Strange scales on new Carpet

reptimama · 05-04-14, 04:38 PM

I picked this little guy up yesterday from a guy in Fl. The guy said he is a 6 month old. When I picked him up I didn't notice anything off then, on the drive back home, and this morning I noticed these strange white scales on his head. I texted and asked the guy about them and he said that he'd done an internet search and it is due to him soaking in the water bowl too much (which he didn't know how to stop) or a bad shed. His last shed was 2-3 weeks ago and he ate last week. His current humidity is currently close to 60%. I can't be sure of his temp because there is a crappy, stick to the side of the tank, thermometer in the set up. It was sold as a "complete set up"so I didn't budget for a thermometer. What are the opinions of those here? Is there anything I can do, should I take him to the vet? He's currently in quarantine away from all other reptiles.

Mikoh4792 · 05-04-14, 05:21 PM

The picture is a bit blurry, but if it's from soaking, it must be a deposit of minerals from very hard water. Either that or dried shed that didn't come off.

There's nothing wrong with %60 humidity but would just like to add it doesn't need to be that high. I keep my carpets around 40-50 most of the time and just raise it during shed.

Maybe someone else who's seen their carpets soak can chime in, but none of my carpet pythons ever soak. Maybe the previous owner was keeping him too hot or too dry if he was soaking all the time.

EDIT: if the carpet python is 6 months old, that means he hatched out during the winter. For the carpet breeders, I've never heard of carpets hatching near december. Are they seasonal breeders?

reptimama · 05-04-14, 05:35 PM

He wasn't a breeder. I'm not sure where he got the little guy but I know the post was up for about 2 months... His temps feel too hot to ME but I'm not a snake and I can't tell you by feel what the temp is in his tank

The crappy little thermometer isn't even registering a temp. and I have no extras. I'm going to see if I can grab a better one tomorrow on my way home from work. He has an UTH and a bulb. I have a list of things I need to get for him, one of which is a thermostat. I'll work on adjusting the humidity to try to get it down some. I'm letting him chill since he just moved and when I can I'll try to get a non-blurry picture. I'll try changing his water to see if that helps.

Mikoh4792 · 05-04-14, 06:25 PM

You're off to a good start, and by the looks of it he's in a much better place with you than he was with his previous owner. You can keep the humidity at %60, I was just saying it doesn't need to be that high.

poison123 · 05-04-14, 06:39 PM

Could be an old injury that healed up this way.

formica · 05-05-14, 04:09 AM

can you get a better picture? ie not with a phone camera?

although tbh I suspect that a vet needs to confirm that it is not for eg a bactirial or fungal infection, which can spread and become lethal if not treated properly

reptimama · 05-05-14, 04:59 PM

I'll try to get a better pic later this week. I'll have to get a new battery for my camera. I hope it is nothing serious :-/

formica · 05-06-14, 02:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reptimama

I'll try to get a better pic later this week. I'll have to get a new battery for my camera. I hope it is nothing serious :-/

if it is an infection, then it could become serious very quickly, you need to see a herp vet

reptimama · 05-10-14, 09:27 AM

I got an appointment with the vet. They didn't seem too concerned as they didn't give me an appointment right away so I'm hoping that is a good sign. I got him a thermometer/hydrometer and I was right about his temps being too high. They were close to 100 and they should have been around 80-90. I also cleaned out his tank really well, changed his water, got him some new hides. He ate well yesterday

I was able to get a better look at his head and it seems to be clearing some so I'm hoping for good news from the vet and then out of quarantine!

reptimama · 05-15-14, 07:24 PM

All is well

I need to treat him daily with some peroxide to help the scales come off but it isn't an infection!

formica · 05-16-14, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reptimama

All is well

I need to treat him daily with some peroxide to help the scales come off but it isn't an infection!

good to hear, so is it stuck shed then?

shaunyboy · 05-16-14, 05:28 PM

could you take a picture outside without a flash,this will give you a better picture in natural light

what exactly did your vet say it was ?

re peroxide
what do you mean remove the scales completely,taking the scales off leaving bare skin ?

ive seen a lot of snakes lose the colour pigmentation in some scales,its nothing to worry about

cheers shaun

reptimama · 05-16-14, 07:10 PM

I can probably get a better picture tomorrow. The vet said it isn't contagious and to Dr. it every day with peroxide and a cotton ball. Keep him in quarantine for a little longer, get a stool sample when I can and that all in all it looks like I've got a good healthy little carpet. She also said it was good that I brought his temps down and that I could bump up his humidity to help the scales come off. He's looking MUCH better than the first picture. He ate well again today

Mikoh4792 · 05-17-14, 04:46 AM

I'm confused. Is it stuck shed or an infection?

If it's an infection I don't see how lowering temps and raising humidity helps at all... especially if it's already at 60%.

formica · 05-17-14, 05:03 AM

indeed, confused here aswell, what did the vet say was going on?

raising the humidity will certainly help stuck shed (but as Mikoh pointed out, 60% isnt low) - and given that you havent mentioned anitbiotics or antifungals, I guess its not an infection? ...but I dont get the reason for dropping the temps either way unless there is an issue with the setup

what are the temps in the enclosure and how are you measuring/controlling them? (pre and post vet visit, was it a specialist reptile vet?)