Possibly sick BP, could really use some help figuring out if it's a big deal or not

[Rai]

A BP that's not eating might be sick; then again, he might be too cold to digest. A snake that throws up their meal might be sick...then again, if they're too cold to digest, they'll throw it up. So exactly what temperatures has he been kept at? Also, once a snake regurgitates their meal (for any reason) you need to wait at least 2 or 3 weeks before feeding them again. Did you do that? Because trying to feed them too soon will also just cause another regurgitation if they haven't been able to replace their digestive enzymes quite yet. It takes time- a couple weeks+.

I looked online and must have found the wrong information, because I was under the impression I could try again after 1-1.5 weeks. I waited more than a week, but I don't think it was a full two weeks. But as I said, he didn't even touch his food at the time. But I will definitely keep that in mind for the future, thank you!

You mentioned Daisy kept soaking in his water bowl, but that's also when the tank temperatures were too low. That makes no sense. Snakes soak for many reasons, including dehydration, too warm, mites, illness, burns, internal parasites, shedding (-but not usually unless their humidity has been too low).

You also said ..."The tanks still won't get quite as warm as I'd like (can't seem to get them past 85-90)". So how warm were you keeping them & what kind of heat? If UTH, the pink belly could very well be a burn. And fyi, we generally recommend that the warmest portion of a BPs home not exceed 90* to avoid them being burned. Some snakes- including BPs- don't seem to know when they're too hot & being injured by excess heat- maybe because they're heavy-bodied & it takes longer for them to really feel the heat enough to react? BTW- I sure hope the heating sources are controlled by a quality thermostat- that's often how snakes get burned. If (?) he has a burn, that's painful & serious too-it takes time to heal, & the snake should be on antibiotic (after being seen by a qualified vet) A snake in pain may not want to eat, so this is another possibility.

I looked online for reasons why a snake might soak, and did see many options, but one of them had said that the tank being too cold might cause it. If that's not true, then now I'm even more confused. The tank definitely wasn't too warm, there are guaranteed no mites, and the tanks humidity was around 60%, which was normally fine for shedding for him. The only thing you listed that I didn't check was for internal parasites (not sure if that's something I even could check for myself), so perhaps that's it?

There's no real way for us to tell online what exactly is going on with Daisy's belly scutes- I've seen snakes where substrate gets embedded & looks kinda like that- but what kind of substrate is he on??? Have you tried washing it off? I can also remember someone that was in a panic because some reddish coloration (dye) from the substrate came off on their white snake...

He has a bio-active enclosure, so the substrate is a mix of things (sand, coconut fiber, leaf litter (ordered online, not gathered from outside), some activated charcoal, a decent bit of hydroton at the very bottom), and he does 100% get dirt under his scales, especially when he's bulldozing over any new plants I try to add. This is definitely not that. Normally, with him, dirt will move around as you handle the snake, even if its under the scales. This does not. It's like the scales themselves are brown in some spots. Because I thought it was scale rot initially, I had been cleaning his belly with diluted chlorhexidine, which I had found suggested online, so yes, I had tried washing it off.

I've never personally had a snake with septicemia, but yes, it's serious so let's hope it's not that. But I guess that's also a possibility if a vet thought so. The scutes don't really look pink in that photo though? And yes, some pinkish color may also indicate a coming shed. (An adult shedding 3 times in a month is a lot & not normal.)

Much as we have lots of experience & want to help you, we're in no position to diagnose your snake here (nor would it be ethical), but from everything you've said, sooner (to see a qualified vet) is better than later, though I'm not saying it's an emergency either . Remember we're just seeing still photos, not the real snake- a good diagnosis requires a qualified person seeing the actual snake. This might help you find another one: https://members.arav.org/search/custom.asp?id=3661

Do let us know how it goes...I hope you get this figured out & I hope it's nothing serious like septicemia.

Thank you, and I do completely understand. Photos are incredibly limited when it comes to trying to show this sort of stuff. And thank you for that link! Unfortunately I still have to drive out 2 hours to get to the nearest specialist, but at least now I know with more certainty that they actually are a specialist. And yes, I will most definitely keep everyone updated. Thank you!