BP burnt belly

[midwest_98]

St. louis has so far had its coldest winter in a long time. My youngest BP has a UTH and seemed to burrowed himself down to the glass, His stomach is pink and looks that he has burnt himself. I added additional dirt and moved his hide slightly. Is there anything i can do to help him heal, ive pulled him out daily and wipped him down w warm water. just wasnt sure what next steps to take.

All input is appreciated. will get pics up tmrw.

[Lukestimp]

Pics would definately help.. Is the UTH plugged into a Thermostat or just running wild? Also have you ever noticed the belly of your snakes before they shed? Most will turn Pink so everything might be "A" OK..

[Strange_Evil]

You could put him on paper towel, to better monitor the burns and keep subsrate from getting in any open wounds, also take the water bowl out to prevent him from soaking the burn. Take him to an exotic vet tomorrow, because even though it may look like a mild burn it could be worse, reptiles do not notice immediately when the surface is too hot and if he was on the heating pad long enough he could have damaged some organs. When you go to the vet he will more than likely tell you to keep him on paper towel and keep things dry and give you some silvadene 1% to rub on the burnt area.

Also how sure are you that it is a burn, are you sure he is just not getting ready to go into shed, is the pink spot localized or spread across the belly? Pictures and details like what you use to measure temps and how,also if you have the heat source hooked to a thermostat, would help greatly.

Hopefully someone with more experience with me can answer with a more helpful answer, wish you the best of luck and hope your ball python makes a full and fast recovery!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

First thing to address is the lack of Thermostat, any heat source should be controlled with a T-stat, if not it can over-heat and can cause severe injuries and worse.

Second thing when an animal is burned depending on the extent a trip to the vet will be mandatory since anti-biotic are often required.

[kitedemon]

Are you using a thermostat you didn't say. The next thing are you sure it is a burn? What is the temp with out substrate at all IE what temperature was he exposed to? Royals sometimes can be quite pink when starting a shed cycle. I am not saying it is not a burn but trying to eliminate other possiablities.

I know that beginner keepers often jump to a dramatic conclusion. Good photos can be a huge help.

If (IF) it is a burn is there open wounds? Blisters or otherwise? Or is it just redness?

[midwest_98]

Well i checked him today, looks more along the line of shed starting. Guess just was being over cautious.

Please dont scold me too much, In regards to a thermostat i am more novice and dont have a tstat set up. Never really knew any different.

I got my first BP around 3 years ago and have had a UTH ever since. I never had any issues so never really thought to question it.

I started skimmin around on the forum around 3 months ago when i took in one in that we rescued.

I currently have 3 bps, in 3 separate enclosures.

Im wanting to build a rack next but not to get to ahead of myself.

I truely want the best for my lil guys so suggestions are appreciated What should i do about getting a thermostat (best bang for my buck) should i look at one for each tank?

[kitedemon]

With three enclosures personally I'd look into a herpstat pro (4 probes) or an ecozone (4 probes and tons of bells and whistles and more cash.) It isn't the cheapest thing out there but it is worry free set it to what you want it to be place the probes and it does the rest no thought no bother and it squeeks if there is a problem. I have 3 pros, one II and an ND and I think they are worth every cent. My opinion I am sure that others will say Johnson and or Ranco but the idea of a devise that is designed to do the job I want it to, I sleep better at night. I seem to have deeper pockets than some or less toys not sure which.