# Scale rot or something else



## Jadeee (May 19, 2012)

Hi guys,
I’m honestly in such a panic! A few days ago I had noticed my ball python had a few lifted scales. So I ordered tamodine was waiting acouple of days for it to be delivered in the mean time I’ve completely gutted the viv cleaned everything out but left everything in there still. 
The next evening I came home to see this on his belly 😞 I emailed a few people who said it looks like scale rot and with the treatment and a few sheds will be back to normal and to take substrate out and use newspaper.

so Tamodine arrived started using it daily as instructed. Completely gutted enclosure just had hide, water bowl and one set of decorations. Today I’ve gone to do treatment again and his belly seems to be red! I’m so stressed I don’t know what to do.. I have now taken out the decorations and he is now left with hide and water bowl! I’ve ordered more Tamodine which says to use in a bath. 
I’ve seen posts about vet being useless as nothing can be done it just needs to go away on it’s own. Please can anyone else give me tips on how to some how make my boy better!


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Difficult to tell from the image as it's not focused, but can see what looks to be splitting around one or two ventral scales which are off colour. Can you provide details of the husbandry, inc what substrate you used, and possibly a sharper image ? If it's local to that area then if it scale rot it's been caught at an early stage. Betadine baths, or Tamodine application tends to be the normal treatments, as is keeping the snake in as sterile an enclosure as possible, with clean paper substrate. I've been fortunate enough not to have any of my snakes over the years get scale rot so can't really hand on heart confirm that is the case here, but based on previous posts form people with similar looking symptoms I would agree with your assumption that the affected area is scale rot.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmm.
Not sure.
Scale rot shows itself as brown, crinkled edges to snakes whereas you have black patches.
Its not slithered through faeces has it??


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## Jadeee (May 19, 2012)

Malc said:


> Difficult to tell from the image as it's not focused, but can see what looks to be splitting around one or two ventral scales which are off colour. Can you provide details of the husbandry, inc what substrate you used, and possibly a sharper image ? If it's local to that area then if it scale rot it's been caught at an early stage. Betadine baths, or Tamodine application tends to be the normal treatments, as is keeping the snake in as sterile an enclosure as possible, with clean paper substrate. I've been fortunate enough not to have any of my snakes over the years get scale rot so can't really hand on heart confirm that is the case here, but based on previous posts form people with similar looking symptoms I would agree with your assumption that the affected area is scale rot.


Thank you for the reply! 
so he was on orchid bark, heat Matt with thermostat been used but without a cover and I would sometimes find he had moved substrate out of the way. So I will be getting a cover for this asap.
I have Tamodine and been using it with more on the way! Is this picture any better?


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## Jadeee (May 19, 2012)

ian14 said:


> Hmm.
> Not sure.
> Scale rot shows itself as brown, crinkled edges to snakes whereas you have black patches.
> Its not slithered through faeces has it??


Thank you for the reply! I hadn’t thought of that but it’s 100% not faeces as I’ve bathed him a lot since I’ve been using the treatment. If only it was something that easy!


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

Jadeee said:


> Thank you for the reply! I hadn’t thought of that but it’s 100% not faeces as I’ve bathed him a lot since I’ve been using the treatment. If only it was something that easy!


In which case you need a visit to a vet.
It doesn't look like scale rot to me at all.


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## LiasisUK (Sep 30, 2019)

I agree, doesn't look like scale rot. But a vet is probably a good shout, though if it was my animal I would wait for it to shed out and see what it looks like after that. That's only based on the images though, may be different examined IRL


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Jadeee said:


> Thank you for the reply!
> so he was on orchid bark, *heat Matt with thermostat* been used but without a cover and I would sometimes find* he had moved substrate out of the way*. So I will be getting a cover for this asap.
> I have Tamodine and been using it with more on the way! Is this picture any better?


This could explain the redness as it could be be a thermal burn. It's not a burn in the sense of the skin being exposed to hundreds of degrees, more like the redness we can get if you stand too close to a heat source. Heat mats are not really suited for boa's - Ceramic Heaters on dimmer stats are the better option.

I also agree with the others, to be sure a trip to the vets is needed.


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