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Skin issue... Any ideas??

RavenSpirit360

RavenSpirit360

Mitakuye Oyasin
A friend of mine is having a problem with his king snake... He sent me pictures and I was wondering if anyone has seen this before?
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I have never seen it in person, but it LOOKS like some sort of scale rot, given the defalted-looking scales in the patches. I think that's fungal?

What's the set up like?
 
could it be an allergic reaction to something? It could be that or scale rot like mentioned above.
 
I would take the animal to a specialized vet shortly. I'd say those are burns of some kind, maybe chemical, like drops of a nasty fluid fell on the snake? I have not seen examples of scale rot like that, that usually starts on the belly in 1 or 2 tiny spots. I also think if this is scale rot, you would smell it by now.

I also think it is a California kingsnake and not a milksnake, but that does not matter a lot.
 
It actually is a king snake.. I remembered it wrong from when he told me what kind of snake he had a long time ago.. He changes the bedding out every two months and cleans out the poop/urates whenever he sees them.
 
asked him if he had been exposed to chemicals at all and he said no, but he was outside in his front lawn a few weeks ago.
 
RavenSpirit360 said:
Can scale rot move from the belly up? He said he did have some belly issues first..
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It looks like stomatitis to me. That would be a form of scale rot. It's bacterial and can usually be treated with a course of antibiotics like Baytril. I've always used intra-muscular injections for snakes because it is easier than oral. And yes, scale rot can start at the belly and spread in most cases, if left untreated.

Get her off the aspen and put her on newspaper or paper towels to start with, and decrease humidity to under 40%. This will slow bacterial development. She will likely bear scars for the rest of her life, and may actually develop some melanin spotting from the baytril, but it's better than not treating her.

Good Luck!
 
RavenSpirit360 said:
asked him if he had been exposed to chemicals at all and he said no, but he was outside in his front lawn a few weeks ago.
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Maybe he retracted bacteria of that outside trip, because scale rot usually comes from an environmetn that is ot clean enough and too moist for some time. As you describe it, he takes care of dirt and it won't be too moist most probably. Putting the snake on paper towels or newspaper (which is slightly antibacterial) is a good idea anyway. If something in the bedding is causing it, that cause is removed then anyway.
 
Scale rot happens. It is a bacterial infection, and most snake keepers will experience it at some point, no matter how well you care for your snakes. It's just one of those things associated with captivity. It doesn't mean anything as far as husbandry goes. You can have the cleanest cages in the world and still have a case of scale rot develop...
 
tyflier said:
Scale rot happens. It is a bacterial infection, and most snake keepers will experience it at some point, no matter how well you care for your snakes. It's just one of those things associated with captivity. It doesn't mean anything as far as husbandry goes. You can have the cleanest cages in the world and still have a case of scale rot develop...
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Well that sucks!!
 
tyflier said:
Scale rot happens. It is a bacterial infection, and most snake keepers will experience it at some point, no matter how well you care for your snakes. It's just one of those things associated with captivity. It doesn't mean anything as far as husbandry goes. You can have the cleanest cages in the world and still have a case of scale rot develop...
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But still, most cases would come from bad husbandry, right? At least the worst cases... and how do we know if it associated with captivity? Don't snakes in the wild get it? I would be surprised...
 
Blutengel said:
But still, most cases would come from bad husbandry, right? At least the worst cases... and how do we know if it associated with captivity? Don't snakes in the wild get it? I would be surprised...
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I wouldn't say most cases come from "bad husbandry". In fact, I would venture to guess that the majority of scale rot cases come from individuals that breed and keep a high number of snakes, even if only because of the odds game. That would lead me to conclude that the highest number of cases comes from the most knowledgeable base of keepers.

What I mean is...a person that keeps only 1 snake for 15 years may or may not ever see that snake develop scale rot, regardless of their husbandry. A top-notch breeder with top-notch husbandry that keeps 300 snakes is far more likely to see a fair amount of scale rot cases develop in their collection due to sheer volume of animals. Because they keep so many snakes, the odds are in favor of 1 or 2 developing scale rot regardless of the level of husbandry and care.

This is why one should never assume that a case of scale rot is due to "bad husbandry". It happens. It can sometimes be attributed to bad husbandry, and certainly good husbandry will lessen the chances, but the simple fact is that bacteria develops in captivity, and infections can occur, even if you keep your cages pristine. A small scratch from a piece of sharp aspen or an edge on your aquarium can develop into one helluva case of scale rot, even if the cage is spotless...

And snakes can and do develop skin infections in the wild. Wild snakes get scratched, nicked, and minor injuries regularly, especially when attempting to kill wild prey. A bacterial skin infection is a bacterial skin infection. An open wound, even a scratch from a thorn, is an invitation to bacterial infection. "Scale rot" is a generic term used to describe any number of specific bacterial skin infections, and it is not solely an issue of captivity or husbandry...
 
Sorry to be off-topic but I really like the snake. Is it some sort of Cal King? It looks patternless and albino.
 
at first glance i would suggest some sort of burn, as others have said. how long ago since the belly problems began happening? did all of this show up AFTER the snake was outside on the lawn?

if so, i'd be inclined to say there was probably some sort of weed killer, lawn fertilizer, etc or something that the snake came in contact with.
 
He said the scales on his bottomside where dry and brown but went away when he shed and then these spots showed up. He didn't think anything of the scale issue until these spots showed up. Dante is his only snake, he is not a super experienced snake keeper but does take pretty good care of him. First thing I though of when he told me about the belly scales was scale rot, I needed more opinions.. Thanks everyone.. I will have him take him to the only good reptile vet out here to get the antibiotics. He said the spots are already drying out a bit too..

Also he has already taken out the aspen and put him on paper towels.. That was the first thing I told him to do as soon as he texted me :)
 
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