Whats up with my Irian Jayas skin

ShawnB · 08-19-10, 09:13 AM

Hello all I am new here and I just purchased a Irian Jaya Carpet Python last Saturday at a reptile expo and everything looked great. Now I have noticed some spots on his skin and am curious to what they are and if I should be concerned. This is my first Carpet Python and absolutely love him and want to make sure I do everything right. Here are a few pics and you can see the spots I'm referring to especially in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pics. All comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks Shawn

infernalis · 08-19-10, 03:07 PM

Look like snake mite bites maybe....

Do you see any very tiny black specks moving around?? do you have small bugs on your hands after handling the snake?

they are very tiny, like a speck of black pepper... look close in a strong light.

marvelfreak · 08-19-10, 04:07 PM

Hello and Welcome! I am with Wayne looks like mites or a bad shed. I would check him real close for little black bugs.

ShawnB · 08-19-10, 04:57 PM

I checked him thoughly last night with a bright flashlight and didn't see anything crawling or moving around. I will check more tonight.

Freebody · 08-19-10, 05:13 PM

what type of enclose do you have? any sharp enges it could have hurt itself on? if its wood what type of wood is it? or what type of bedding are you using? pine is bad for snakes it could be havng an allergic reaction or ceder chips as well, not sure all the woo off the top of my head thats bad for it,but ill check into it and try to post back. it could be mites, put him in some water you will see mite release and float on top. Welcome to the forum btw

ShawnB · 08-19-10, 06:06 PM

Think I will take him to see a vet tomorrow. When I got home I pulled him out of his home and noticed some kind of clear non-smelling fluid coming from some of the spots. There are also some scales coming off the infected areas when you rub on them.

I have him in a 10 gallon tank with cypress mulch for substrate. there is no sharp edges anywhere in his set-up and everything is brand new. There is a branch in his home but not sure what kind of wood it is. I have had him soaking in luke-warm water for about 10 minutes now and see no mites.

Poor guy I really hope it not something serius. He really is an awesome snake, he's never tried nipping at me or my kids and is really mellow when I am handling him. I'll get him in tomorrow and see what the doc says.

Freebody · 08-19-10, 06:13 PM

take out the cyress mulch, thats another bad wood for him, just use news paper or you can use aspen, i would bet hes having allergic reaction, take it to the vet if its that bad,

bladeblaster · 08-20-10, 01:16 AM

1) its dehydrated
2) The spots are either water blisters, which will clear up with the next shed, or they are suncataneous parasites which will need antibiotic injections. Impossibel to tell which from those pictures, a decent reptile vet should be able to tell on inspection.

Feebo · 08-20-10, 02:55 AM

Can you actually feel lumps? My first thought was that it was just a dodgy shed and bits of skin still stuck to the snake. It does look like it might be a bit lumpy though...

As other forum members are saying, cypress mulch isn`t good stuff to use really. If you`re trying to create a bit of humidity there are other ways to do it without using that horrible stuff. If they look like little water filled blisters that`ll be water burns. Are you using a heat mat ? That can cause water burns because the snake will go straight from it`s water bowl to the hot heat mat which basically boils the little water dropplets between the snakes belly and the mat. Ceramic heating is by faaaaar the best way to heat a suitably sized snake. I dare say the problem is fairly small and you`ll be sorted in no time with a few small changes in husbandry

In the mean time, find yourself a small towel, get it nice and wet with warm water and let the snake go through it, wrapping it around him and applying a little pressure. That should remove any loose skin and let you have a clearer look at what you`re dealing with.....

Will0W783 · 08-20-10, 08:33 AM

Cypress mulch is bad? I use Keepers' Choice for a lot of my humidity-loving snakes, and that is cypress mulch and I've never had a problem. I keep my carpets and boas on aspen though, because they don't need as much humidity.

Man_vs_Wild · 08-20-10, 09:16 AM

Ive seen this problem many times and the truth is noones really knows what they are. They feel like blisters under the snakes skin. The most likely cause is too much moisture in its environment. The good news is its harmless to the snake, the bad news is they look terible. One thing i dont know is if they heal. I let mine go back into the wild before i noticed any change.

bladeblaster · 08-20-10, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Man_vs_Wild

Ive seen this problem many times and the truth is noones really knows what they are.

errr thats not true, why would no one know what they are, they aren't pixie magic, its just nature, it can always be explained.

They are either water blisters, which can be a simple build up of the snakes natural skin oils in one area, or can be as feebo said where water is trapped under the scales and causes a blister. Or they are subcataneous parasites.

Man_vs_Wild · 08-21-10, 01:53 AM

Vets dont know what they are... I would youthnase the snake... but dont listen to me.

shaunyboy · 08-21-10, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Man_vs_Wild

Vets dont know what they are... I would youthnase the snake... but dont listen to me.

looks like carinata is back imo

shaunyboy · 08-21-10, 08:52 AM

at first i thought it was pieces of retained shed but the ones that look more like lumps and with your description of clear fluid coming out them im thinking blisters.

as bladeblaster said take it to your vet.he will be able to sort it out for you.

its a really nice irian mate

im looking for a female just like it at the minute.

cheers shaun