Please Help - A problem with a Coastal.

[Kristin25]

Firstly thank you to anyone and everyone that may be able to offer some insight.

A friend of mine recently bought a coastal carpet python unseen via the internet. Upon closer inspection of the animal quite a number of scales appear to be lifting up and the snake seems to be discharging a clear thick and sticky substance from its scales along the entire body.

Being fairly new to the reptile world i have no idea what it is but i don't think that it is normal.

Could it be a disease or infection?

 

[chrisso81]

Sounds bad, get to the vet ASAP, contact the seller and let them know of the problem immediately if the snake has arrived in this condition.

 

[chewbacca]

mites, a bad case of it? mites tend to lift the scales up

 

[sookie]

But oozing out of the scales,can mites do that?can mites be deadly to a healthy snake,lizard?i think that the vet would be a good idea.

 

[Nikki.]

I checked one of my books just incase.But what you described sounds as though the snake has blister disease on its body.The book says "The blisters can quickly spread to cover much of the snakes body & are filled with fluid that can be either redish,clear,or milky. Blisters will often spread rapidly in the opaque stage of shedding and scales may lift" .

Sorry if thats not it.
Goodluck x

 

[LizardLady]

Firstly thank you to anyone and everyone that may be able to offer some insight.

A friend of mine recently bought a coastal carpet python unseen via the internet. Upon closer inspection of the animal quite a number of scales appear to be lifting up and the snake seems to be discharging a clear thick and sticky substance from its scales along the entire body.

Being fairly new to the reptile world i have no idea what it is but i don't think that it is normal.

Could it be a disease or infection?

Hey Kristin, welcome!

When you say the animal has a discharge "from the scales", do you mean the skin directly underneath the scales? My initial, and only slightly educated, guess would be an infection - the animal will need a vet visit asap. Does the discharge have a smell? Whereabouts on the animal is this discharge coming from?

In the meantime, are you able to post pics here for us, so we could perhaps give you and your friend a better "guestimate"...? Keep the animal in a warm, dry environment, newspaper for substrate and the very bare essentials in the enclosure, up the temps a fraction (change the wattage of the heat-globe), and keep your fingers crossed. If it is an infection, the vet will probably swab the area to determine the type of infection and may suggest a course of Baytril (general "all-purpose" antibiotic)...

Oh, and no, this kind of thing isn't "normal"!

We will wait for your reply! Good luck!

Best,
Carolyn

 

[cement]

Keep the snake at 35 degrees, and in very clean,dry condition.Is this occurring along the belly, and is there redness/brown colour to it?

 

[Kristin25]

It could be, Although the snake has been treated with a spray for mites. Hasn't seemed to make a difference. Unless the mites have become internal? If that is possible.

Nikki - That sounds like a fairly accurate description of whats happening. Did your book offer any remedies, or is it simply a anti biotic case?

Lizardlady - I shall do my best to post some pics. The discharge is in fact coming from the skin but does not have any smell about it. The problem seemsto be occurring along the entire length of the snake, howeveri am notsure about the stomach.

A very big thank you to everyone that has offered there knowledge.