White spots - burns? on boa

[Mike Greathouse]

I was recently contacted by a customer of mine who purchased an adult boa from me a couple of years ago.
The boa is said to be in excellent health, but recently has begun to exhibit white spots and/or scales devoid of any color.

After shedding, these spots appear diminished, but reappear in other areas.
To me they appear to be burns, but the boa does not have direct access to any type of heat source.
There is also no direct sunlight on the enclosure (which is quite large) which could heat up the glass.

Additionally, there has been no contamination from any chemicals - so we can rule out chemical burns.
This animal has only been fed pre-killed and frozen/thawed prey items, so we can rule out bite wounds.
I am attaching the picture which was sent to me. I am clueless as to the cause of these marks.

Anybody have any ideas or seen something similar?

Thanks,

 

[Jim O]

I saw a similar thing in a post in another forum on a Jungle Carpet Python. I don't know that the cause was ever ascertained.

You can see the picture at http://www.moreliapythons.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=37788.

 

[Mike Greathouse]

Additional Pictures

Here are some additional (and better) pictures.
These definitely look like wounds of some type - either burn or trauma.

I'm wondering if there is not some type of sharp object within the enclosure that she is rubbing against.

The wounds seem to be limited to her back.

Opinions?

 

[Wilomn]

My first thought was also that she is rubbing on something.

That's my bet.

 

[DAND]

Are they feeding live? Looks like the scarring could be from rodent bites. But they also seem to be relatively located on the middle of it's back which could be caused by rubbing as Wes suggested.

 

[Mike Greathouse]

This animal has only been fed pre-killed and frozen/thawed prey items, so we can rule out bite wounds.

Here is a copy of the email I sent the owner of the animal earlier today.
I'm pretty convinced that the problem lies somewhere within the enclosure.

These are definitely wounds of some type, probably due to physical trauma.
They seem to all be located along her spine. Is there some type of ledge she is able to access within the enclosure that allows her to scrape her back against something sharp?

Because of the frequency and size of her meals, her shed cycle has been accelerated. The wounds probably don't have enough time to heal before the shed process starts again. When she actually sheds, she is probably re-opening the half-healed wounds. I would suggest you back off on her feeding for awhile. She has plenty of body weight to skip meals for awhile and allow these to heal properly.

I would suggest you check out every square inch of her enclosure. I really feel that there is something she is rubbing against that is causing these wounds.

Of course, if anyone else has any suggestions, I'm still anxious to hear them.

 

[Jim O]

Those are wounds without a doubt. I suspect there is scarring going on.

 

[hhmoore]

I agree with the wound theory. they are very similar in appearance to something I have seen in the past. There was an injury (in these cases, bruising due to a snake moving and driving a needle into the muscle) that was opened up after shed. They looked just like that as they were healing. As opposed to a cut from something sharp, I'm thinking maybe pressure ulceration...find out if it has a favorite "hiding"/resting spot...maybe wedged under a branch or something. the fact that there are several of them likely means that it is a recurrent issue. glad they are trying to figure it out

 

[Mike Greathouse]

Thanks Harald, I think you may be on to something there.
I received another email from the owner earlier, and she indicated that she had removed a lava rock and a branch from the enclosure. The pressure ulceration theory seems like a feasible one.

Thank you everyone for your insight and assistance.

 

[Jungle Gems]

I'm certainly inclined to agree.

The pressure ulceration theory seems like a feasible one.

The pictures lead me to believe the wounds are indeed abrasions. Tell your client to flush the wounds daily with hydrogen peroxide and apply a topical NSAID such as Neomycin. The wounds appear fairly superficial, so no need for a strong oral or injectable AB such as Baytril. Removal of the lava rock has assuredly been a step in the right direction.

Jennifer Webb
Jungle Gems Exotics
www.JungleGemsExotics.com

 

[hhmoore]

Mike, it might be worth asking if she ever noticed "redness" in those areas prior to the injuries. Its not always easy to see if you aren't looking for it (esp with dark colored snakes), but typically the initial manifestation is red speckling due to leaking/burst capillaries.

 

[hhmoore]

My other question is about the wounds themselves - did they just appear as white spots, or was there ever an open area?

 

[Hoppy]

Mike,
It is a fungus. I developed a similar problem in one of my Anerys last year and it turned out to be a harmless skin fungus that was easily cleared up with foot cream!. Have the vey check it out just to make sure, but that was the case in my boa showing similar effects
good luck

 

[Mike Greathouse]

Hoppy,
Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.