to shed). Also to take out the UTH if I can maintain proper temps because it can burn him. Does this seem reasonable? The UTH I can understand but soaking every day (especially for that long) seems like a bad idea with scale rot even if he IS about to shed. Should I do the soaking? I have some of the ZooMed shedding aid as well as some of the Zoomed Reptile Wound Healing aid can I use either of those? Sorry with all the questions, I just want him to get well soon!
 
If you are running the UTH through a thermostat, it isn't going to burn him. Perhaps the vet was thinking of a "heat rock"......
 
I personally dont know about humidity levels with scal rot but I know that I get a great shed from my balls whe the humidity is at 80% from the time I notice the signs of an impending shed until the shed is done. As soon as I see the skin I remove it from the cage and let the humidity go down to between 60 and 70%. Before you take this advise I would like you to get mr moore's advise as well, just becasue I am not familer with the scale rot.
 
Should I do the soaking? I have some of the ZooMed shedding aid as well as some of the Zoomed Reptile Wound Healing aid can I use either of those? Sorry with all the questions, I just want him to get well soon!
Click to expand...

If your vet recommended you the soaking follow his advice. After a while you will have to report to him/her any improvement or not, and what "treatment" you followed. It would not look very good to go against his/her recommendations. As for the aids/medicines you suggest they look fine to me. Remember that adequate temperatures are critical to boost the animal's immune system.

Good luck.
 
The BoidSmith said:
If your vet recommended you the soaking follow his advice. After a while you will have to report to him/her any improvement or not, and what "treatment" you followed. It would not look very good to go against his/her recommendations. As for the aids/medicines you suggest they look fine to me. Remember that adequate temperatures are critical to boost the animal's immune system.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
:iagree:
Since you will be keeping a dry enclosure, the soaking will help to soften and separate the old skin. 20 minutes is not excessive, in my opinion, and it should only be for a couple of days. You will want to make sure you aren't putting him back into his enclosure dripping wet - a quick blotting with a paper towel when you remove him from the soak will do the trick (I would let him crawl over a dry towel, paper or cloth, to dry his belly a little better). The increase in humidity that was mentioned above does work well for sheds, but under the circumstances it is inadvisable - you want the wounds to dry out and heal. As for the UTH, if you haven't got it controlled in some way (thermostat or rheostat), they get VERY hot...and the newspaper will not reduce or spread out the heat the way particulate substrates do. This is a do what you must type situation...if you don't have the ability to maintain adequate temps without the UTH, you may have to keep it. Using a heat lamp or ceramic heat emitter are alternate methods of heating that do not create the intense belly heat (but they do dry the heck out of the enclosure - great for now, but problematic in the long run)
 
Thanks SO much for all the great advice. As soon as he sheds I'll post some pictures-hopefully there will be some significant improvement!
 
If it's during a shed.......then 75-80% on the warm side of the tank. I try and give mine a bit of a dryer (55-60%) place on the cool side just so they have the choice of a lesser degree of humidity, but still there is sufficient amount to assist in a molt. You can acheive this by only spraying down your substrate (if you use bark or mulch) only on the warm side, and providing dry newspaper on the cool side. Since you've been instructed to use newspaper or papertowel to help with the scale rot, then get some everyday moss that you can buy in a plastic bag at the pet store.
soak it in warm water for about a minute, squeeze it out and roll it in paper towel...squeeze it in the paper towel lots and lots and then put it in the hide with the snake to maintain a high humidity in the place he spends most of his time. Don't put it under him, just beside him so it will give off moisture and he doesn't have to lay on it. His rot should improve greatly after this shed and then probably go away after another shed if you keep him in proper conditions. Your snake should never feel wet. His skin should alway feel dry to touch, even at 75% humidity, his skin should be dry. His surroundings can feel moist, but not him. If you put the moss in with him in his hide, then twice a day, check the hide inside for condensation that may drip on him.....wipe it out as often as needed to keep him feeling dry. You should have a heat source UNDER him on the warm side to promote warm humidity. The moss should dry out in the hide about every two to three days. You can fluff it up and turn it over after day one to let all the moisture out of it. Moss is very mold resistant and should help maintain the humidity in your tank. You can even put some out of his hide over or by a heat source so it evaporates warm moisture. This is the best kind of moisture to have and should be the only kind of moisture that your ball python is exposed to. Cool moisture causes pneumonia very quickly as it lowers their body temp and they become very suseptible to infection. You may have to spend a bit of money on this guy to get him set up properly, but once he's happy and set up, he will be on the mend before you know it. These guys are pretty hardy fellas. I have a girl right now that has really bad retained eye caps from her previous owners (I've had her a month). She is almost blind in her left eye and her right is going as well. She is an older snake, but it will take a trip to the vet to get her eyes working for her again. I can see her pupils through the skin still,so that's a good sign that she's still trying to focus and see through the caps. I will have to spend some money to help her out, but I love her and I don't mind doing it one bit. Hopefully you will grow to love this little guy too and it will become an obsession like it is for most of us on here. All snakes deserve a loving, caring owner like you and I and most others on here. It's unfortunate that this snake of yours had to suffer to get to the state he's in, but with some time and tlc, he'll make it and be happy once more. Great job and keep up the good work!!

Cher
 
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