PLEASE HELP! Infection??

Hey everyone,

I bought a second ball python 2 weeks ago it's still just a baby. Today when I brought her(not 100% sure) out of the terrarium it looked like there was some dry poop still hanging out of its butt. Upon closer inspection I realized that it was not dry poop it's something else, like an infection or something. All the vets are closed this weekend and we're in the middle of a blizzard. Can anyone shed some light on my situation here?

Thanks!

http://i.imgur.com/y9iH96A.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lq7K3dM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/L779G0Y.jpg

Can you get some clearer shots? Did the snake come this way?

That's basically as clear as I can get them because the only way I can take the pics is with my phone. It was not there at the time of purchased, I handle her almost every day and just noticed it today.

Well they are too blurry to tell what's going on.

Either way as soon as the vets are open and the roads clear, I'd be high tailing it to the vet.

In the meantime, contact the seller and let them know you've got a problem.

Get some non-painkiller Polysporin (I believe that's the one if a blue tube). Wash the area to get any of the gross looking stuff off and apply the Poly every day

Also, in your first pic, your thumb is clear, in the second and third, there is a black dot. Was it a bug?

I will most likely be bring her in tomorrow, and no she doesn't have bugs or mites it must just be a piece of substrate.

Okay, that's a good sign. It's just that the black dot definitely is the right size and shape for a mite.

What substrate are you using? Can you describe the stuff around your snakes vent? Is there any chance it's dried up poo or urates? (Gross but...) does it have a smell?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

Okay, that's a good sign. It's just that the black dot definitely is the right size and shape for a mite.

What substrate are you using? Can you describe the stuff around your snakes vent? Is there any chance it's dried up poo or urates? (Gross but...) does it have a smell?

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I haven't smelled it yet but I tried soaking her and gently wiping it off thinking it was poo but it never came off. The stuff looks dry, it is an egg white and has some darker spots. The vent is also open a bit too.

Se needs to have a fecal exam performed on her stool to look for GI parasites.

It's almost like its healing from a prolapsed rectum or maybe scale rot. You could soak in betadine/water mixture. I would personally not use polysporine, but definitely try to get into the vet and good luck!

Also I would keep her on moist paper towels.


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Thanks for the help guys, I'll be bringing her to the vet as soon as I can to get her looked at.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dav4

Se needs to have a fecal exam performed on her stool to look for GI parasites.

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Thats never a bad idea. It should even be done regularly. Basically you buy the kit to get 1 snake tested, and when you buy it the lab costs are already included. You open it, follow the instructions on how to get a good poop sample, collect it, send it in, and you get back a full screening for any reptile-relevant parasites. These screenings should be done regularly anyway, especially for ball python collectors and breeders these lab screenings are the silver bullet against parasites. But i guess any competent vet will do this anyway, especially when facing the issue at hand.

Best Regards

As long as it's not open, oozing or swelling; I'd disregard almost everything here and leave it alone. Messing with it without knowing what it is can do more harm than good and a few days isn't going to make much of a difference as long as the problem isn't rapidly getting worse. Messing with it is going to stress her out and that is hell on the immune system. The only thing I would do is to remove all substrate and keep her on damp paper towels. Give her a new, clean hide and a new water bowl. Wash everything daily and change out the paper towels twice daily to prevent infection if it's not already present.

Did the snake shed recently?