snake in bad shape pictures

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...gejpeg_2_8.jpg
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...gejpeg_2_9.jpg

here are some pics...

It's really hard to tell with those pics but that looks like a burn. What is she using for heat? It looks like the snake curled around a bulb or ceramic heat emitter. Give some more details on the heating arrangement but it appears to be a burn from what I can tell.

Regards,

B

I'm going with what Simple Man says until I can get better pictures to look at.

yeah sorry its at my girls house and phone pix are not the best. In the past month she has switched to aspen bedding and an under tank heater

Is that heater on a thermostat?

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Originally Posted by llovelace

Is that heater on a thermostat?

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X2... Under tank heaters are a must BUT they must be controlled by a thermostat. They get hot enough to burn.

No its the zoo rep brand...she was just using a lamp

I don't get the answer, she was using a heat mat without a thermostat? what were the temps on the hot side?

She has to buy a thermostat to plug the heat mat into and then the thermostat gets plugged into the wall. The thermostat controls the temperature of the heat mat. You set it to 90 degrees and then use a thermometer with a probe to make sure it's correct at the surface inside the tank.

Please tell your girlfriend this or the snake will continue to be burned until the internal organs are damaged.

I just joined the site, my boyfriend posted the pics because i didn't have a profile until now. I've had my snake for about 3 years and nothing has ever happened with him... i started using a heating pad about 3ish months ago and this burn came out of no where. yesterday and today i soaked him and he shed all of that bad skin.. his belly is pink now from the middle of him to about 5 inches before the end of his tail.... I unplugged the heating pad for now and just have his heat lamp on...

thank you everyone for your help ! :)

No problem. Check the care sheet on this site and post questions in the husbandry section if you can't find what you need by doing searching. The members are here to help. We can direct you to products that are good for what you need for any budget, and your snake will be happy and healthy. Welcome to the site.

If using a heat mat, they need to be controlled by a thermostat, or rheostat.

I have tried to post a better pic of Marley's underbelly but it's not allowing me... i don't think the site has fully activated me yet.. not sure.. i'll figure it out tomorrow... I'll be checking my heating pad in the morning to see what kind it is exactly and then I'll be getting a thermostat... hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to put up some pics.

thanks again for all of the responses

Good job unplugging it :gj: You are going to want to get that heat mat controlled before getting that back going. Feel free to ask whatever you need to know and I'm sure plenty of people will give you some great advice.

Regards,

B

Theres a few picture up of marley now on my page... one of them is a pic of what his belly looked like last night after i soaked him and helped remove the shed skin... the pink-ness has gone down today but that area is not exactly raw but its not smooth like the upper part of his underbelly... he hasnt eaten because he has been in a constant shed .. should i feed him still?

idk if i posted this right ...

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/show...mageuser=23047

You can try feeding but it is more important that you take out his bedding and get him on plain paper for now. You're going to want to keep his enclosure VERY clean. I'd recommend removing all the bedding and cleaning it thoroughly before putting paper down. Keep his water bowl and Those appear to be burns and you're going to wat to keep the tank very clean until they heal. Otherwise you might risk infection in the burned areas. You might also try to keep the humidity up a bit.

Regards,

B

^^ agreed.

You will need to soak him daily, in a covered tub of tepid water with betadine solution (tea colored). soak 30 minutes a day. Get him some silvadene cream and apply twice daily until healed.

i took marley out again to check on him and his belly isn't very pink anymore... i'm sure it was darker because he was in warm water... he's very active which should be a good thing... I am going to try and feed him tomorrow and I will get the cream and the solution mentioned. He's strictly on a heat lamp right now and I am trying to keep the humidity up. Will his belly heal well or is it going to be a permanent thing?

Thanks for all the help and suggestions

It will heal. Just keep his tank clean! That's why paper is so easy. You can change it regularly. I'd wipe it down inbetween changing paper. As long as you keep it clean and prevent it from getting infected it should heal on its own. Just be sure to get a thermostat to control that under tank heater. The lamp will suck humidity out of the air so you might try to cover the top of your setup with a towel or something to try and keep the humidity in.

Regards,

B

There won't be any scarring if that's what your wondering. You caught it before it blistered so scarring won't be a problem.

When it comes to things like burns and scale rot, if allowed to get to the point of blistering then it can cause scarring that may never completely fade. Yours will be fine.

dosnt this kind of thing mke you wonder why the creators of the heat pads dont put a dimmer or thermostat built in on the products they sell to people for heating a reptile enclosure when they no that everyday joe will pull it in and end up hurting the animals:rage::rage::rage::rage::rage::rage:
op just keep it clean i got a rescue with a burn hope hes ok and gets better :gj:

These are the same companies that sell hot rocks, so...

I havent checked the posts in a while i was away for a week. I spoke to a guy down at Ben Seigal Reptiles in Deerfield Beach, FL.. I explained everything that was going on with Marley and he gave me the same advice. I have soaked Marley int the Betadine solution and that helped. I put a thin layer of neosporin on also and he looks completely different. I have also been swabbing the affected area directly with betadine and it has been working really well.. I just got back from being away on sunday and it was crazy to see how much he has healed already. I tested the heat mat with my temperature gauge to see exactly how ho it was getting while i had marley out of the tank it it got up to 110 degrees... wayyyy to hot..it actually put small cracks it the glass. :mad: Its a good thing i unplugged the mat when i did. I'm testing out a different set up in the tank... I have the heating pad underneath his water bowl and so far its working:sweeet:


thanks again everyone

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Originally Posted by Torey Torsiello

I have the heating pad underneath his water bowl and so far its working:sweeet:


thanks again everyone

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watch this cause it can cause a thermal shock to the glass ( shattering it ) if the water bowl is spilled. I not sure if tank( aquiram spelling) glass is made to prevent it but I doubt it lol. it like pouring ice water on a seal up hot car in the middle of parking lot middle of the day. it can crack the glass .

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but did you put the heat pad back in without a thermostat?

Putting it under the water bowl isn't much safer. A) it can still cause cracks which will be even worse if water gets in them and B) snakes can and do move water bowls. Mine rearranges things all the time.

Get the neosproin off of him and only put the silvadene cream on. Neo is ok to use once in awhile, in small amounts, but it is an oil based product.
Oil based products soften the scales and skin promoting more injury, scale flaking, and infection. It should never be used on large areas, burns, or large lacerations. For burns, and large lacerations you need to use cream based products. Only.

Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

i only put the neosporin on him once... ive been swabbing the area directly with the betadine and his skin has cleared up a lot. I just unplugged the heating pad again after i read one of the posts again... its only been on under the water bowl for two days i was trying something different... the humidity has stayed at a good level since ive done this and the temperature hasnt gotten out of control... but if you say the glass is gunna shatter if the water spill i dont want that to happen so i already unplugged it.. thank you for telling me... i still havent gotten the thermostat some of the places ive found them are ridiculously expensive... i gotta get him a new tank soon too

You can order the hydrofarm for $28, or at the very least a rheostat from HD

I just ordered ahydrofarm tstat from amazon, and it was $32 with shipping.

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Originally Posted by Abaddon91

dosnt this kind of thing mke you wonder why the creators of the heat pads dont put a dimmer or thermostat built in on the products they sell to people for heating a reptile enclosure when they no that everyday joe will pull it in and end up hurting the animals:rage::rage::rage::rage::rage::rage:
op just keep it clean i got a rescue with a burn hope hes ok and gets better :gj:

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UGH, I KNOW!!!!! i even freaking emailed ZooMed to ask why they don't just manufacture a thermostat right in, and they gave some TOTAL BS response that indicates they actually know nothing about their products. i'm not sure if i still have the email exchange, but i will see if i can find it to post for you guys.

OP, good job on unplugging that heat mat, they can be very dangerous if you don't fully know how to use them. luckily you found this great site!