Please help!!! Ball python belly scales peeling!

Please help!! I noticed this a little over a week ago and it has gotten slightly worse. [emoji51] I don’t know what it is or what it could mean…what do you guys think? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...788cf1d13c.jpg
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This is only on one section of the belly mostly.

She is on paper towels and today she spilled over her whole water bowl somehow making the whole ground soaked. I decided to leave it because clearly she did it for a purpose because she almost never entirely empties her whole water bowl. Maybe is this a sign that she is about to shed? Or something else more concerning? :(

I don't see anything to worry about. I bet a shed is around the corner.

They spill their water because they like to be annoying sometimes. I bought new bowls for my collection. The new ones have a lip on them over the ceramic ones I was using that didn't. My Col Boa and big Blood kept flipping them. So they are back to having old bowls. I've never had the ceramic ones flipped. Mine are just the dog bowls at the big box stores.

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Originally Posted by Claire&snek

Please help!! I noticed this a little over a week ago and it has gotten slightly worse. [emoji51] I don’t know what it is or what it could mean…what do you guys think?...

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Meh...maybe slight dehydration, cage decorations that are abrasive, &/or an oncoming shed, but I don't see anything to lose sleep over. More like a "bad hair day" (in scales). ;)

What's her humidity at these days, if you measure it? If she doesn't have a humid hide, I'd furnish one.

ok thank you! I am however slightly concerned it has gotten a little worse...is that worth worrying over or not? It is definitely significant enough to feel weird when I hold her. Again, is that a problem? :(

To answer your question, humidity is usually 45-65% humidity with spikes up to 80% when I mist down the enclosure at night. The cage stays very dry though since she is on paper towels except for when she spills her water though of course.

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Originally Posted by Claire&snek

ok thank you! I am however slightly concerned it has gotten a little worse...is that worth worrying over or not? It is definitely significant enough to feel weird when I hold her. Again, is that a problem? :(

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I agree with what's been said. Probably closer to shed, a mild irritation, etc. I will also mention that as snakes get bigger, so do their scales, and we are more sensitive to small changes. Not sure how long you've had her, or how much she's grown, etc. but that might explain it as well. Shayna, my BP, will bend certain ways and her scales will display differently or even seem to pop up a little or look like they are coming off some in certain areas. Then she will move a different way or straighten out and everything looks normal again. I didn't notice this until she got some size to her, but at close to 2KG, it's very noticeable. I have just learned not to worry.

The other thing is snakes (unless severely injured which I do not think she is at all) usually take a while for things to progress if getting sick. The flip side is that they usually take a while to get better too. The point is, if she is having a skin/scale issue, it can worsen, but slowly.

Any other issues? Any other changes recently?

My Female BI/Boa (Behira) had an issue where she began shedding rapidly. Like every 2-3 weeks. She was 4 years old. Something was amiss, but we never figured out what. It resolved itself slowly over the course of a year. A year. She kept eating and otherwise seemed okay. She's fine now. Remember we love our snakes because they are living creatures, but they are living creatures. Living creatures have an ability to heal, especially from minor things. If she has a mild irritation, it should resolve itself with proper husbandry. She's not a priceless piece of Art that just got ruined/torn, etc., she's a living animal and should be fine.

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Originally Posted by Claire&snek

To answer your question, humidity is usually 45-65% humidity with spikes up to 80% when I mist down the enclosure at night. The cage stays very dry though since she is on paper towels except for when she spills her water though of course.

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I use paper substrate as well. I have PVC tanks and the humidity with a bowl of water in Shayna's 4X2' is 50% in the winter +/- and 60-65% in the summer +/-. I wouldn't be misting the enclosure at night unless she is in shed. Too much humidity isn't ideal. Just like too much heat isn't good, etc. BP's like it around 50-60% humidity, with spikes, again, in shed, to 70-80%.

How are you measuring humidity? How are her sheds? If her sheds are good and she otherwise seems fine, humidity is probably pretty good too.


Good luck and keep us posted.

I want to add here, that I would not leave "the whole ground soaked" in the enclosure after a water bowl spill. If there is any standing water, go ahead and clean it up. If no standing water and it dries up completely in 24 hours time, it's fine. If not, don't leave it. Paper towels get moldy faster than you would think if kept damp. And it's also not good for your snake to have to sit on wet substrate for a prolonged period with no where dry to go (can cause scale rot).

I also use flip proof bowls in my enclosures. Keeps things a lot neater.

And another affirmative, that the scale issue you are seeing does not look like a problem. Just keep an eye on it, it will probably go away with the next shed. If it gets worse or changes, then let's re-evaluate.

Ok, thank you! I will keep an eye on it. :)