JeniDB
04-12-2013, 07:05 PM
Fluffy is my (nearly) 4 year old amel that I've had since he was a hatchling. He has never had a bad shed, never been ill, and only once skipped a meal (and I think it's because he was being "frisky" and wants to breed, but then decided women weren't worth starvation:rolleyes:).
About a week ago I noticed two dark spots. One one his head between his eyes and one on the back of his neck. I watched them carefully but they didn't grow any larger or any darker. 2 days ago I got him out of his viv to spend some quality time with him, and for the first time in his life he rattled at me. He didn't strike or act agitated, and I don't believe I really startled him - but this is way out of his norm. About 4 days ago he became blue, so I decided to hold off the vet visit until he shed to see if they went away with his shed.
Per usual, Fluffy had a perfect shed yesterday and the spots did not go away. The smaller spot on the back of his neck is now just an off white area that blends in with his scales. However, I think the spot on top of his head has gotten worse.
I am not opposed to taking him to the vet and spending my life savings on him, but I wanted to see if any of you guys have seen this before or dealt with it or maybe there's something I can do at home to remedy the problem.
His set up: 30 gallon long with aspen bedding, a large turtle shell hide on the warm side (where he spends most of his time) and a large box hide on the cool side, along with his water dish (a dog bowl he can crawl under). I change the aspen in his tank monthly (spot cleaning it when he poops) and clean it out every few months. He hasn't been in contact with my other snakes (plus they're not sick - so I'm not all too worried about that being a factor). He never roams freely, I always know what he's getting into and I'm always with him when he's out of his tank. He has not been out in the cold, or in any extreme heat and has not been rubbing it on anything (that I've noticed).
Attached are a couple of photos - thanks so much for your time! Hopefully someone has answers. If not, it's off to the vet for this little man!
About a week ago I noticed two dark spots. One one his head between his eyes and one on the back of his neck. I watched them carefully but they didn't grow any larger or any darker. 2 days ago I got him out of his viv to spend some quality time with him, and for the first time in his life he rattled at me. He didn't strike or act agitated, and I don't believe I really startled him - but this is way out of his norm. About 4 days ago he became blue, so I decided to hold off the vet visit until he shed to see if they went away with his shed.
Per usual, Fluffy had a perfect shed yesterday and the spots did not go away. The smaller spot on the back of his neck is now just an off white area that blends in with his scales. However, I think the spot on top of his head has gotten worse.
I am not opposed to taking him to the vet and spending my life savings on him, but I wanted to see if any of you guys have seen this before or dealt with it or maybe there's something I can do at home to remedy the problem.
His set up: 30 gallon long with aspen bedding, a large turtle shell hide on the warm side (where he spends most of his time) and a large box hide on the cool side, along with his water dish (a dog bowl he can crawl under). I change the aspen in his tank monthly (spot cleaning it when he poops) and clean it out every few months. He hasn't been in contact with my other snakes (plus they're not sick - so I'm not all too worried about that being a factor). He never roams freely, I always know what he's getting into and I'm always with him when he's out of his tank. He has not been out in the cold, or in any extreme heat and has not been rubbing it on anything (that I've noticed).
Attached are a couple of photos - thanks so much for your time! Hopefully someone has answers. If not, it's off to the vet for this little man!