Skin question

Question

Dahlia   Hi Amber,

I have a boa who had mites in the past. She's pretty young now, and was even younger when she first got them.

They have been gone now for some time.

We were able to finally get rid of them after many treatments, involving soaking and completely cleaning/disinfecting her tank (all safely, no harsh chemicals or anything like that.)

My question is, what are these little indentations in her skin? She didn't have them when I first got her, and she hasn't had any shedding issues. Are they a result from the mites she had?

I've got quite a few snakes and had many before and haven't seen indentations in the skin unless it was the result of a mouse/rat bite, but these are smaller and more clustered together as opposed to a single mark.

I've attached a picture that shows them on her side.

Thanks,

Tracie

Answer
To be honest, no one really knows what causes dimples/indents in snakes. Some believe it is a humidity issue, others say it is from trauma (like a parasite or trying to squeeze through a small space and denting their scales), also if there are any logs or any wooden hides in there, the snake very well could have been wrapped around it and that would have caused some damage to the scales if the snake was gripping tightly while trying to move.

None of my snakes currently have any, but I had some colubrids in the past that did and other than being able to see them, they caused no issues for the snakes. They ate fine, bred fine, so I let it be.

Check your humidity and adjust accordingly, that may help some. But personally I say it is just trauma from the mites. They take a lot out of snakes and they bite and chew, so it is likely the scales got damaged and are in a sense "dead".

If the dents spread rapidly, or the snake begins to get lethargic or sores appear then I would find a exotics vet right away.

Also the snake should be kept on paper towels with nothing but a water bowl in the tank for at least a month, just to ensure all the mites truly are gone. You would be surprised how easily they can disappear and reappear.