Burn on belly?

toripyth · 05-25-13, 11:59 PM

While holding my brazilian rainbow today I noticed a couple darkened spots on his underbelly that almost looked.. charred. Upon further inspection it looked as if part of the scales had actually chipped away. Can anyone tell me what this is from?
He does have a heating mat located underneath his hide box. I use reptibark as a substrate and have a lot of natural wood in his terrarium. Also, I have a fogger that runs all night long and leave it off during the day to help prevent mold growth. I'm not sure if any of this info would help but I included it just incase.
Thanks!

For some reason when I try to include the URL for the pictures I get a message saying 'post denied'? I'm not sure how I'll be able to add pictures.

Starbuck · 05-26-13, 06:20 AM

without pictures, all anyone can do at this point is guess. You should be able to post pictures after 5 posts on this forum.
How do you measure your temperatures, and with what?

rmfsnakes32 · 05-26-13, 06:55 AM

Do you use a thermostat to control temps

toripyth · 05-26-13, 06:04 PM

I have a thermostat on either side of his terrarium near the bottom. Temps range from around 65 at night to 80 during the day. I realize that is a bit low but whenever I raise the temp any higher he hangs out only on the cool end of his tank. I'm not sure what type of thermostats they are? Theyre long black strips that have colored bars appear on.

Nataku · 05-26-13, 07:34 PM

After five posts you can post pics (so find some threads to spam up?).

The UTH, does it cover the entire bottom of the tank, or only part? I ask because if it is getting too warm in there and the UTH covers the entire bottom of the tank, the snake may have no where to go to get away from the heat.

Also, if the UTH doesn't cover the entire tank, is there a second hide available on the side of the tank that is cooler? Some snakes are so shy they'll stay in their hide box even when the temp is not where it should be, so providing another hide on the cool side might also help.

bcr229 · 05-26-13, 09:09 PM

The UTH shouldn't cover the whole tank as BRB's need to stay under 85*F.

My BRB rarely uses his hot side hide, he much prefers the one on the cool side.

toripyth · 05-26-13, 10:04 PM

I have a thermostat on either side of his tank near the bottom. Temps usually range from 65-80. His UTH is a small one that only covers the area underneath his hide box. He is not very shy and isn't hesitant to sleep in other places besides his hide box. He does only have one actual hide box but on his cool spot there is an assortment of wood that he likes to sleep under if he feels too warm.
I'll go comment on a few other threads and then post some pictures.

toripyth · 05-26-13, 10:09 PM

I have posted 5 times and still get the following message when I'm only trying to upload a single picture:
Post denied. New posts are limited by number of URLs it may contain and checked if it doesn't contain forbidden words.

toripyth · 05-26-13, 10:10 PM

Here is a link to my photobucket. You can find the pictures on there.
lykasong's Library | Photobucket

toripyth · 05-26-13, 10:16 PM

Also, the pinkness on his belly is completely normal for him right before a shed. I've noticed that, compared to my other snake, his belly gets significantly more pink around shedding time.

Mikoh4792 · 05-26-13, 10:37 PM

I did a google search and that looks to be a mild form of scale rot. If it was a burn from the heat mat it would cover a larger area, probably with some inflammation and peeling.

If im not mistaken, your humidity cycles should be reversed. High humidity in the day, with a drop at night.

toripyth · 05-26-13, 10:51 PM

Thank you very much. Should I take him to the vet to get it checked out further?
Is there anything else I can do to help get rid of the scale rot/help it heal?
Also, what can I do to prevent this from happening again besides switching the humidity cycle?

Mikoh4792 · 05-26-13, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toripyth

Thank you very much. Should I take him to the vet to get it checked out further?
Is there anything else I can do to help get rid of the scale rot/help it heal?
Also, what can I do to prevent this from happening again besides switching the humidity cycle?

Is your substrate wet? Humidity is about how much water is in the air, not in the substrate. I can imagine leaving your fogger on the whole day or night would be the cause of this. I don't have any experience with scale rot so I can't even diagnose your snake's problem to be scale rot in the first place. That's just my guess. If another member can confirm that it is scale rot, I would just clean the cage, put in new substrate, and keep it damp, not wet. I have read on a few other places about this " betadine 10% solution bath 2x daily" treatment for scale rot. Since I have no experience with it, I don't know whether or not it spreads. If not, I would guess that after a few sheds his/her scales would come back to normal.

toripyth · 05-26-13, 11:12 PM

His substrate does absorb some moisture since its bark but I've been using the same substrate with him for 5+ years and have never had an issue with it...

Lankyrob · 05-27-13, 05:59 AM

You have THERMOMETERS each side of the tank that measure the heat, do you have a THERMOSTAT that controls your heat source and stops it getting too hot or too cold in the viv?