Taking BP to vet in cold weather?

Hi everyone,
I believe my ~2 year old ball python has a mild case of scale rot. Her tank has been cleaned and I've been giving her a betadine soak every evening for the past week or so, ut it seems to be getting worse. I'm calling the vet tomorrow to get her an appointment to be looked at and maybe get some antibiotics.

However, I live in Upstate NY and we've been having temperatures in teens and negative teens recently. The closest vet that sees reptiles is about a 20 min drive from our apartment. Any tips to keep her safe and warm during the drive there and back? We'll have the heat on in the car but I don't know if that's enough.


*before anyone asks, yes, I'm fairly certain it's scale rot - we use heat lamps, not a UTH so it's not a belly burn

You can use portable hand/foot warmers but don't let the snake come into contact with them as a few I've used before got really hot. If your cars heater isn't going to be enough, then im not sure those hand/foot warmers will work either. The best thing I can think of is maybe one of those Styrofoam coolers, then wrap a few hand/foot warmers in a towel so the snake cant get to them and then lay those on the bottom and then lay a couple towels on top of those. Or you can use a hot water bottle filled with warm water or just little bottles of warm water, warm enough to heat but no so hot it burns. the snake can wrap around those and stay warm. Then on top maybe put a couple towels to keep heat inside the cooler.

What I do Is put the snake in snake bag then that in a small transport bin . Then that gets put in my big cooler with water bottles filled with hot water.. longer trips I put heat packs instead of water bottles. You will be fine with just water bottles for a 20 min ride.

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Originally Posted by frostysBP

What I do Is put the snake in snake bag then that in a small transport bin . Then that gets put in my big cooler with water bottles filled with hot water.. longer trips I put heat packs instead of water bottles. You will be fine with just water bottles for a 20 min ride.

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Hi, yes I agree with frosty. Another alternative is to place the animal in a pillow case lined with paper towels to guard and help with any urine or stool mishap. You might want to use some Neosporin ointment in between those betadine applications until the vet can definitively culture and or microscopically find specific bacteria or funguses. Then twist and tie the pillow case with a knot and you can be assured he or she can breathe adequately in the pillow case. Finally, place the pillow case under your shirt next to your body. Put on your sweater and coat and support him. Instant body heat and a hide and total body support. Good luck. Stay in peace and not in pieces. A.C.

Remember if you use Neosporin, use the stuff with NO pain reliever. Just plain Neosporin.