New Rescue

Just acquired this sweet guy and as you can see he needs a lot of TLC .. I guess the previous owner left him alone with a rat and the rat had a little snack. 95% if the chew marks are scabbed over and look to be healing up nicely on their own already, however his face seems to look quite swollen and it makes him drool.. any advise on how to keep him comfortable while he heals or even anything I can do to assist the healing would be appreciated. Also the person I got him from wasn't sure the last time he was fed by the owner but she gave him a pinky sometime within the last week, so I'm wondering if I should try to feed him or wait til he heals up a little more.

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He needs a much bigger meal than a pinky...try a small rat.

good luck!

You might want to offer him something small, like a mouse hopper or small adult mouse, and let him decide if he wants to eat. If he takes it, it'll be good for him to have some food in him to help heal up. You'll also know he is feeding, so you can start feeding him regularly and increasing the size of the food up to what it should be.

If he doesn't eat for you, he's in the same position he is right now (and lots of other newly acquired ball pythons who don't eat right away). You'll have to try again in a few days.

You might want to take him to a vet, too. Get him checked up and see if there's anything that could be a growing issue that isn't obvious right off the bat.

I'd offer him a rat pup. It will be more nutritious than a mouse, about the same size, and non - threatening to the poor guy. See if he can handle that and then gradually work your way up from there.

What are you putting on the wounds? Anything?

He shed last night and he looks better but a little raw in places. Tried to feed him a small rat but wasn't interested (it was a prekill, didn't want him to freak out with a live one) so I'll try again in a week or so.. I've started putting Bactine on his wounds with a cotton ball, hissed at me when I go to his tail but it sounded like a sigh of relief more than a threat, and making sure that all his temps are spot on.. His nose is still a bit of a concern but it too looks tons better after the shed

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