Belly burn healing pink under scales

Hi, this is my first post. We have a BP with a belly burn. Turned out the heating mat had a malfunction. Anyway, we have him Betadine soaks until we could get him into the vet but he began to have a slight wheeze the day before his visit. We took him in and they said the burn was healing nicely and he may have an RI so gave us oral antibiotics, one dose every 5 days, and said to continue with the soaks.

Tonight when taking him out for his soak he false strikes then actually got a bite in, this is unusual for him. When taking him out of the soak we noticed he has pink skin showing under his scales and the vet didn't say something like that would happen so we're concerned. She had said he was healing well and we don't know if this is normal or if we should make another vet appointment.

Call the Vet. Too much soaking is a problem as it slows healing. The Vet can give you better soaking times or amounts. As for the strike, snake is in pain. So it’s don’t touch me! It hurts when somebody touches your sunburn. When your snake heals fully it will be back to normal.

What type of thermostat did you have the heat mat hooked up to?

Good luck!

Alternatives to the soaking are Vetericyn, which is available at Petco or online at Amazon, or silvadene cream which you can buy online without a prescription at mountainside-medical.com

The silvadene is a thick goopy ointment that tends to stick to things but it works. Vetericyn is a water-based gel so it dries dry and is safe enough to use even around your snake's eyes or face.

Talked to the vet and now I feel silly. He apparently had stuck shed around and on the burn area and the old/stuck scales are starting to come off, the pink is the scales underneath. Since not all the scales were stuck, her words, "It looks scary but it's actually complete natural." I was just so worried last night after his soak, which the vet told me to keep doing.

On the plus side he took his antibiotics pretty well. I was nervous about that too but it turned out to be much easier than I assumed.

Thank you all for your help!!

Is your heat mat controlled by a thermostat?

It was but it had a surge or something, the temp got majorly messed up (obviously) but it still said it was the right temp (temp gun disagreed) and we didn't know until after he shed. The vet told us to use a ceramic bulb over the cage instead because it is less likely to cause damage.

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Originally Posted by Dru

It was but it had a surge or something, the temp got majorly messed up (obviously) but it still said it was the right temp (temp gun disagreed) and we didn't know until after he shed. The vet told us to use a ceramic bulb over the cage instead because it is less likely to cause damage.

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All heating devices STILL need to be regulated. Snakes can die from being overheated, or suffer permanent neurological (brain) damage if they survive, & remember, they didn't choose to be stuck in your prison as your pet...they evolved with the freedom to move to safe temperatures, so when you take that away from them, the LEAST you can do is to ensure their safety.

Please please get a thermostat those heaters can be dangerous for your snake.

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