Hognose scale issues?

[Shadkill]

ok, so, I have a western hognose male, about a foot in length, and 22g (yes, I know that's underweight, Lil bugger didn't wanna eat cause he had other issues going on when I got him, working on that with vet assistance)

he shed a few days ago. during that time I was checking his humidity box, misting the moss if it needed, ect. on the day he shed, I was doing such tasks and picked him up to scoot him out the way so I could spot clean.

He started shedding in my hand, so of course, being a first-time snake owner, and ecstatic to watch him shed, I very very gently put a thumb and forefinger on each side of his body, and with the littlest amount of pressure, just held his shed in place while he slithered out.

He didn't seem stressed, or worried, and I was extremely gentle, literally just holding the skin and letting him slither out on his own.

a few days later, I noticed that the whole of his belly scales are like, sorta wrinkly/have small lines going horizontally across them that look like wrinkles.

I'm worried its a issue like scale rott, of course, will be taking him to the vet asap (I need to anyway for a check-up on his progress) but I'm wondering if I'm just freaking out about nothing?

like I freaked out when he had a smol damaged scale - which came off with his shed (also asked the vet about it, she said it would be fine, he musta banged it or somethin)

and I guess I just wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue, and has any advice to keep him comfortable till I can get him to the vet.

I'll attach pictures if I can get them, god knows snakes are wiggly butts.

Edit: He shed completely fine, and has for the three shed cycles I've had him for. Absolutely no problems with stuck shed or eyecaps (touch wood), always completely perfect sheds

[chairman]

A picture would be helpful. The easiest way to photograph a snake belly is to place the snake in a clear container and take the picture from below.

Weird scale appearance could be a result of too much or too little humidity, which is especially easy to accidentally do in a sterile "hospital" enclosure (you mentioned current veterinary care).

If the snake is recovering from other issues then the lines may be from the presence or absence of nutrients/medication/etc from the treatment. Like how people can have changes in their hair or fingernails with certain treatments.

[Shadkill]

Originally Posted by chairman

A picture would be helpful. The easiest way to photograph a snake belly is to place the snake in a clear container and take the picture from below.

Weird scale appearance could be a result of too much or too little humidity, which is especially easy to accidentally do in a sterile "hospital" enclosure (you mentioned current veterinary care).

If the snake is recovering from other issues then the lines may be from the presence or absence of nutrients/medication/etc from the treatment. Like how people can have changes in their hair or fingernails with certain treatments.

here is a few photos of his belly



its entirely possible I overreacted, maybe it's due to the daily baths in electrolytes or somethin? (ordered by the vet)

[chairman]

Almost looks like a minor burn. Do you have an undertank heater? Is it controlled by a thermostat (not a rheostat)? Can you measure the surface temperature of the hot spot with a infrared/non contact thermometer/temp gun?

Not trying to undermine your vet but electrolyte soaks are mostly useless with snakes. They are only beneficial if your snake happens to drink while soaking; the snake's skin doesn't absorb nutrients. (Electrolyte soaks are useful for tortoises because tortoises absorb nutrients through their cloacas.)

The only worthwhile soak substances I know of are water for shedding issues and chlorhexidine/iodine for topical infections.

[Shadkill]

Originally Posted by chairman

A picture would be helpful. The easiest way to photograph a snake belly is to place the snake in a clear container and take the picture from below.

Weird scale appearance could be a result of too much or too little humidity, which is especially easy to accidentally do in a sterile "hospital" enclosure (you mentioned current veterinary care).

If the snake is recovering from other issues then the lines may be from the presence or absence of nutrients/medication/etc from the treatment. Like how people can have changes in their hair or fingernails with certain treatments.

Originally Posted by chairman

Almost looks like a minor burn. Do you have an undertank heater? Is it controlled by a thermostat (not a rheostat)? Can you measure the surface temperature of the hot spot with a infrared/non contact thermometer/temp gun?

Not trying to undermine your vet but electrolyte soaks are mostly useless with snakes. They are only beneficial if your snake happens to drink while soaking; the snake's skin doesn't absorb nutrients. (Electrolyte soaks are useful for tortoises because tortoises absorb nutrients through their cloacas.)

The only worthwhile soak substances I know of are water for shedding issues and chlorhexidine/iodine for topical infections.

yeah, I do, I have a heating mat under it, which reads at like 25c usually, and usually is only on during the night. it is controlled by a thermostat and automatically switches off if it goes above the set temp of 25c. same with the UVB heat bulb. (that's set at 31c though)

I also have a thin piece of reptile carpet on top of the mat, so he wouldn't be able to lay on top of it directly (not saying that he hasn't crawled under the coco-fibers and gotten on top of the heat mat.

I understand your option on the electrolytes - while the bath itself may not be beneficial, I have actively seen him drinking in his bath, and I also put a lil into his water dish, just to be 99% sure he gets at least some.

he's a special one tbh, and we are just kinda going through a list of treatments cause the vet doesn't really know what's going on.

I just wanted to see if someone could identify if it was like scale rot or a burn or if I was just freakin over something normal since this is my first snake.

he's going to the vet in a weeks time, if not earlier if his belly is still looking dodgy in a few days

if you reckon it is a burn, what steps should I take to avoid further damage to his scales while waiting for an appointment from the vet? ( which I'll prob phone tomorrow and get an appointment)

[Shadkill]

Update:

I don't know if I've nudged the thermostat while dusting the top of his tank, or maybe my mom nudged it up, but either way, it was way higher than it should have been.

and now I feel absolutely awful. it's probably burns. I feel completely and utterly like crap now.

I do check the thermos and the temps twice or three times a day, but clearly, at some point I've miss read or mischecked something.

phoning the vet tomorrow and getting an appointment for him.

[chairman]

Don't get too upset, they aren't bad burns. Definitely seen worse. They probably don't need treatment beyond fixing the temperature issue, though a vet might give antibiotics just in case.

Also, you are bringing your snake to the vet, which makes you a better owner than many.

There's nothing wrong with electrolytes, I might just be inclined to add them to the water dish instead of stressing the snake with soaks.

[Shadkill]

Originally Posted by chairman

Don't get too upset, they aren't bad burns. Definitely seen worse. They probably don't need treatment beyond fixing the temperature issue, though a vet might give antibiotics just in case.

Also, you are bringing your snake to the vet, which makes you a better owner than many.

There's nothing wrong with electrolytes, I might just be inclined to add them to the water dish instead of stressing the snake with soaks.

yeah, I'll just quit the soaks for the now and make sure hes got some in his water dish

thank you for the help