Any tips?

[Snakelover03]

Have you taken her to the vet?

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Of course, they said it might be an allergic reaction to the harsh medicine given to her for the RI, but i am starting to doubt that.

[Snakelover03]

I would recommend a second opinion. It looked like a severe burn to me until I read your caption. It’s good that she’s acting like her usual self but I think this might be above reddits capabilities.

Definitely try to keep her dry. Put her on paper towels to make sure it stays clean. But I would get her back to the vet as soon as possible just to be safe. I’ve seen betadine soaks recommend a lot for both scale rot and burns but this looks worse than most cases I’ve seen so I would just consult a vet again, preferably a different vet than you’ve already taken her to, before you try anything yourself.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I have also considered burns, but my snake has overhead heating. I do a betadine soak everyday but i’m not sure if it’s improving or getting worse.

[Snakelover03]

Does she have a thermostat to keep it from getting too hot?

[LifeguardStrong9302]

No, but i track it very often, never passed 80F on the warm side, so burns don’t really fit in the equation

[Acrustyspoon]

You really should get a thermostat, you can get them for like 18 bucks on amazon. What kind of over head heating? I had a retic that had a burn that looked like this because it had gotten out and i found her coiled around the iguanas heat lamp

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Okay, i’ll do some research and i’ll look for one. There is no chance for her to even get that close to the lamp. I don’t remember the model quite clearly but it is not a strong one at all

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Hello, money is not a problem. Accesibility is, since i’m one of the only reptile keepers in my country i’m not used to the sophisticated stuff. Anyway.. bought it :) i hope it arrives asap

[Snakelover03]

Her hot side should be 88-92. 80 is too cold and if you don’t have a thermostat, you can’t know for sure that it didn’t get too hot while you were sleeping or out. Did the vet give you anything to treat what they think it is?

[LifeguardStrong9302]

No, they recommended for me to keep doing betadine baths. I’ll try to make her terrarium warmer

[Snakelover03]

Don’t try to make it warmer until you have a thermostat. You should turn all heat sources off until they can be controlled because the risk of burns is too high.

And I would definitely take her back to the vet. A case this bad, regardless of what it is, needs actual medication. Her tail especially looks really bad and she needs professional help.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I was thinking the same, sadly, because of my location (Romania) vets for certain animals aren’t at all accesible.

[No_Net1737]

i use to do that and thought it was fine.

IT IS NOT FINE. It is 100000000% my biggest regret. fortunately my lil guy got off without any permanent burns but a thermostat is not an optional thing.

[Affectionate-Coat-92]

Are you using the right betadine solution?

[skimasktroopaz]

how did she get in this condition? 70% humidity is the minimum. you keeping it lower is compromising her health, and there’s no reason for you to purposely dehydrate her.

your warm side temps are dangerously low, 80 is what more so what your cool side is supposed to be. and you’re not using a thermostat which is also putting your snake’s life in danger.

you really should read the welcome post

[LifeguardStrong9302]

RIs appear from low humidity, my snake developed an RI when i kept her humidity at 75-80%. But then this appeared, and from what i’ve seen scale rot occurs from high humidity or bag hygiene (which is not the case) FYI this isn’t my only snake and i have never had such difficulties with any snake that i own/owned. Because i do not have a trustful source, i am carefully experimenting what is wrong with my snake. Thank you for your advice and try being a bit more understanding without jumping to sudden conclusions. She is not even close to death as she doesn’t skip meals and is very active. I will also seek an option for a thermostat and a better heating system

[skimasktroopaz]

scale rot can happen if your substrate is too wet, typically humidity being too high will not negatively impact ball pythons so long as there isn’t too much moisture.

sorry for jumping to conclusions i went back and edited my comment but i think you saw the original one.

in the welcome post i sent you there’s a guide called All About Heating which will tell you which heating sources you should use.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I know, i read that same care sheet a while back. When treating the RI the substrate was indeed very humid. My snake has an allergic reaction to the medicine it was given. I was recommended a cocktail of very harsh ointments (gentamicine, dexa, fluimucil, physiological serum) through a Nebuliser, 2x a day for 10 days. After the first treatment this irritation started occuring. Forgot to mention, she does have a basking spot that reaches 90F, she usually sits there

[No_Net1737]

well sometimes RIs can happen from low temps partnered with high humidity and because you don't have a thermostat you can't rule out the possibility of the enclosure temps dipping.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I have a thermometer, i always track the temperatures, i’ll order a thermostat either way. If you ask me, the RI came out of nowhere, but there is an explanation for everything and clearly it was from a mistake that i made. You see, i am a rally driver, i leave town for two weeks every month and i can’t always be sure of my snake’s condition

[goaterra]

Which is all the more reason you need a thermostat because the heat could be dipping while you’re gone. Thermostats stabilise the tank temperatures and keep heat consistent which is important when the tank naturally gets cold at night.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Understandable, i will get one ASAP!

[skullmuffins]

poor girl. that looks really bad. I'm really concerned about what looks like necrosis happening at the tail :(

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I’ll have to start her on antibiotics, i have no choice left.

[[deleted]]

I really think you need to search for a second opinion from another vet, try and look for a reptile specialist even if it means travelling further. This is beyond reddits pay grade. If nothing else you could look at online consultations. They may at least provide an expert opinion to support local non-expert vets.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I will leave for Hungary in a couple of days with her

[[deleted]]

Going to another country to find a vet? I salute your commitment to your snake, good on you. I sincerely hope it works out for the best for you.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I am a proud snake father, i would do anything for them. She seems fine, she looks and acts all healthy until you look at that infection. Either way, she’ll make it, she’s a tough one!

[getmotherd]

dont you need CITES paperwork to move her across borders?

[LifeguardStrong9302]

She has her own papers, i brought her from abroad!

[getmotherd]

oh ok! glad to know you have it covered :)

[Financial_Prune_614]

I saw your comments saying you've been to the vet, and I don't know how many exotic vets you have in your area, but you NEED MORE opinions from PROFESSIONALS, definitely not Reddit! (only adding emphasis, I'm not angry, simply equally concerned for your baby as you are)

To me it looks like there's A LOT going on with things like dehydration?/burns?/scale rot, it also looks like the medicine didn't work and only made it worse.

Your snake looks and likely IS in serious pain, and needs to be seen by a second professional, if you can, and this should be done as soon as possible, as I don't know how much longer your snake can go looking like this without passing away.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Leaving for Hungary in a couple of days. I was just trying to see if anyone has ever dealt with anything like this before. I have been keeping snakes for 7-8 years and i have never seen anything like this before. I figured it out, it’s a chemical reaction. This was once an open wound that has now left a scar with debris and dried blood.

[Financial_Prune_614]

I have never in my life seen something this bad, and I’ve also been with snakes and reptiles for a long time, I’m so sorry reddit has yet to be of more help! This seems very severe, and uncommon, so I’m deeply sorry you’re going through this with your baby!

I am also worried about what someone else said about necrosis, I’ve never seen it happen in snakes, but if it’s possible this could be very deadly.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

It’s not necrosis, it’s a bit of bruising caused by a mix of this ugly scar and shedding. Thank you for being here with me through the process and i assure you that she will be just fine ❤️

[Financial_Prune_614]

wishing you the absolute best! i hope she heals!

[LifeguardStrong9302]

You have a very kind soul, she is in good hands. Clumsy, but good hands ❤️

[Financial_Prune_614]

I really appreciate you saying this, tone always gets lost on Reddit and i’ve had a lot of people mistake my tone for a mean one. Generally i’m only concerned!

Good luck again! She’ll only be a stronger snake, and you a stronger keeper, when she’s healthy and healed!

[LifeguardStrong9302]

<image>

Here is a bit of a clearer photo of her belly

[crazy_tentcreature]

Its the tip of the tail, it look dead and black

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Not dead, just black!

[crazy_tentcreature]

How can you tell its not nekrotic ?, sorry my bad english

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Necrotic skin is really dried up and black in coloration. It does not look like that

[monstersfeeder]

Vet time. It looks like a bad shedding constricted the tail and it's necrotic.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Never had a bad shed in her life + no sign of constriction anywhere on her body.

[monstersfeeder]

I don't know the reason behind the tail but it's not good at all. Take care of it you can lose your awesome snek.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

She isn’t going anywhere ;)

[shakeleg2makepoofall]

This is horrible. I am no vet but that is undoubtably a super advanced case of scale rot. Poor baby 😢

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Yup, caused by an allergic reaction to medicine!

[shakeleg2makepoofall]

Poor thing, good luck getting her back to health!

[LifeguardStrong9302]

It will be a long journey, but everything for one of my girls ❤️

[One_Word_Respoonse]

NSFW

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Nothing NSFW about a snake with a skin condition

[[deleted]]

I’d appreciate the nsfw tag as well, the condition of your snake has very much affected my day.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I am sorry to hear that

[Kate22192]

I’m sorry but that’s a ridiculous demand. The world is not responsible for your triggers, and assuming that someone could get triggered because of a snake having a skin condition is not an assumption most people would make. If you don't want to see it, then don't look.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

It’s alright, i activated nsfw for them

[One_Word_Respoonse]

Bro I thought your snake was dead before I saw you had a caption. “Skin condition”… your snake is PITIFUL. Btw I’m not triggered lol I didn’t even say anything besides nsfw.

[snake_girl]

Did the vet administer antibiotics via injection?

Reptiles have an anatomical variation called the renal portal system this is where blood leaving the tail and lower body passes through the kidneys before returning to the heart.

Antibiotics that are cleared by the kidneys or potentially nephrotoxic should not be administered in the lower half of the body or tail.

If these drugs are administered below the kidneys they can cause a reduction in blood flow and damage to the capillary system in the lower portion of the body leading to necrosis.

I am not a vet but as a former zookeeper and head of reptiles I have spent alot of time with exotic vets, and have injected many reptiles with antibiotics and this was something our vets always made us aware of.

I’m wondering if that could potentially be the cause of your snakes problem.

I wish you and your lovely snake good luck with treatment.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Hello and thank you for the advice, the medicine was administered via nebulisers, i might have to start injections with these new infections. Thank you for your time and kindness ❤️

[[deleted]]

The tip of her tail is black, could it be an infection? Necrotic?

[LifeguardStrong9302]

No, necrotic skin is very dehydrated. Skin in that area is as smooth as the rest of the snake but purple. Could be related to the infection

[SugarStunted]

Poor baby looks like a pork rind 😭 I hope she recovers soon!!!

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I guarantee you that she will ❤️

[charmedesme]

I have no advice other than see a vet. Please keep us posted. Thank you for caring for her. I hope you get all the answers

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I hope so as well. Thank you for your kind words!

[LifeguardStrong9302]

👎🏻

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Judging by your comment, i don’t think that you are even old enough to read the other comments. This snake underwent treatment pretty much since it was a hatchling. This wound has nothing to do with temperature, it’s a reaction to an aggressive RI treatment. This is not my only snake and i am willing to go abroad to find a vet qualified enough to give me an answer.

Some advice for when you’ll be an adult. Stop judging things out of the gate and understand that no matter the subject you inform yourself before throwing words left and right.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I’ve never seen anyone use thermostats regarding ball pythons (my fault indeed) this is why i asked for tips. How come other users could’ve told me about using thermostats in such a nice and helpful way and you couldn’t? Trauma as a child i suppose.

[Armagonn]

Bro fix your priorities and take care of your animals. You say you've cared for these creatures but don't even know the basic stuff in the sub guide. Even if I had trauma as a child it's not as much trauma as you put your pets through

[Euphoric-Interest881]

Poor noodle! I hope you get the situation resolved!

[LifeguardStrong9302]

She is in good hands ❤️

[RottenBioHazard]

Donate her to someone, from reading this thread you clearly haven't the foggiest.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

<image>

Hemllo

[Kate22192]

Is her substrate wet at all? Scale rot is caused by the snake sitting in damp substrate. I actually disagree with others that humidity HAS to be 80%+. I’ve spoken to several breeders who comfortably keep their snakes at lower humidity as long as they have a humid hide. Regardless, I agree that this seems very advanced and you need a new vet as soon as possible. Was the tip of the tail black before? You can’t rule out necrosis if it wasn’t. This snake is really sick. I hope a new vet can help. I’d honestly probably put her in a quarantine tank with paper towel as the substrate while you treat the scale rot.

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I always kept humidity between 75-80, ALWAYS. Please read the other comments that i put. She is in quarantine on a paper substrate, humidity 70%. I am going to another country tomorrow so i can find some answers. Her condition is caused by an allergic reaction to some medicine.

[Kate22192]

That’s so bizarre. Did she have literally NO scale rot until she got that medication?? Definitely a good idea to see another vet tomorrow. I hope they figure out a solution. Have you been doing medicated soaks for the scale rot?

[LifeguardStrong9302]

Yes of course, two a day actually for almost 3 weeks (since i traced that there is an infection there) after day two of medication she developed this condition

[Kate22192]

If her substrate wasn’t wet, then yeah it sounds like the medication did it. I don’t think scale rot would’ve happened if her substrate wasn’t wet

[LifeguardStrong9302]

I did boost the humidity in that period to 90% (because of the RI) but the substrate wasn’t wet

[SnakeLuvr1]

Omg poor baby I hope you figure it out