{"topic_id":"exotic_tox_reptile_scalerot","category":"exotic-pet-toxicology","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_tox_reptile_scalerot\ncategory: exotic-pet-toxicology\ntitle: \"Ulcerative dermatitis (scale rot) from moist, contaminated bedding in reptiles\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"The Merck Veterinary Manual — reptile (exotic and laboratory animals)\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/exotic-toxicology/reptile.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-29\ntokens_estimated: 0\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"The Merck Veterinary Manual\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"The Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Ulcerative dermatitis (scale rot) from moist, contaminated bedding in reptiles\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/reptiles\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-29\"\n  ref: \"MerckVetManual-reptile\"\n  doc_type: \"peer-reviewed veterinary reference (Merck & Co.)\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Ulcerative dermatitis (scale rot) from moist, contaminated bedding in reptiles\nVerbatim first-hand facts from The Merck Veterinary Manual (reptile). All bullets are exact substrings of the cited source file and C1-substring verified. Focus: toxicosis and environmental hazards of the pet species.\n## Toxicology facts\n- Ulcerative dermatitis (scale rot) occurs in snakes and lizards kept in unhygienic conditions with excessive humidity and moisture. Moist, contaminated bedding allows bacterial and fungal growth that, when coupled with exposure to fecal degradation products and skin damage from inappropriate floor heating, can predispose snakes and lizards to small cutaneous erosions. Secondary infection with Aeromonas spp, Pseudomonas spp, and a number of other bacteria may result in septicemia and death if untreated.\n","sources":["exotic-pet-toxicology — Ulcerative dermatitis (scale rot) from moist, contaminated bedding in reptiles (retrieved 2026-07-29)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-toxicology","title":"Ulcerative dermatitis (scale rot) from moist, contaminated bedding in reptiles","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/reptiles","retrieved":"2026-07-29","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"The Merck Veterinary Manual","verification_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-toxicology/reptile.txt"},"source_document":"The Merck Veterinary Manual","source_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-toxicology/reptile.txt","tokens_estimated":253,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}