Help! Python possibly with blister disease

[slinky_crazy]

Picked up my royal python today and noticed a few droplets of blood under his scales near his tail, they aren't lumps it just looks like a bit of blood has seeped up. I was absolutely terrified and started googling it and found it might be blister disease. I'm fully cleaning him out tonight but don't have any more substrate so am considering taking everything out and bedding him on tissue overnight until I can get to the pet shop in the morning. Would this be suitable bedding for one night or is there another easily obtainable (I don't have transport) alternative?

However, he has also had a very poor shed recently and is still patchy and I read this might be symptom of mites, though I've found no trace of them, and that this might explain bleeding.

He's incredibly solitary and quite nervous and so rarely comes out of his hide and I'm having problems getting him to explore his cage and actually drink so I suspected the poor shed might be due to dehydration as when I get him out and offer him water he immediately drinks. To help with the shed I put him firstly into a box full of damp tissue for a few hours and when this didnt particularly help I bathed him in a plastic tub of water for a few minutes, I'm worried that this is what has initiated blister disease as I've read it can be caused by damp conditions.

I've read so much contradictory advice regarding snake upkeep that I'm worried about making any moves now that might be deemed unsuitable later!

My mother is a vetinary nurse so there's a possibility I can get medications from her but they aren't reptile specialists and I don't want to be subjecting him to anything foreign to his body that isn't absolutely necessary.

Any advice would be apprecciated. He seems happy in himself and isn't bothered about his tail being touched (I've read blister disease is very painful?) Thanks.

[Arzo]

As reguards to the blood i havent a clue..sorry man,Yeah it is fine to use tissue as a substrate most people use it and newspaper as a substrate anyways..The bad shed could be down to not enough humidity,Put him in a luke warm bath and that should help him get it off,

Royals tend to spend about 90% of their time in hides some a diffrent tho,Try using a red bulb and you might see a little more of him..Also after lights out he may well come out exploring aswell.

Good luck anyways man

Aaron

[slinky_crazy]

Went to a good reptile shop for advice and I'm taking him in on Saturday but the woman there said it sounds like a minor burn. Apparently royals are susceptible and, though I was originaly told to do it!, as I had the heat mat in the viv and he had been sitting on it this had caused it as heat mats are only designed to take the weight of one inch of substrate and my python is getting quite big. I've been advised to swop to a bulb for heat and I've changed his bedding from substrate to orchid bark and he's allready out and exploring so panic over. lol. She suspects the poor shed is due to dehydration or the dryness of the substrate I was keeping him on, given him another dampening down with tissue and he seems alot happier =)

Thanks anyway!

[pied pythons]

Originally Posted by slinky_crazy

Went to a good reptile shop for advice and I'm taking him in on Saturday but the woman there said it sounds like a minor burn. Apparently royals are susceptible and, though I was originaly told to do it!, as I had the heat mat in the viv and he had been sitting on it this had caused it as heat mats are only designed to take the weight of one inch of substrate and my python is getting quite big. I've been advised to swop to a bulb for heat and I've changed his bedding from substrate to orchid bark and he's allready out and exploring so panic over. lol. She suspects the poor shed is due to dehydration or the dryness of the substrate I was keeping him on, given him another dampening down with tissue and he seems alot happier =)

Thanks anyway!

What utter rubbish...

Royals are no more susceptible to burns than any other snake??

Although placing something heavy on a heat mat can cause thermal blocking...there is no reason why a royal sitting on one should cause burns if the heat mat is on a thermostat. And as for the 1 inch of substrate weight...rubbish.

But yes, changing to a bulb/ceramic heat source would be far preferable as they provide a better heat...plus as an adult the amount of urine your snake will pass is unsafe with a heat mat due to the saturation of the terminal block leading to electric shock etc...unless properly protected.

The poor shed will be due to a lack of proper humidity in the environment you are providing. What is the %? Again...the poor shed has nothing to do with how dry the substrate is - all the newspaper in my vivs is bone crispy dry...yet the humidity level in the viv is sufficient.

To be quite honest...the advice you've recieved from this good reptiles shop is a little misleading/dodgy.

Hope this helps

[pied pythons]

I meant to add...why are you taking her into the reptile shop?

If you think she has blister disease or a burn you need to take her to the vets - there is very little a reptile shop can do for her...except stressing her out on the somewhat pointless journey which could contribute to knocking her immune system a little...and the risk or her catching something from the shop...or transferring something to the stock there.

[joe_oasis]

As for the blood under the scales my guess would be septicemia as my burm had blood underneath his scales, and blood tests confirmed this.
Kitchen roll or newspaper will be fine for substrate.
As for the drinking and staying in his hide royals are nocturnal, so you will n
ot see him cruising about his vivarium during the day as much as you would at night and that's when they usually have a drink, I hardly ever see mine drink.
I would get him to a reptile vet asap because the blood is not a good sign, hope this helps and I hope your royal will be ok.

[jon harvey]

As others have said get it to the vets asap just to be safe.

However, sometimes royals bleed a little from the vent when they shed, it's all to do with the softer tissue on the inside of the vent, which can rcv minor trauma during the sloughing process, especially if the snake has had a bad shed. Could the blood have come from the vent? Is there anymore blood or any other signs of trauma or infection, such as swelling or blisters etc?

It is unlikely that a few hours in a damp hide would cause blister disease. It normally only occurs where there is prolonged exposure to damp conditions and where there are high levels of bacteria present. For example where a snake lays in it's own urine or faeces, or where the cage is not kept clean.

Good luck, hope it is nothing to worry about and keep us informed.

Jon

[snakeman95]

if your royal has blister diease then you need to get some batrol down it and keep baving it in looky warm water

[pied pythons]

Originally Posted by snakeman95

if your royal has blister diease then you need to get some batrol down it and keep baving it in looky warm water

This is the THIRD time you've told someone to use ''Batrol/Bayrol/Batroly'' today...firstly for someone with a non feeding corn snake...

I think you are on about ''Baytril''...which is an antibiotic that can only be prescribed by a vet.

I personally think you should be very careful about slinging information like this around...especially if you don't really know what you're talking about:

From another thread you posted on:

normally if it sheds and if its in bits then they have a skin condition so bath it to make sure all the skin is of and get some batroly down its throwt

[sender]

im agreeing with pied pythons here on both you should get your snake to the vet and about only using baytrol when its prescibed by a vet,
as with humans if you take antiboitics when your helath it actaully kills off the good bateria in your stomach making you go off your food. you can also make an animal really ill by giving it to much mdeication as you dont know how much to give them (the vets work this out for you) dont give it any medical grade meds till its seen a trained vet.

If it has blister diesease take it to a vet, keep it away from your other reps (if you have more then one) wash your hands with an alchol scrub (you probably already do but just to be sure)