Can anyone help me figure out what’s going on with my BP? I came back from vacation of about 5 days and she had these massive spots. I’m thinking it’s trauma caused from squeezing somewhere as I noticed her really trying to squeeze under her ceramic water bowl to the point I could see her flesh and claws bunching up. She also has a few tiny spots and one near her neck that has texture and looks likes it’s peeling up.
Edit: Thank you all for your responses and concerns I will also post photos of the enclosure in its original state. She is still on substrate I just pulled a lot of items out just in case she was getting somewhere awkward or something. Also I am aware of the low humidity I am trying to bring it up but I live in Wyoming and it is very dry up here so working on getting it re soaked in the corners.
Ouch! Could be a burn that’s started to heal. We need an accurate account of her setup including heat type, lighting type, bedding, cage furnishings, tank, temps and humidity and anything else you can think of…
Why is she trying to squeeze under her water bowl? And didn’t you try to remove the water bowl until you found out why she wanted to be under it? It sounds to me like she was as trying to get away from an uncomfortable situation?
Others will think of other things to ask and maybe have other opinions on her damaged scales. In the meantime you need to get her in another enclosure on clean paper towels for the time being. Others may recommend a good soak but I will leave it to someone who is more knowledgeable than me regarding what to add to the water.
I’m inclined to say I think this is a burn… however I have not seen anything like it before.
Definitely second getting her in a temporary setup until this heals, it may take a few sheds… this will also give you a chance to really look through her enclosure to see if you can find anything that could cause this.
What kind of heating setup do you have?
Edit: @dan30007 have you tried gently washing the area with water? At a closer glance this actually looks like a stain, not a burn… do you have her on inked paper?
This. I’m seeing printing on the area, I’d try a wash before freaking out too much. I’m wondering if maybe there was some pooping that happened and worked like adhesive…
I have tried slightly washing the area but she is in blue so she was very iffy of me handling her so I differ to let it rest and monitor for now until she comes out of blue.
I’ll post update photos of the enclosure but the hottest point was about 94 but that was at the tip top of the hangar for a humid hide. Additionally I don’t think she was trying to escape or get out somewhere she just likes to burrow and I think she found a new spot she could do it. Additionally with you mentioning the pattern I haven’t looked yet but I bet it’s the barcode/sticker underneath the water bowl that she had rubbed against.
She is in blue that’s why I’m trying not to handle her as she is not the biggest fan of it right now. As other have said I think she might of gotten near some barcode or adhesive and gotten it stuck. I am also now wondering if that is the case and the she went into blue if that membrane is kinda sealing it in. To be honest I have really tried scrubbing her as when I was trying to give her a wash when I first found it she started hissing so I figured ask for help and let her be while monitoring.
I see a half log on the left side. Half logs don’t make great hides because they are open on one end, and thus sacrificing security, She may be trying to burrow underneath her water bowl because she doesn’t feel secure in her hides….
How long have you had her? And hopefully you are correct on that barcode idea!
The half log is the transition point over to the cold hide the cold hide is kind of hidden on the left under the fake foliage with the entrance facing the camera. I’ve had her for about 5 months now but she’s about 6-8 old from what we were told.
just to make sure, this has been her enclosure for a while now?
Uncured silicone could have been the issue if it’s a newer enclosure and it was layered too think in the corners where it’s smeared.
Regardless of how comfortable we think they can be or we think what we left for them is… they have their own feelings. If the humid hide is somewhere between 86 and 94 at the top, she may have thought it was too warm. The ceramic with water in it is much cooler. And humid underneath. A nice cool spot to hide under while going into shed.
Many snakes and lizards will try to hide under their dish when craving that squished humidity. Or wrap around them to cool.
I only see two readings of 86. What’s the temp on the cool side? Anything over 92 is definitely too hot and can lead to issues if the snake becomes dehydrated. If there was a heatwave (like where I am right now… ugh) that can definitely cause some changes in there temp and humidity wise
The cold side is sitting at 79 F right now and this has been her enclosure since we got her just used some cardboard to cut in half those first few weeks.
2nd Edit: Thank you to all that helped me out it turns out with 99% certainty it’s a sticker. I was able to get her to soak and did some wiping of the area and it came off so now it will just be a bit of a duly routine to get most if not all off if I can.
Don’t worry if you aren’t able to get it all off, the rest will certainly come off in a shed. You don’t want to make the scales raw and sore from trying too much.
I’m glad that’s all it was either way! If it was actually a burn/injury you’d be looking at a much longer recovery and a few vet visits.
