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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
 Posted - 08/04/2011 : 10:57:45
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On Wednesday I noticed the vet was taking an interest in Tig's underbelly. Didn't think much of it 'cause I thought maybe he's checking for mites, which I do anyway, and the vet seemed to dissmiss whatever it was he was looking at. But looking at his belly myself I noticed these... well if he had skin and not scales they'd be scratches. Three very thin slighty darker pink than his belly is at the minuet, one quite long the other two shorter. It does look like he's been scratched by something : / They're where his 'breathing ribs' are.
They can't be burns, and they don't look like that anyway. I regulaly check the heat guard with the back of my hand to make sure it isn't getting too hot, and it's not. I can keep my hand there with out any disscomfort. And besides, when he does come out (he's not feeling up to much at the minuet) he never bothers with the guard anyway.
I will get a photo or two, but my camera is charging right now. Does anyone have any idea what these 'scratches' would be???
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Just me and my zoo. |
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Blackecho
Royal Python Admin
United Kingdom
11327 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 11:39:09
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Any sharp furniture, rocks, sticks etc?
Any photos of the injuries? |
 
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 12:09:04
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| Not yet, still hasn't charged. There's nothing sharp that I know of. I sanded down any sharp bits of his tree branch before it went into the viv. He doesn't have any rocks, just his two hides, water bowl and vines and plastic plants. He's going to have his steam now, so I'll check to see if I can feel anything... |
Just me and my zoo. |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 10:03:24
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Hi, any news?
Could he be going into shed? With his belly being pink? As I found with Surahi, a quite imperceptible mark can look much worse before shed. It's good that the vet didn't seem to think it anything serious.
All the best.
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 10:55:35
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Well, they'd faded quite a lot when I got him out yesterday to take photos and to have him take his steam, too much to get a good photo, and then he shed last night (more on that later! ; )) and they seem to have dissapeared.
I went round his viv while he was having his steam and I can't find anything sharp or pointy. I was actually trying to scratch myself, but I couldn't manage it. Everywhere is nicly sanded down. I also checked for tiny stones in the bark 'cause I have found them before, but there weren't any. The branch I'm using is cork wood (figured the knobly bits would help him climb and not fall off when he got bulky), should I buy him another species instead? Or should I just try to learn not to worry so easily over what appears to be nowt? : ) |
Just me and my zoo. |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 11:54:52
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As chief worrybucket of the century, I think it's better to worry than just trust to luck ... that's my story and I'm sticking to it lol!
Did you read that thread of mine on here, 'Scale Rot?' Sometime long ago, Surahi (don't know her full history) must have had a burn, and the first time she went into shed with me, the scar looked just like the photos of scale rot ... I was really quite scared! Now she has shed there is just a smooth indentation.
Could be Tig's belly marks are some old injury that occurred before you got him. Hope his shed went okay.
ps don't know about cork wood I'm afraid. If it's sold for reps it ought to be okay and the uneveness is great for shedding/climbing. |
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Edited by - n/a on 09/04/2011 11:57:05 |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2011 : 16:59:05
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| It could be (and I'm no expert) that as far as I know the belly is the first bit to start the process shedding and by that reasoning its going to be the first bit to be ready to shed (though if this is correct or not is almost irrelevant) so the skin on the belly when ready to shed is dead and may have caught on something and scratched or even split it could have been something as simple as a piece of substrate against dead and weakened skin. If it didn't go deeper than the shed off skin then I wouldn't worry about it just make yourself a little note to have a look at the next shed as like BATS says it could be an old injury that is only visible at shed time. |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 10:16:28
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Thanks peoples : )
They were more like scratch marks than any sort of scratch that was ragid or bleeding. Actually, thinking about it they kinda looked like the marks you have from the bed clothes when you get up in the morning. So maybe it was the old loose skin creasing up? I couldn't see any loose skin then, but maybe it was. Looks fine now though : ) |
Just me and my zoo. |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 10:35:14
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| Hi, if you look at page 4 of this section, there's a thread by Reptiledanny entitled 'Health Issue' which describes one of his royals having wrinkly marks on her skin just before shedding. Pics too. After shedding the marks disappeared. Sounds like much the same thing with Tig, just worrying if you've never seen it before. |
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Kelfezond
The bearded one
United Kingdom
4803 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 11:00:45
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| Also check your plastic plants, they have wire in them and sometimes the wires poke out just a tiny bit, I noticed one the other day and took a lighter to the end of the plant to melt some plastic over it |
\v/ Click me for Kelfezond Reptiles Facebook Page! \v/
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2011 : 11:05:24
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Thanks BATS, had a look. I suppose it could have been a similar thing on his belly. And he does tend to 'wrinkle up' just before shedding.
I checked his plants over while checking everywhere else. I couldn't find any wire sticking out anywhere. He's not doing much climbing at the minuet, also, 'cause with him still being poorly and having to take his steams and Baytril he hides from me : ) He's actually started to hide in different places around his viv so I can't find him. Not daft are they? |
Just me and my zoo. |
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Scratches???
