Weird skin problem (pigmentation gone)

[SnakeAround]

I have a skin problem with an (still egg bound) female corn, I try to keep the explanation short. She shed ok after she laid some eggs, very soon after another shed cycle seemed to start, but she turned less opaque the usual and after her eyes were cleared, the skin still was slight opaque and she did not shed, though she was in a humid laying box. After 2 weeks scabs appeared so I did soak her, half off the skin came off, the rest was stuck no matter what. Some patches of scales seemed 'bleached' where the skin was removed (gently of course).

I soaked again after about 2 days but nothing more came off, some scales looked even more bleached?!

A couple of days later the bleached surfaces looked cream/greyish and showed even less color. Since the girl is also egg bound I left her in the humid box a couple of days but today I decided to change the humid bedding for newspaper because the troubled scales look/feel damp and sticky, and thinner then the surrounding scales. Besides that, I start to smell 'old, wet skin' so I hope to prevent major scale rot, if this has not started yet at some spots (on edges where big pieces of stuck skin are attached to the snake the scales are soft/messy).

I have attached a picture of the worst area. What would you do and have you seen this before? It does not look infected, or damaged/injured, just 'soggy' and the pigmentation has gone. I think some protective layer got off which normally prevents the scales from absorbing water? (I'll mail my vet too).

Another female who was egg bound and has been injected and such too shed ok one time too, started another shed cycle soon after and is now showing an slight opaque body while her eyes and neck have cleared for about a week now. I have applied skin oil twice because I am weary of soaking now but decided to soak her today ONCE because I read on R. Applegate's site that a snake can die from stuck shed all over the body. I hope I can get this off before a 3rd cycle starts underneath it....

[SnakeAround]

Forgot the picture:

[Scrufdog]

I wonder if that could be a piebald trait coming to the surface. From what I've read here and there it usually doesnt present itself for a few years.

How's it look now?

[danielle]

Not piebald trait, but no clue wtf that is I'd see a vet at this point. I assume with two different snakes having shedding problems something is off with your husbandry. Do you use a lamp or UTH/heat tape to heat your cages? Lamps tend to dry out cages. Also dehydration can cause poor sheds so soaking for awhile is a good idea just in case. After a soak as time consuming as it is you'll have to sit patiently with a wet cloth and slowly remove all skin or you risk parts of the snake missing circulation and going necrotic. This skin may also delay laying if it's a few sheds worth of skin.

[SnakeAround]

ttey both died meanwhile :( The one of the picture just got infected all through her body (septicimia). The vet said from the photo it looked like the tissue was (getting) necrotic. After soaking the other one, I could remove some skin but the skin underneath was not ready to be exposed so I left her alone after a couple of pieces to see what happened. I did not keep her in damp conditions because of what happened to the first one, which seemed to have had the same problem, with skin that was not ready to be exposed (to water). My conclusion is, that both snakes had started shedding their skin while the one underneath was not ready to be exposed, which caused the loose skin to keep glued to the fresh skin beneath, leaving two bad options: exposing the old skin (as I assumingly did with the first, causing absorbtion of water into the skin) or leaving the old skin on the snake, which I did with the 2nd for most of her body. Both options resulted in death of the snake.

[diamondlil]

I'd be highly suspicious of losing 2 snakes to septacemia so soon after a vet had been giving them injections and aspirating eggs.

[ShenziSixaxis]

This is boggling my mind a bit, but if both of them, or at least one, laid eggs, I suppose you shouldn't be too down. Those hatchlings are going to need some tender loving.

[SnakeAround]

I'd be highly suspicious of losing 2 snakes to septacemia so soon after a vet had been giving them injections and aspirating eggs.

Not sure if the 2nd died from septicemia, the stuck skin all over the body might have caused her death. Like we people can't be covered all over with for example paint too.

They were treated with Baytrill after the injections/aspirations, so the one with septicemia might just have been invaded by a bacteria at my place, through her soaked, too fresh skin.

I have a great looking clutch of 21 eggs from one of the females. The other one laid about 10, which decayed after a couple of days :(

I hope someone can shine a light on this from experience :shrugs:

[diamondlil]

Such a shame, Barbra. It must really hurt to lose them, my heart goes out to you.

[SnakeAround]

Thanks Janine, since the whole period from first eggs to both of them passing away took a couple of weeks, I had time to prepare myself mentally to the idea it could end badly, and when they passed it was a relief too. For me, since the stress from worrying about them stopped and for the females, because their ordeal stopped.

[Asbit]

I am very sorry to hear you lost two of your snakes.... and unfortunately to new in this hobby to be of any help with figuring out what may have happened.