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Help! Medical/skin issue with Elaphe prasina!

Tavia

Tavia

Elemental Exotics
I got this guy and 2 females, back at the end of April. The females took several weeks to settle in and start eating but the male has never eaten for me. I've been keeping an a eye on him, looking for any signs of a physical problem but hadn't seen much. He does like to soak a lot, which concerned me a bit but I never saw any signs of mites. However, he was getting water all over the enclosure and getting the substrate very wet, that was concerning me a bit, so last week I actually switched out his large water bowl for a much smaller one to cut down on that.

Where he was not eating and I was assuming that it was probably either just taking him an extra long time to acclimate and or a male seasonal fasting thing, I was also trying to leave him alone and quiet as much as possible.

Now though I'm afraid that I wasn't paying enough attention to him because between removing his big water bowl around a week ago and checking on him tonight, he has developed some very scary looking blisters, tumors, parasites or fungal infection, I'm not sure which. I'm somewhat leaning towards them maybe being because he was too consistently damp??
Anyway, there is a small one at the top of his body, near the spine, three very large ones close together on his side, another slightly smaller one above those three on his side and a large one on his lower jaw, towards the side. All except the one on top of his body are on the same side and lower down the side of the body.

He is still alert, tongue flicking and breathing normally.
Pardon the substrate, he dove under it when I went to get him out and a lot was still clinging to him when we took these pictures.

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I'm probably going to take him to the vet on Mon, if we can get in, (sure wish I trusted the local vets more!) but I was hoping for some opinions/experience on what this might be and what I should be doing for him right now?
I'm going to move him to a "sterile" enclosure with paper towel substrate but not sure what more I should do.

Thanks for any help!!
 
It's caused by an environment that is to damp and more commonly from excessive soaking. Usually a snake will soak in a water bowl to rid parasites from their body. The parasites are most likely there you just don't see them. When blisters form it is imperative you go to the vet for antibiotics. Most likely shots. In the mean time you can treat with a deluted Betadine bath or a triple antibiotic with no pain killer. And as you are already doing, keep as sterile an environment as possible.
Hope all go's well.
 
Best wishes. I hope the vet is helpful. Please update and let us know how he does. Praying for a full and speedy recovery.
 
After reading a ton, I'm nearly sure these are water blisters. He's been moved into a well cleaned "hospital" enclosure, with all the scant furnishings either new or very well cleaned too, on paper towel substrate and a very small water bowl. I washed the blisters with a diluted Betadine solution a bit ago. Looked him over really good this morning in the light too, and the rest of his scales and skin looks very healthy, just these 6 spots. His belly has no worrisome looking places, which is a little weird for most kinds of skin issues like this probably is.

Might just be wishful thinking but I thought they maybe looked a little bit better already this morning.

Most people seem to be agreeing on water blisters as the most likely diagnosis, including the breeder, contacted him last night and he got back to me this morning. Have to mention, he's one of the good guys, an A+ seller with above and beyond costumer service even 5 months after the sale! Can't say I'm pleased by the issues this boy is having but I don't blame any of it on the seller and am still very pleased with the transaction.
 
Yes, definitely "water blisters". I've dealt with water blisters a number of times over the years. Once the blisters form there is most likely an internal bacterial infection that will only be cured usually through antibiotic injections. Possibly your vet will recommend oral treatment though. As much as I would like to say you can cure it externally only I've found that it is usually only curable internally. Once the blisters are gone doesn't guarantee that there is no internal infection.
 
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