PLEASE HELP!!! scales

i think its a burn, so i would like to ask how the UTH heat source is regulated.

Because of the extent you need to take him to the vet (not just any vet but an herp vet), it is possible that antibiotics may be prescribed as well.

Do you have a thermostat?

Anyway in the mean time remove the carpet use clean paper towel, and leave your BP alone. (no feeding, no handling)

For the love of god...make sure whatever you use to provide heat is CORRECTLY CONNECTED TO A THERMOSTAT.

i had an uth connected to a thermostat that i purchased at petsmart. the readings never got high with it, but when i tested it with a borrowed infrared thermometer, it was way higher than needed. he is still at the vet. i pick him up tonight. he is getting antibiotics and a solution that i am supposed to soak on a towel and keep him on at all times until treated. i feel sick that i let this happen. i really tried to do everything right with him, and now even doing everything the vet says, there is a 50/50 prognosis for my little guy.

Sorry to hear that hope he pulls through. Invest in a really nice thermostat and you shouldn't have any problems in the future

This is a horrible experience to have to go through I pray that your baby will heal and live, this does bring light to the thermostats that we buy and trust So maybe we all need to check the exact heat on a daily bases I will be checking mine twice a day from now on and I wonder if their is a alarm type system that can be used.

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Also Thank you for sharing with us, hang in their and follow what the Vet says to the T and keep your spirits high and to put a positive spin on this a huge lesson learned here not only to you but alot of folks, Accidents happen and we learn. ♥♥♥

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oh thats terrible :(

i guess either the thermostat malfunctioned, or something was wrong with the setup. like the location of the temperature probe of the thermostat or something. thermostats need their temperature probe to get a feedback and properly regulate the temperature. it needs to be correctly placed, and if a cable breaks there.... but im speculating. it could be human error or equipment failure, no way to tell right now.

i would be more optimistic with the prognosis. really. antibiotics are a good call, you have to deal with quite a wound and dont want infections to add to the troubles. i guess the stuff on the paper towel is to help the healing process.

on the pictures, i dont think you are really looking at the actual wound, i think thats fluids from the wound, beneath the skin that would come off with the next shed. the wound will be red/white, surrounded by normal tissue. of course you would not want to remove the blister-like thing, because as long as its not leaking its still a barrier against bacteria.

depending on how big and deep the actual wound is, i would say your prognosis is far better than 50/50. the treatment plan makes a lot of sense to me. on this forum ive seen worse cases pull through. the treatment is necessary to help the wounds to heal and to prevent further damage from an infection, but royal pythons are quite resilient. i would give it a high chance of survival.

some other things: from what ive heared, in reptiles, antibiotics are most effective as injections, pills dont work that well because their digestive system is so weird.
and i would like to ask all the others what they would put on the wound (if anything) once the wound is exposed.
and its clear that the snake needs a clean bowl of fresh water at all times, but how about feeding? delay it? until when? or try to feed?

finally i hope the very best, very often BPs that have been through troubles make the best pets when you nurse them back to health. and i hope you keep us updated, no matter what happens. experiences like this can later benefit others, if they are shared, and can be used for later reference. good luck!

thank you everyone for your support. i have spent the last two days feeling absolutely awful! i was afraid to even post because i didnt want to be "that pet owner" that neglected their baby and injured it. when i spoke with the vet tech when i picked him up, she said the reason they have a 50/50 prognosis is because if it does get infected, it can be a seriously nasty infection. that is why we are giving him the antibiotics. i gave him his first shot last night, and he took it like a total champ (esp considering it was an inch long needle...). he never tried to escape or strike or anything. and mind you, this is ALL happening while he is in mid shed with the blue eyes. but that is just him, he has the sweetest temperament i have ever seen. another worry is heat loss. he cant have direct heat, so he is living in his temporary home right now of a styrofoam cooler with holes punched out. he is in strict isolation so that he can heal. he lives on a towel soaked in warm water and betadine solution that is changed out every other day.

he ate for me on friday (which is partly why it took so long to notice the burn, because i could not move him). she wants me to hold off on feedings until they follow up with him in two weeks. i told the vet i know that she has to give the 50/50 prognosis, but i wanted her personal opinion and promised i wouldnt hold it against her, no matter what she said and what the outcome was. she looked me in the eye and said if i do everything she said, she has a good feeling i will make the next appointment for the follow up. so i am holding on to hope. but yes, it is still REALLY hard to know that whether it was me or the thermostat that messed up, it still happened under my care. im sure most people here can understand that our snakes are like our babies.

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Originally Posted by kldoss89

i had an uth connected to a thermostat that i purchased at petsmart. the readings never got high with it, but when i tested it with a borrowed infrared thermometer, it was way higher than needed.

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Actually the t-stat you have may be working just fine. The temperature that the t-stat probe registers can be very different than the temperature on the bottom of the tank/tub - on one rack a t-stat setting of 94*F gives me a hot spot of 90*F in the tubs, while the one next to it has to be set at 88*F for the same result. So, if you simply set the t-stat for 90*F thinking that would give you a hot spot of 90*F on the bottom of the tank, it would explain the difference.

A cheap trick to use in case the t-stat fails - and the lower-end super cheap ones tend to fail wide-open instead of shutting off - is to use a lamp dimmer or rheostat between the t-stat and UTH. Set the dimmer so the UTH can never go above something like 95*F even if the t-stat doesn't shut off; it'll be warm enough to let you know your t-stat has a problem since your BP won't use the heat very much, but not so hot your BP will be badly burned before you know there is a problem.

Finally, you also have to make sure the t-stat probe stays in place if the tank gets moved, like when you have to clean it. I check every tub/tank daily just before I mist it, and it only takes a few seconds.