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Killer Blisters?
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by TheFifthDay on February 16, 2010
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Hey guys. I need some Expert help.
Last year my grandma caught a young black rat, about 2 or 3 months old. I had it for a little while, and then it got these blisters.. About a week later it was dead, and pretty stiff.
Today, my little brother's black rat snake died of the same thing. It was about the same age..
These were both stiff, like they'd been dead for a while. I check on my stuff 5-10 times a day, so I know that it was just overnight.
I got pictures of it this time.
Here's a whole body shot.. Not great quality - http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx304/CrotalusFan/aaatimsblackratsnake003.jpg
Here's a shot of the "blisters" - http://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx304/CrotalusFan/aaatimsblackratsnake004.jpg
Does anyone know what these are?
Thanks in advance for any help,
Jon Short
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RE: Killer Blisters?
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by Crotalusssp on February 16, 2010
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I have seen "blisters", vesicular dermatitis on the belly scales of snakes poorly maintained with too much moisture and dirty substrate. Since these appear to be on dorsal scales, this seems less likely.
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RE: Killer Blisters?
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by TheFifthDay on February 16, 2010
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There were some on the belly scales, but it was mainly on the dorsal scales..
The snake was kept on cypress for a little while. He kept spilling his water which made the cypress damp (I did clean it as soon as he spilled it), but it was not not that bad. As soon as I saw one blister he was put on newspaper.
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RE: Killer Blisters?
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by LarryDFishel on February 16, 2010
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The resolution of the photos isn't quite high enough to tell, but the second one almost looks like a REALLY bad mite infestation.
I've seen a lot of snakes get "blisters" from a damp cage, but in those cases each "blister" was the surface of one scale. This has little tiny bumps, which are what me think mites, but I could easily be wrong...
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RE: Killer Blisters?
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by TheFifthDay on February 16, 2010
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I know the pictures aren't great.. It was not a mite infestation. I always check all my animals daily. Yesterday this snake looked alright, and today he was dead.
I am just hoping to find out what this could be.
Thanks,
Jon Short
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RE: Killer Blisters?
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by venomrob on February 16, 2010
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It could be that if they were on the belly to start with (usually where they start) and not being treated or caught in time, septicemia may have set in. Thats where the infection gets in the blood stream and usually, if not always, its to late then.
Rob
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RE: Killer Blisters?
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by pictigaster1 on February 16, 2010
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Reptile disease are tricky I recently had a deathadder that had what looked to be lungworms it turned out to be migrateing tape worm larva passing through the lungs .It also had a few other parasites .Have a necropsy performed so it does not happen again.My snake died a week before it looked like a champ.The female I swor would die had blisters all over it is now a prize and had none of the same problems just had been kept to wet.This can be a learning curve for you so you may be ready and also may require you to medicate your whole collection just to be preventive.Jon you are advanceing and learning through experience .You ask questions and truly wish to learn .It is refreshing to see someone teachable.Thanks Archie..
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RE: Killer Blisters?
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by TheFifthDay on February 16, 2010
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They started right behing the head, on the neck.
Like I said, as soon as I noticed it, the snake was put on dry newspaper. Also, I used a little bit of triple antibiotic ointment on the "blisters".
It started out being real blisters, not what you see in the pictures.
Again, thanks for the help,
Jon
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RE: Killer Blisters?
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by Cro on February 17, 2010
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Jon, was the cypress bark / mulch that you were using something you bought at a pet shop, or, was it something designed for landscape use ?
If it was landscape grade, it could have all sorts of toxins and / or insects in it.
Many states require wood mulch products to be fumigated before they are allowed to cross state lines. The damage to the snake could be some sort of contact dermatitis from exposure to a strong chemical.
Was the first snake that dies also kept on the same mulch ?
Best Regards
John Z
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