peculiar kingsnake find

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Rich in Reptiles
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peculiar kingsnake find

Post by Rich in Reptiles »

Yesterday while hiking at Henry Horton State Park here in Tennessee, i stumbled upon a black kingsnake while i was headed towards a chorus of cricket frogs. It was a juvenile, around 2 1/2 feet total length, and had some really nasty looking "disease" on its scales all over its body- dorsal and ventral. Does it have scale rot? What was it doing out in ~45 degree weather? Would it have been headed towards the cricket frogs for a meal?? Or was it out in the cold because it was sick? Habitat conditions: rocky bluffs in a predominately cedar forest near a habitat edge (field where the cricket frogs were calling), sunny.

I appreciate any input! Oh, and please pardon the lack of quality in the photos- despite the cold temperatures this snake was most uncooperative :lol: and i didn't want to stress it any more than i already had!

Image

Image

-Bethany
Barry R
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Re: peculiar kingsnake find

Post by Barry R »

I'm no vet, but it appears to resemble "blister disease", but that's just a guess.
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Noah M
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Re: peculiar kingsnake find

Post by Noah M »

Normally when I see animals with unusual behavior it means they are ill. I don't know enough kingsnakes nor have I seen enough of them in the wild to speak about what you observed.
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BillMcGighan
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Re: peculiar kingsnake find

Post by BillMcGighan »

It does resemble blister disease a bit.

I've found snakes, particularly kings, eastern hog-nosed, and racers, that have emerged from a hibernaculum medium that was wet, and they had fungal lesions. Usually these shed out in one or two sheds, if they're kept dry.
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Rich in Reptiles
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Re: peculiar kingsnake find

Post by Rich in Reptiles »

Thanks for the input everyone! I really appreciate your responses. My friend Alex (NewYorkHerper16) suggested to me that it could be snake fungal disease. What do y'all think? http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_inform ... isease.jsp

If it is truly SFD, should I report it to someone???
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: peculiar kingsnake find

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Hi Bethany,
As has already been mentioned, I agree that this is most likely blister disease, and NOT snake fungal disease. It is very common in king snakes upon emergence from brumation (I have at least one incident of it each winter in my captive collection because someone turns over a water bowl in their box, or fills it up with shavings and they wick the water out). As Bill mentioned, it is due to wet/damp hibernacula conditions, and the snakes just sitting in it for extended periods. Usually after a good meal and a shed or two, it is cleared right up. Being warm and dry helps to speed recovery. (Both things that Bill mentioned too.)

--Berkeley
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Noah M
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Re: peculiar kingsnake find

Post by Noah M »

Thanks. I learned a lot from this thread. Perhaps this could be a different themed thread - injuries in the wild or something like that, as long as it isn't a collection of bloody DOR photos.
simus343
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Re: peculiar kingsnake find

Post by simus343 »

I believe it is just winter related Blister Disease as well. I have seen it on a few scarlet king snakes and mole king snakes here in Fla during early spring/late winter. I actually found that rubbing a diluted normal (no flavor) listerine solution over the sores worked rather well on a few of the scarlet kings I kept when I first saw the blisters wandering "what in the world is this stuff?!?" I got the idea from Raymond Ditmars using a Listerine solution to treat a Cobra with mouth rot.
Also, a few sheds will fix the issue too, so I wouldn't worry about having to catch them to fix them.

However, do keep an eye out for anything unusual, like a variety of snakes with similar simptoms and a drop in snake sighting occurences. I am in contact with a Herpetologist with the Illionois DNR that is working on Ophidiomyces (SFD) up there, in partnership with a friend of his at the Uni of Illinois/Chicago (he told me before what Uni, just can't remember that myself) to try and combat SFD. If you, or anyone else here, should see anything note-worthy, get good pictures and I'll try and set you up with the Herpetologist. Take note, that they need hard-samples to determine if it is SFD or not, usually this happens to be a deceased snake.

Just thought I'd put this up, as this fungus is of much more interest to me than Chytrid and I hope the herp community can collaborat to contain and control the issue of Ophidiomyces before it becomes as huge an issue as Chytrid.
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Rich in Reptiles
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Re: peculiar kingsnake find

Post by Rich in Reptiles »

Thanks for the help everyone! I am relieved to know that it is most likely blister disease and not SFD!!! That's also nice to know that he can just shed it off later :D.
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