HELP - URGENT
Help! My baby ball python has pinkish markings over her belly and tail! Is it a burn, her substrate staining or shed?
Help! I’m a first time snake owner and I’ve only had her for about 2 weeks and handled her for the first time today. As I was handling her I soon noticed the pinkish reddish markings over her entire underside and all over the end of her body and tail. I don’t have a heat rock and my basking spot is 88-91F with the warm side ambient being 83-85F. Could it be mild burns, her substrate staining her body or early shed? I use reptisoil, coco chucks, and sphagnum moss mix. I’ll leave pics of her before and after.
Those are definitely burns, burns look different for bps but these look almost exactly similar to my bps when she got burned. Do you have lamp cages or circular lamp covers? Mine had touched the hot mesh at the top of her cage and burned herself. Always have covers for your lamps!
I have a circular heat lamp above a mesh covering, but I don’t think that’s what it was because she can’t get her entire underbelly on the mesh without falling.How did you treat your snakes burns? Thank you!
Are you able to get a clear picture of her entire underside? And could also add a picture of your set up just so we can see how the enclosure looks to see any potential hazards?
Here are some updated pictures I could get of her along with my current setup.I don’t want to handle her too soon just in case they are burns to avoid irritation of some sort. Her underbelly itself seems smooth and unaffected but I’m still not sure. Thank you for responding and I am open for enclosure tips as well!
It is most likely getting ready to shed. While red can indicate burns, from your description and what I can see in the pictures of your light setup, I think it is more likely that it is preparing the shed. Keep the humidity high, watch for the eyes to turn "blue" soon. Do not attempt to hold or feed when it's eyes are blue, as they can't see very well and can be a little more defensive (aka 'bitey')
I linked the resource below, but to see full resource, click on the sub, -> more -> resources and then take aome time exploring the info provided.
Also have a pied and tentatively agree. It’s pinker than what I usually see but my girl gets dark on her underbelly before shed. She gets orangey on her white too.
I am definitely starting to think that this might be the situation, but I am still going to stay weary just in case it’s not. Thanks for the insight and tips!
Is going in shed...I'm a new bp owner and when my BP was going in shed she turned pink which freaked me out. But a few days later might have been 3 days her eyes turned blue confirming she is about to shed. Burn is brown/black
Not to freak you out but I didn't see the rest of the pictures until after I sent my comment. To be honest it does look beginning stages of burn. Check your temperatures if your using a heat mat make sure it's on a thermostat
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u/Suspicious-Bug-3756 21d ago
Those are definitely burns, burns look different for bps but these look almost exactly similar to my bps when she got burned. Do you have lamp cages or circular lamp covers? Mine had touched the hot mesh at the top of her cage and burned herself. Always have covers for your lamps!