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crap. scale burn...
I've mentioned before that my 38" sumatran borgersmai got burnt . I have her in a breeder tank with a heat pad under half, and use a balck bulb as added heat. She's had reptile felt as a substrate since I've had her and was doing great. She stopped using her hides as she got older/bigger, and seemed to want to burrow more (under water dish, etc.)
I switched to sphagnum moss and she loved it, easy to keep the humidity higher too. She , however, recieved a burn from the heat pad, overnight. I removed the moss and returned to the felt.
Too late. She got a crappy burn under the last half of her belly scales.... I've been treating them with neosporin (regular) and keeping her temp up slightly, as well as her humidity.. Seems uncomfortable for her, but she is still sweet as ever!
Tonight, as I rubbed her down with the neosporin, the scales seemed to separate easily, and I basically rubbed them off (very carefully) Her skin below is new and soft, and I assume somewhat tender, but she seemed to be happy to be rid of the hard scales.. She didn't hiss or huff once! And with all the rubbing, she crapped.... several times....
When she gets through her next shed, I'll probably got back to the moss, although I'll definitely leave the felt under the moss. It seems a no-brainer to use this moss with these snakes, they love it!! BTW, I yanked off the old heat pad, and got a new one.
So much for thermoregulation! Glad I checked her when I did, could have been alot worse!! All is well now, and she looks ready to eat right now!
ax.
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