My ball python has scraped his scales off!

Hello everyone im VERY new to this site so i do not know if this is the right place to post.
I am sorry if it is not.

any way my 5 month old baby bumblebee ball python was showing signs of shedding he didnt shed for 2 monthes because he sopped eating for 1,

the other day i found him with bits of skin torn of and still hanging there, today i found him with smooth 'cuts'? down his back one was showing signs of bleeding only a tiny bit but the other one is white what is he doing and why is he doing this i am starting to really worry. these scrapes or cuts are not deep it looks more split .

I NEED SOME ADVICE NO WHERE ON THE INTERNET CAN I FIND A SOLUTION

is he rubbing himself to hard and hurting himself?

he has been placed in a smooth rub with paper towls and a water bowl.

ANY ADVICE IS MUCH APPRECIATED.

Any chance you can post pictures of this? Also can you tell what in his enclosure is he rubbing against that may be cutting him? I would try to get pictures up and remove the object if you can for now till you get help. It may be nothing but him starting to shed or it could be something that may require a vets attention.

You can clean a cut with Betadine and apply neosporin that does NOT contain the pain reliever. But that's about all I can say without pictures. If it is bad, vet immediately.

http://gyazo.com/e302c3533bc344d4af7e3efa408cc0ef

ok guys this is a pic of when i first found him i have bathed him since to clean him up the wounds are much smoother less messy this is a wound towards his neck its red but smooth the one im concerned about is the white one it is raised slightly smooth and white no patern no scales prob a inch long only a few mm wide.

HE DID FEED YESTERDAY! although his wounds were not as bad

as for what hes doing it on i have no idea. and no idea why he is doing it he is now in a plastic rub with no hide a small water bowl and news paper

one of his red scrape
http://gyazo.com/b8e4fb13fb1d481821eee9d69bb30d2c

one of his white scrape (slightly swollen) bad quality sorry :(
http://gyazo.com/2ff819bb473cd62b043166578879c9db
THIS IS HIM SCRAPING HIMSELF i have ordered betadine can any one explain me how i should apply it to my snake

Ummmmm holy smokes... I can't say anything else because censoring. But duuude. I haven't seen anything like this. I would personally rush mine to the vet man, ASAP...:taz:

That looks really bad I would take him to the vet just to be safe I would hate for an infection to set up

Vet.
Also, you need to figure out what he's rubbing against that's causing that. Can you post pictures of your setup?

my set up is removed completely only a empty viv with a plastic rub in it with him in i have a very close snake breeder friend and hes saying that if it gets worse weithin a week take him to the vet but atm he is ok i believe hes eating and flicking his tongue but if anything carries on ill rush him to the vet

WOW, I'm glad I suggested pictures. I agree with the others that's really bad, I've never seen anything like it. I say find a vet that knows reptiles and get in ASAP.
Keep us posted and good luck with him.

i also think the pics make it look alot worse guys! BUT i am going to rush him to the vet next week if this persists as hes in a plastic rub now he cant do any more damage

the only reason i say next week is im friends with a bp breeder and i rushed him round to him assoon as it happened he says hell be fine if i keep him in my rub and clean him daily etc using betadine etc etc if it gets worse i got to take him to the vet

i would also hate for this to get infected, if he wasnt flicking his tongue and he wasnt eatign i would go vet but i think i can heal this myself as doing research all day ive seen people with a lot worse! believe me

can any one explain how to use betadine on my snake? would be much appreciated

Wow.....that is pretty gnarly! He does not look ok at all. Still eating? Your snake is a tough sucker. I'd be to the vet like yesterday. That is bad! Best of luck, hope he heals up.

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Originally Posted by lucianocook

Hello everyone im VERY new to this site so i do not know if this is the right place to post.
I am sorry if it is not.

any way my 5 month old baby bumblebee ball python was showing signs of shedding he didnt shed for 2 monthes because he sopped eating for 1,

the other day i found him with bits of skin torn of and still hanging there, today i found him with smooth 'cuts'? down his back one was showing signs of bleeding only a tiny bit but the other one is white what is he doing and why is he doing this i am starting to really worry. these scrapes or cuts are not deep it looks more split .

I NEED SOME ADVICE NO WHERE ON THE INTERNET CAN I FIND A SOLUTION

is he rubbing himself to hard and hurting himself?

he has been placed in a smooth rub with paper towls and a water bowl.

ANY ADVICE IS MUCH APPRECIATED.

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Wow! This is a very serious condition! A vet visit is what bumblebee and you need right now. Most vets can work with you on the fees especially in a emergency. That wound is extremely suspicious for possible bacteria and or fungal spores, maybe both! Don't wait. Call this one in as a emergency! The wounds look very suspicious. Glad to hear he's still feeding. He needs the nutrition. What a beautiful morph! He's going to need professional intervention for this one buddy! Good luck and stay in peace and not pieces. A.C.:gj:

That looks like a burn to me, not a rub. The scales would've sloughed off when as he shed ... is he able to get up against a hot spot? A light? If he can touch it, he will burn himself.

I would definitely clean it off very gently with water, then rub in Bacitracin (or the generic equivalent... it's with the Neosporin and is an antibiotic cream. DON'T use Neosporin as it has a numbing agent that isn't recommended). Repeat this twice a day until he sheds the burns. And I would get him away from anything that will burn, bite, or scrape him. Put him down to a bare bones set up until that is cleaned up!

This is all, of course, if you for some reason can't get to a vet. Because that's the best option :)

You're asking how to use betadine... It's not a bad thing that you don't know that sort of thing, but it highlights that you don't really have wound-care experience. I think a vet visit would be really helpful in keeping that from getting infected.

This looks more like it got chewed unless you've found all the missing flesh.

That's one heck of a scrape. I would not just sit around and assume he will recover, this little guy needs to be taken care of right away. A ball python breeder is not a vet, and just because your friend said he'll be fine doesn't make it true.

A vet will give you the proper medication right away and show you how to mix and apply it. Even if he is eating and doing the tongue thing now, you could find his skin infected and rotting tomorrow. Are you willing to risk the life of your snake?

How bout a old pic before you took it apart?

What heat sources are you using?

Do you feed live?

Man.... I am surprised that this snake isn't in shock.

:sigh2: I still think vet. Unless you sit and constantly watch him to watch for anything wrong, 8 or 10 hours at work or school is long enough for things to worsen or even for him to expire.

Think of how quickly an infection can hit a human being and turn them from slightly uncomfortable to needing an ICU bed. Now apply that to a creature a fraction that size; it is not any stretch of the imagination to believe your snake can go from tongue flicking and feeding to expired during the short time span of a single overnight.

Vet, asap. Gorgeous snake, no need to risk it's life on optimism. It's obvious you care, do the right thing.

I was thinking that it looks more like a burn then anything else. I wouldn't wait on the vet he may act like he is ok right now but an infection can set up really fast and if it gets into his blood stream he may not make it. I wouldn't take any chances with him no matter what a breeder told u

ok every one he has betadine now still figurign out the best way to apply it to him his swelling has gone down and is doing fine just hope i dont stress the lil fella to much
es

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ok every one he has betadine now still figurign out the best way to apply it to him his swelling has gone down and is doing fine just hope i dont stress the lil fella to much
es

Hello every one would this ointment be ok to use instead of neospirin ? Dr shed fields triple anti biotic ointment cream is this usable

Everyone is telling you to get him to a vet, you just seem to be cherry picking advice.

Did I not recommend Bacitracin... and say NOT to use Neosporin? And Betadine is a cream or solution... not something you put your snake on, but something you put on your snake.

I agree with the above poster... please read the posts seriously and take care of your animal. It's your responsibility to do so, and I can't imagine a bee was cheap. If you won't listen to us, take him to a vet and listen to the real specialists please.

Are you using a ceramic heater? Can he touch it?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Why not answer the questions we have asked so we can get to the bottom of what this was really caused by?

I like a few others are not sold on it being a scrape. There are other things that could cause a wound that looks like this and you may just cause it again if we don't figure it out.

Or,

Im thinking maybe you know what it was and it was caused by something you knew you shouldn't have in your cage so you are embarrassed to say and that's the reason you took the cage apart and wont post pictures of it.

Just be honest with us.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Why not answer the questions we have asked so we can get to the bottom of what this was really caused by?

I like a few others are not sold on it being a scrape. There are other things that could cause a wound that looks like this and you may just cause it again if we don't figure it out.

Or,

Im thinking maybe you know what it was and it was caused by something you knew you shouldn't have in your cage so you are embarrassed to say and that's the reason you took the cage apart and wont post pictures of it.

Just be honest with us.

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i agree completely. to me it looks more like the predator became the prey. Did OP find scales laying in the cage? if not, where did they go? i personally believe that a rat/mouse got the best of him. in the one of his posts he was very defensive, saying that "THIS IS HIM SCRAPING HIMSELF."

It is better to be honest with us so that we can adequately help. Especially if a rat/mouse got to him, there's a higher possibility for infection. I would not screw around with this injury. Usually vets are very good with helping out in anyway possible. How would you feel if this happened to you and you could not go to the ER?

No one is really buying it. He is cherry picking advice, and also what questions he answers. Majority of people say go vet... as you would do. He says nah it will be okay, I will wait. Posts, urgently asking for help and doesn't do what has been suggested.

lol before you all start getting pissy. im not just listening to you lot im here seeking advice but here at home i have plenty of reptile breeding friends who are also advising me

so before you start saying i miss treat my animals your wrong. what he did it on, in his cage is unknown. he has a ceramic heater with a guard that is not hot at all. no rough edges because his set up cost me nearly 400 pound.

everything in his cage is top quality no bull.

what he has done is scraped himself trying to shed.

HE DID HAVE MITES a few weeks before injury but i cleared that problem up asap. he has a pink belly so he is in shedding faze.

i have just applied betadine to his wounds using a q tip. at a 1 part betadine 10 part water solution.

UPDATES. his swelling is gone and the red injuries seem to be smoothing over.

if his problem gets worse he is going to the vet tuesday.

As of right now he is in quarantine with a small bowl of water and news paper being changed twice a day.

so all you key board warriors i suggest you stop.

No one said you was mistreating your animal, but you ask for help, and the vast majority of people tell you to go to the vet and you go and do your own thing...

It is just pointless in asking if you are going to do that.

No one here is a keyboard warrior aside from you... No one has got lippy aside from you haha!

oh my god he feeds frozen thawed food so he isnt bitten lol. and yes you are right a bumble is not cheap. neither is my lemonblast female. who i have had for 2 years.


he is in a nd aquatics 3 ft wooden viv with a exo terra ceramic bulb the only rough item in his cage is the coconut and maybe even the orchid bark hes on...

but as of right now hes not even in that tank and hes in a plastic rub. hes going to the vet tuesday but what are they going to tell me to do? what im doing already? i didnt come on here looking for people to call me a bad pet owner.

it seems these forums are full of trolls.

>i didnt come on here looking for people to call me a bad pet owner

Nah you didn't. You came here for advice which you didn't really listen too haha! But you should try and figure out what happened to him, that kinda injury doesn't look good at all, and there has to be some of it on whatever he has done it on?

You have no pics of the enclosure beforehand? That would definitely help!

No one is a troll, that isn't even the definition of one either. We were trying to help and got not a lot back from you. So yeah, people will get antsy.

imj sorry his old cage is empty now he had 2 smooth caves a coconut and a shedding hide ...

i have some pics of him now which im sure all of you are gonna freak out about dw hes going vet asap. as i love him lots

but these wounds are not deep and a vet will only give him injections to prevent infection but im already on top of that

here we go

http://gyazo.com/377ab386f99b8f2faa2cf152e7d25132

oh and sorry i actually cant find a single bit of evidence on what hes done it on im sorry :( if i could i wouldnt be so clueless

Mate, that is bad! A vet won't just stop infection, he will clean it properly and possibly give you stuff you help healing him! I don't see how that can happen with that just in his cage!

The wound may not be deep but it is extensive! It is the whole way down his back pretty much!

You may think you are on top of it, but there is a reason they are professionals and paid to do it. They went to learn specifically about this. The sooner it gets there the better in my opinion.

Eh.. Okay...

I never see a snake skinned himself just to crawling out from a small place. That injury (in my opinion) nearly impossible unless you use extra razor blade decoration around the opening of his hiding.
Looks more burn... Your breeder friends hopefully told to you how to setup the ceramic heat emitter to avoid accidents. Its an open wound. Maybe (repeat...Maybe) your snake recover without any vet visit. Maybe Tuesday will be too late.. Maybe you take the risk.. It's on your own.

Best regards,
A Troll

come on guys im nto a noob my breeder friend confirmed it wasnt a burn because hwen it first happened he had bit of skin hanging off! then next day i came back and it was like this.... so hes torn them bits of and made it worse.

secondly i haVE A HABISTAT proportional pulse stat which keeps a steady 90 in his enclosure and the gaurd IS NOT HOT

Honestly, I don't care what your breeder pal said. So what, he breeds snakes, does he also know the ins and outs of their injuries? Nah, coz he can't solve this for you.

So stuff what he says.

No matter what it is, it looks really bad and you have been told what to do quite frankly, I don't know how many more times it has to be said.

at first he had bits of flakey skin torn hanging there all over next day hed removed them and several other layers of skin to lol so he deffo did it to himself.

hes been in his rub for a few days now and nothing has got worse....

So what you are saying is it could be a burn coz your ceramic heater isn't in there? Your point is moot.

also a reptile vet is not close to me and i work tuesdays to sundays all day untill late evening so ill take him down monday if issues have got worse.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lucianocook

oh my god he feeds frozen thawed food so he isnt bitten lol. and yes you are right a bumble is not cheap. neither is my lemonblast female. who i have had for 2 years.


he is in a nd aquatics 3 ft wooden viv with a exo terra ceramic bulb the only rough item in his cage is the coconut and maybe even the orchid bark hes on...

but as of right now hes not even in that tank and hes in a plastic rub. hes going to the vet tuesday but what are they going to tell me to do? what im doing already? i didnt come on here looking for people to call me a bad pet owner.

it seems these forums are full of trolls.

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Try not to get too offended, most here are very well intentioned as I'm sure you are too. It's also something none of us have ever seen before so it was quite shocking. Honestly I don't think more and more people jumping on the OP saying get to the vet is necessary, once several have said it can't we leave it alone and just be happy to get updates?

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Originally Posted by C2tcardin

Try not to get too offended, most here are very well intentioned as I'm sure you are too. It's also something none of us have ever seen before so it was quite shocking. Honestly I don't think more and more people jumping on the OP saying get to the vet is necessary, once several have said it can't we leave it alone and just be happy to get updates?

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I think it needs to be said. It is the best advice and simply isn't being absorbed. So what, he works over the weekend? If he was feeling ill would he get time off? Of course, if you take responsibility of an animal then you take responsibility for its injuries and assure they are taken care of.

So not burn, cause he cannot go close to the CHE.
Not mechanical, cause didn't have any sharp, heavy object in the cage.
Not chewed, cause rats are f/t.
If it's a lottery where the vet don't play with us: Streptococcus pyogenes or aureus.

The thing is it has been said. I don't think we need another thread of the same post over and over again. If the OP decides to take action or not is their own right, but I just don't see any benefit in making this another 13 page thread of everyone saying "vet ASAP".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by C2tcardin

The thing is it has been said. I don't think we need another thread of the same post over and over again. If the OP decides to take action or not is their own right, but I just don't see any benefit in making this another 13 page thread of everyone saying "vet ASAP".

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It has been said and he is still posting asking what it is... Go to a vet and maybe find out?!

If you had a dog and it walked in with a random gouge the whole way down his back would you take it to the vets or just put some cream on it and 'wait and see'...

If the thread isn't for you then it isn't for you. Don't read it. That is the beauty of the internet, I can carry this and argue with him till the cows come home and you don't have to acknowledge my existence. I'm not being rude, just trying to state a point. This stuff gets on my nerves, it looks serious and he is so shocked by our reaction.

This picture to me (not a vet) looks like a burn and yes a bad burn could 100% slough skin off as you have described I would imagine particularly so if he was in shed as you said. The lighter white/brownish areas are likely where he was burned more deeply and rather than the skin sticking and peeling off as he moved the burn went down into the other layers of skin and tissue. Honoestly I'm really surprised your "breeder" did not immediately suggest a vet as everyone else here is suggesting. My suggestion is twofold. Take the snake to a vet who can correctly diagnose the problem and find a more responsible breeder.

Many of us here aren't trying to attack you, we only want what's best for the snake. Seeing an injury like this with no apparent cause is of course going to be shocking and upsetting to the people here, who devote so much time attention and passion to creatures just like what you have.

The most important thing you need to know about your situation is that reptile breeders are not veterinarians. Quite frankly I don't think they're very good breeders if they didn't shoo you off to a reptile vet as soon as you showed them this animal. I wouldn't buy a single snake (or anything else) from someone who thought letting an animal this badly damaged sit around and heal on it's own was the best course of action.

The snake is in a TUB, not a RUB. I hope that is a autocorrect issue.

A snake can be burned without touching the source. How was the che set up and where is the tstat probe mounted?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KMG

The snake is in a TUB, not a RUB. I hope that is a autocorrect issue.

A snake can be burned without touching the source. How was the che set up and where is the tstat probe mounted?

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A lot of people refer to them as RUB's or Really Useful Boxes. Google them, I think they are a brand.