Snake Scale Problem

MOBugGuy

Arachnoknight
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So my 3'+ Texas Rat Snake has this on her nose an I dont know what the cause is. I got 2 a male an female in a 40g cage with 5" of aspen shavings huge water bowl and a couple hides. Any help would be great.



 

Crysta

Arachnoprince
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it looks abit shiny and like smeared pee... lol
maybe get a less exposed nose?

Could possibly scale rot (start of it?) from too much humidty?
 

Bigboy

Arachnoprince
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This may sound stupid, but have you tried wiping it off with a damp towel?
 

MOBugGuy

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This may sound stupid, but have you tried wiping it off with a damp towel?
Tried it but nothin, my male has it on his head to but but its not one big spot just randomly on his head, but it wasnt like that a couple weeks ago on him, The female as had it for around a month I think.
 

zonbonzovi

Creeping beneath you
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It looks like feces, to be honest. That stuff can be hard to remove...like trying to scrub gypsum off a porous surface. Maybe give your snake(s) a warm soak & see if that doesn't do it.
 

MOBugGuy

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I gave them a warm soak, tried cleanin there spot with qtip an towl but nothin. It looks as if the shiny part of there scales are off.
 

the toe cutter

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Looks like it just simply has a good case of nose rub! Some snakes like to search for various weakness' in their enclosure and lacking limbs as is the case, they do that by rubbing their snout and pushing up against things it may think it can push out of the way and attempt escape. This can sometimes cause the scales to become raw and scab over, and could be an issue when this happens to the 2 nasal scales on either side of the nasal cavity and it scabs over. Since your snake primarily seems to have this rub on the two prefrontal scales, it wont be much of an issue minus some possible scarring if it gets any worse. But that usually goes away with time and good shedding. Just make sure it comes off when the little fella sheds next time! Hope that helps
 

txgsxr

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Do you use a heat light? And if so do you have it blocked off enough so it cant get right up against it?
 

MOBugGuy

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Thanks ToeCutter.


Its not from heat the light is 4 feet above the cage.
 

pitbulllady

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I'm with Toe Cutter-looks like a healed-up case of nose-rub to me. If the snakes have been rubbing against the top of their enclosure, and it's made of metal, that could account for the shiny appearance of the nose-rub. Wait until they shed, and see if it sheds out or at least gets smaller(nose-rub scarring can take a long time to clear up, and bad cases never do). You might try rubbing a bit of Vitamin E oil on it, since that will help with healing.

pitbulllady
 

nevermore1112

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I was surprised how you guys are able to pet a snake. Amazing.... I would not know if I would still overcome my fear on snakes. The thought of it is looking at me, oh gosh, I freaks me out already, what more of touching it on bare hands... I am so thankful that there are other pets in world :)
 

pitbulllady

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I was surprised how you guys are able to pet a snake. Amazing.... I would not know if I would still overcome my fear on snakes. The thought of it is looking at me, oh gosh, I freaks me out already, what more of touching it on bare hands... I am so thankful that there are other pets in world :)
I cannot image NOT being able to pet or handle snakes! I have never been afraid of them-respectful of the ones that genuinely can hurt me, yes, but fearful, no. Snakes can be remarkably calm and docile animals. Just ask my vet; he'd much rather deal with a hurt snake than a hurt dog, since he knows that most injured or scared dogs will not hesitate to bite, but many snakes will tolerate a whole lot without biting. I had to treat a large male Boa last year for second and third degree burns after the thermostat on his undercage heater failed, allowing the heater to burn him severely, but he never tried to bite me, even though he obviously was in a lot of pain. If that had been a dog, he would have had to be sedated each time his wounds required debriding or I would have gotten mauled! Snakes do not feel the way many people think that they feel. They are not slimy, but have soft, silky skin that most people actually find pleasant to touch once they get over their fear enough to touch one. A snake that has been basking under a warm light or on its heat mat will feel just as warm as human skin, as will one that a person has been holding for a long period of time, allowing it to absorb heat from their own hands. Many of my school students who have touched Boas or Pythons that I bring to school once a year have remarked that their skin actually feels similar to an old person's skin.

pitbulllady
 

dtknow

Arachnoking
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Agreed with the above! They are quite comfy to hold.

PBL: Any experience with a small area of discolored scales that does not change in size but remains after a shed? My female eggeater has two small patches of scales(one on her side, the other on her tail) that are red/pink and it seems lack the melanophores/pigment of the other scales. They developed a few months after I got her but have not changed in size at all. An extensive search turned up a few similar cases in boids but as I have been told by a few people I've shown it to in person no one really knows and the animals do not seem to be affected in the slightest.
 

pitbulllady

Arachnoking
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Agreed with the above! They are quite comfy to hold.

PBL: Any experience with a small area of discolored scales that does not change in size but remains after a shed? My female eggeater has two small patches of scales(one on her side, the other on her tail) that are red/pink and it seems lack the melanophores/pigment of the other scales. They developed a few months after I got her but have not changed in size at all. An extensive search turned up a few similar cases in boids but as I have been told by a few people I've shown it to in person no one really knows and the animals do not seem to be affected in the slightest.
Never seen that personally, but if the scales feel like the other scales, and do not seem to causing any problems, I really wouldn't worry too much. Some snakes undergo odd color changes that aren't consistent with their species, for unknown reasons.

pitbulllady
 

loxoscelesfear

Arachnoprince
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the snake looks fine. it's when you run into problems w/ eye caps not coming off during sheds, blisters of the skin, or mites....that's what you need to watch out for. that TX rat looks healthy and happy.
 

MOBugGuy

Arachnoknight
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the snake looks fine. it's when you run into problems w/ eye caps not coming off during sheds, blisters of the skin, or mites....that's what you need to watch out for. that TX rat looks healthy and happy.
Thanks Shes wild caugt to and loves bein handled but the male loves to bite any chance it gets but gettin less nippy.
 

Crawly

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Dec 21, 2009
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Looks like it just simply has a good case of nose rub! Some snakes like to search for various weakness' in their enclosure and lacking limbs as is the case, they do that by rubbing their snout and pushing up against things it may think it can push out of the way and attempt escape. This can sometimes cause the scales to become raw and scab over, and could be an issue when this happens to the 2 nasal scales on either side of the nasal cavity and it scabs over. Since your snake primarily seems to have this rub on the two prefrontal scales, it wont be much of an issue minus some possible scarring if it gets any worse. But that usually goes away with time and good shedding. Just make sure it comes off when the little fella sheds next time! Hope that helps
I agree. In fact I've had the same thing happen to my greenish rat snake. After one or two sheds it went away.
 
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