BRB- Scale Rot?!?

[The_Joker]

I was handling my BRB and noticed a few nicks in her scales (She has always had these, rat got the best of her as a youngin)- the difference this time is that they are orange/yellow lines and splotches. Her temperament is normal (Docile),the scales feel fine to the touch (She is about to shed, so they are crispy but as is to be expected), and she ate about a week ago with no hesitation. She also defecated on her normal schedule, so no worries there. She isn't showing any signs of respiratory infection and no star gazing/gaping. Her tank has is well established and there have been no fluctuations in cleaning schedule/humidity/temp that i am aware of. She uses coconut husk bedding which usually turns her a bit pink. Also- she feels normal on her stomach, even in the affected areas. there are no squishy areas or anything abnormal- save for the coloration.

- Anyways, i'm wanting to know if this looks like scale rot or if she might have just rubbed onto something weird and gotten it between the scale layers (she is starting to shed in these areas). I posted pictures of the area in question which is about 2-3" in length and .5" in width overall. She is about 6 Ft Female 13 years old.

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[CDN_Blood]

It does look like the beginning of scale rot to me.

If her belly turns pink it's because she's sitting on something that's too wet for too long (often the cause of scale rot), so you might want to let that substrate dry out a bit and keep it less wet as a general rule.

If it were my snake, I'd be stripping the substrate out and replacing it with newspaper until that is corrected after being treated with antibiotics and carefully monitored until it returns to a healthy state. Only then would I think about reintroducing substrate and ensuring it doesn't get too wet for prolonged periods.

Best of luck with treatment, and keep us posted on how it's doing - we love success stories :)

[theapexgerman]

Yea take her out of the substrate put in newspaper until the damage area heals and switch over to a different substrate like reptibark or cypress and keep it dry

[millertime89]

What's she on for substrate right now?

[The_Joker]

update: replaced the coconut husk substrate and filled it with cypress bark that was stand by for my bp. Everything is normal, no difference so far with temperament/condition though it's too early to tell. I did notice the humidity in her tank dropped slightly, but I fixed that by adding more sphagnum moss around her water dish.

Thanks for all of the fast responses and I will keep updating.

Please let me know what to expect/look for in terms of healing or the condition worsening.

[theapexgerman]

Hope she gets better how wet did you have the substrate? And is she on news paper at the moment

[KORBIN5895]

I would listen to Todd and put newspaper or paper towel in as opposed to cypress mulch.

[Snakesitter]

Joker, I agree that looks ominous. It could be an early case of scale rot, or could be a burn -- hard to tell from those pictures. Regardless, I would suggest giving her a bath in betadine solution to help treat any infection and -- as Todd suggested -- switching her over to newspaper for the time being.

For the bath, set her in a tub of *clean* water for ten minutes first. This is done because Brazilians are water-loving snakes that drink frequently and voluminously, and you want her to get her fill of clean water than that meds. After her water bath, transfer her to a tub of betadine solution. The store-bought solution will already be diluted, and you further dilute to to about 19-1 (5%). Let her sit in that for a good ten minutes. Then place her back in her tub. Repeat that every other day for a total of three soaks and see if it helps.

Again, you'd be best to have on newspaper during this process.

Good luck,

[The_Joker]

Good news- I took her in and got her checked out. They said it looked more like a slight burn but that it should be healed in a few sheds. He also suggested the beta dine solution and i have jut finished the first one. Also, i replaced the cypress with newspaper and cleaned her vivarium in hopes to cut down on chance of infection.

As far as the bedding goes- i was putting 3-4 cups of water into the substrate twice weekly to help with the humidity. However, she also spilled water out of her water dish quite often which would change the amount. To put this in perspective, her tank is about 48"x120"X 24" (Width, height, depth) and the bedding is about 4" deep. Also, i changed the branch configuration in her tank to make sure she cannot get anywhere near her light nor her ceramic heater. (She has lived in this enclosure for nearly 7 years now and never had a problem, but i'm not risking anything!)

[Skumbo]

Grab a hygrometer if you're worried about humidity issues, but make sure and get a good one, the cheapo ones can be as far as 20% off (trust me, they're horrible) look for good cigar hygrometers if you're worried about them not being spot on.

I'm glad (well not glad but better than scale rot id imagine) that its just a minor burn, should clear up i hope, by the way.. gorgeous snake! I just put down money on a BRB, but i cant get it until it warms up.. sigh.

[Snakesitter]

Joker, glad to hear you took Durwin in right away, and that you've made the recommended changes. Having her knock over her water bowl should not be an issue, as that will *increase* humidity, and these snakes thrive in moist conditions. Please keep us posted!

[Skumbo]

Joker, glad to hear you took Durwin in right away, and that you've made the recommended changes. Having her knock over her water bowl should not be an issue, as that will *increase* humidity, and these snakes thrive in moist conditions. Please keep us posted!

that could be fine now, but he was worried about scale rot at first, which is caused when they sit on over-humid substrate for too long I believe.

[The_Joker]

that could be fine now, but he was worried about scale rot at first, which is caused when they sit on over-humid substrate for too long I believe.

-- This is what i was referring to. Hence why i saw it as a problem. At the time i actually appreciated the fact that she was keeping her enclosure humid :)
- As far as the hygrometer goes, i have one (Cigar Humidor Hygrometer) that works great. So i do monitor the levels. I had just been referring to maintaining the humidity levels in the tank to keep her happy :)

[Snakesitter]

Brazilians, just FYI, seem virtually immune to scale rot. I've heard it *can* happen, but it seems very rare, and to require more than damp substrate. Cigar models are amazingly accurate Joker, good call! Again, glad to hear she is on the mend!

[Skumbo]

-- This is what i was referring to. Hence why i saw it as a problem. At the time i actually appreciated the fact that she was keeping her enclosure humid :)
- As far as the hygrometer goes, i have one (Cigar Humidor Hygrometer) that works great. So i do monitor the levels. I had just been referring to maintaining the humidity levels in the tank to keep her happy :)

Brazilians, just FYI, seem virtually immune to scale rot. I've heard it *can* happen, but it seems very rare, and to require more than damp substrate. Cigar models are amazingly accurate Joker, good call! Again, glad to hear she is on the mend!

you'd be surprised, salt test those babies!

[The_Joker]

you'd be surprised, salt test those babies!

The hygrometer? I am not familiar with Salt-testing. How is it done and what does it accomplish?

Update: Swapped out the newspaper bedding (Ok so i did this like 4 times over the past week to insure a clean surface.... but still) for cypress. She seems to like the cypress much better & after her shed (13 years later and she still sheds clean!) i thoroughly inspected the area. The color was about the same though slightly lighter in color. I took pics but its impossible to tell without excellent lighting, which my flash is not providing. So i went ahead with another beta-dine solution bath. No change so far but as i have been told this particular bath is more of a preventative measure than anything. Temperament is still as expected and she seems to be unaffected by the "burn". Ill keep it coming, but so far it seems to be a rather slow process. Thanks again for all the help!

[shaunyboy]

burns usually take a good couple of months to sort themselves out

first the area will turn brown and scab over

then after 2 or 3 sheds,there will be next to nothing to show she was burned in the first place

just keep it clean and an eye on it for infection,if the scabs come off and theres raw patches,use a dilluted iodine solution twice daily on the effected area,until fully healed

it looks like a very slight burn in your pictures mate,so i wouldn't worry too much mate

cheers shaun

[Skumbo]

The hygrometer? I am not familiar with Salt-testing. How is it done and what does it accomplish?

Update: Swapped out the newspaper bedding (Ok so i did this like 4 times over the past week to insure a clean surface.... but still) for cypress. She seems to like the cypress much better & after her shed (13 years later and she still sheds clean!) i thoroughly inspected the area. The color was about the same though slightly lighter in color. I took pics but its impossible to tell without excellent lighting, which my flash is not providing. So i went ahead with another beta-dine solution bath. No change so far but as i have been told this particular bath is more of a preventative measure than anything. Temperament is still as expected and she seems to be unaffected by the "burn". Ill keep it coming, but so far it seems to be a rather slow process. Thanks again for all the help!

(this is my "updated" version):

Your humidity may be way off! | Paul The Polymath (http://paulthepolymath.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/your-humidity-may-be-way-off/)

or on this forum (original one):

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-enclosure-discussion/90447-your-humidity-may-way-off.html

[Snakesitter]

Good stuff. The snake image at the bottom is win. (As, actually, is the beer at the top....)

[Skumbo]

Good stuff. The snake image at the bottom is win. (As, actually, is the beer at the top....)

lol the top pic changes randomly every time you load a new page ;)

[Snakesitter]

Ah well, it lead me to your booze page before it vanished, so all is well anyway. :D

[Skumbo]

Ah well, it lead me to your booze page before it vanished, so all is well anyway. :D

lol! speaking of which i have a few reviews i need to finish editing and get up there.. hmm