emergency question! snake got bit! by another snake

[kyokitty666]

hi, i know it was my fault for feeding while the snakes were in the same tank but i had no problems before and i was keeping a close eye on them, my male went into the new hide box and was hidden and the shedding female was under the other so i placed a mouse by the bigger female so she could eat it without disturbing the other two, neither cared that she was eating, and my male is off feed for some reason so he just kept poking his head out for some reason. so she ate the first mouse no problem and i decided to give her one more for the same feeding, well the problem is that when i put the mouse in, it jumped into the water bowl, the female followed it and it went by the opening to the hide box where the shedding female is, and she had her head poked out of the box, the mouse went by her head and before i could avert the feeding females attention she struck and got the head of the shedding one, she didnt just bite either, she went so far as to try to constrict the other snake, wrapping around her until she realized it was another snake and let her go, i used a shirt and picked up the one that got bit and put the hide over the other to calm her down, took the mouse out and sprayed some water slowly over the face of the shedding female, shes bleeding and has a small gash on her nostril, she seems okay but im worried, now, i put her back in after spraying some water on the other snake, to show her its no longer feeding time and i let the other one in, she wont go near the hide box she was bit in and she went straight for the other one, wich is on the cold side, and the other i decided to see if she would eat it so the mouse wasnt wasted once the others were hidden and she just looked like she felt bad, and now instead of just strikeing, she got really close to the mouse and still wouldnt eat it, at the moment shes just resting her head where she bit the other snake, does she feel bad? and should i take the other to the vet? again, i know this is my fault, i should never feed them together and i know thats a big thing and i should never have taken changes but thats not the point at the moment, my snakes health is the issue, i think i heard her wheezing before i put her back, though i know the water helped, before she was almost shaking with her head hidden. also, will it effect her shedding? like will it make it harder on her to shed?

[sho220]

Is that one, long sentence? I can't even read it...paragraphs...please....

[jbean7916]

Why are you housing these snakes together? If she has a gash you can use neosporin without pain killers. But I would worry more about the fact you have multiple snakes in one enclosure.

sent from my EVO

[ballpythonluvr]

This is just one of many reasons why you should not house multiple snakes together! Keep the wound clean and use neosporin without the pain reliever in it. Others will soon see this thread and give you more advice.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I am wondering what you are trying to accomplish by not only housing you animals together but by feeding them while together as well?

Hopefully this time you learn a lesson.

And your BP will be ok this time a snake bite is nothing.

[L.West]

Ok, I just have to say this: Why is that the keepers that break all the "husbandry rules" seem to have the snakes the pound food. Yet, I follow everything by the book and mine are off feed - I just don't get it.

Just had to say it.

[DemmBalls]

Hmmm...I believe this is why they say not to house BP's together? I hope he heals ok and you get them properly setup after this.

[Adam Chandler]

Everyone pretty much covered it. Put some antibiotic ointment (the cheap stuff is just as good as neosporin) on the wound. Just make sure it DOES NOT have the pain reliever in it, just the normal stuff.

[stratus_020202]

Since everyone else has said it, I won't. Get them seperated into tubs asap. She'll be ok, but all need to have their own space. You can put some neosporin on it, but only once. Then just let it heal by itself.

The most important thing right now is to get them seperated. It's probably going to take awhile for her to start eating again. These animals imprint easily. I would probably give her at least two weeks before you try feeding again.

[loonunit]

Oh no! (Feed separate! Feed separate! If you house together you must ALWAYS FEED SEPARATE.)

The problem is, shedding is when snakes heal, and form their scar tissue. And they're particularly vulnerable to injury while in the process of doing it.

I would certainly separate the injured female into another tub for at least one full additional shed cycle, so you can monitor her progress. Clean her up with betadine, give her some humidity and warmth and let's see what she looks like after this shed. Can you take pictures?

If she recovers after the NEXT shed cycle, be careful if you want to reintroduce her to the other snakes. This includes introducing just the male during breeding/pairing. She may be (understandably) defensive towards them.