Hello! I recently took in a 7 year old piebald ball python. He had some pinkish spots on his back when I got him but I know that can be an indicator of getting ready to shed in white snakes, or pressure spots. He shed about a week ago and still has pink spots. They’re more noticeable in person, the camera didn’t pick up the spots very well. He’s in a 4x2x1 PVC enclosure with cypress mulch substrate. His warm side is 88F and cool side is 80F. Humidity is currently a little high for my liking at 92% on the cool sidle, I’m finding it difficult to lower the humidity with wet substrate and almost no vents on this PVC tank. Yes I know the substrate shouldn’t be wet, his bowl spilt and it just really doesn’t want to dry out. It hasn’t been wet long enough to cause any problems though. I just want to confirm if I should be worried about these spots or if they’re normal. I also suspect he’s a bit overweight so any input on that would be helpful as well. He’s right about 1800g.
The marks don’t look too bad in the photos as far as swelling and such. If they are a more pronounced pink irl then that is a little bit of a worry for me. If he was my boy I would keep a good eye on him for now.
These spots don’t go away after he’s out and about, correct? There could still be an issue with him having scratched himself on a hide or somewhere he tried to squeeze through that’s too small.
How is the heat provided? If the heat is from a CHE in a basket he may have given himself a small burn. If that is the case, after another shed the symptoms can sometimes worsen. So if that seems to be the case do see a vet.
Also:
Does he seem lethargic at all? Too wet around the mouth? Yawning a lot with a lot of spit or bubbles? If so, does he sit with his head up higher like that first photo?
The other concern would be septicemia. The biggest symptom for me is the red color. It can be caused anytime a bacterial infection gets into the blood and starts affecting the whole body and not just a part like the upper respiratory. A previous rat bite can cause this too.
If the red becomes worse or spreads do take him to a vet.
As far as the bedding, if it’s not planted or anything like that you can try stirring the bedding around. It can help redistribute some of the moisture instead of having it just sit in the cool side.
He has a radiant heat panel. The spots do seem to go away, but I’ve had a hard time tracking them. I honestly probably just a bit paranoid. He’s not lethargic and has no symptoms of a respiratory infection. He’s always fed f/t so there’s no chance of it being a rat bite.
That humidity % is very high, due to the water spill and the substrate refusing to dry out it may be time to take whatever substrate thats soaked out and replace it, you need to aim for no higher than 60% ambient humidity on either side of the enclosure. It can be a risk for mold and bacteria growth that can harm your snake if you leave it as it is.
Otherwise if your snake is not showing any signs of distress/painfulness from the pink marks or signs of illness like lethargy, sudden refusal of food, gasping, gurgling, blwoing bubbles out of the nose or mouth, or spreading/worsening of the pink areas I wouldn’t worry too much and just monitor it.
I have BELs and sometimes they do have some pink on their skin but it’s never cause for concern, most likely just from pressure spots since they like to wedge themselves under their hides pretty snugly or lay against flat surfaces like the walls of their enclosure.
Ya I definitely agree the humidity is too high. I was planning to change it out in a few days. Good to know others have some pink to them occasionally. Thanks!