Flaky Belly Scales

Elapidaetion · 06-17-16, 08:52 AM

I'm concerned about my pinstripe, Sollux. I've had him for a month, and I've noticed his belly scales are becoming flaky, wrinkly, and they're peeling a bit. It's primarily occurring on his midsection. The warm side of his tank is about 90-95 degrees Farenheit, cool side is about 70-75. Humidity is 50-60%. Substrate is aspen, he has a half log to crawl into, and a little plastic house that I filled with moist sphagnum moss. He spends a lot of time in the house with the moss. I feed him once a week and change his water once a week. He is rather active and looks and acts healthy. He hasn't shed yet, and I haven't been seeing him drink much lately. I admit that I haven't changed out his substrate yet, and I don't know if that is part of the issue. The way I have his tank set up at the moment makes it extremely difficult to clean (I am moving soon, so I will find a better setup, but I currently live in a small apartment with my family and we have to work with what little space we have). I will attempt to clean it out today (I do clean up his feces, however). Thank you! 13418715_1021173584584702_8078806105736827757_n.jpg

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Albert Clark · 06-17-16, 10:52 AM

It looks normal to me and a small amount of occaisional flaking is ok. If it really bothers you ,and you feel suspicious, switch him onto paper towels until you can get a better idea of what's going on.

Elapidaetion · 06-17-16, 12:50 PM

His belly is super rough, though. Not smooth like it should be.

Albert Clark · 06-17-16, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elapidaetion

His belly is super rough, though. Not smooth like it should be.

Can you find out what substrate the seller had him living on? Anyway, by keeping him on paper towels you should be able to get a handle on it. It's hard to see on the pics provided. Even unprinted newspaper may be a consideration.

Elapidaetion · 06-18-16, 01:08 PM

They had him on aspen, too. It was difficult to get a good picture of it, but it's very easy to see in person. It didn't help that he was moving around so much when I was trying to get the pictures. I live near a store that specializes in reptiles (especially snakes) and we are going to take him to the owner to see what he thinks. Thank you for replying, though! I'm just worried about him since he's my first bp and I want to keep him healthy and happy.

Albert Clark · 06-18-16, 03:27 PM

Gotcha! Sounds good. Can you let us know what he thinks in a update? Just out of curiosity, how are you heating the enclosure? Are you regulating the heating element with a thermostat? I think 95f on the warm side is a bit high. Can you take the temperature of the warm side where the heating mat/ element is underneath the aspen? Just want to make sure this condition isn't a belly burn.