Guys...I'm really worried...Scale rot?? Infected burn?? Please help!!

So about a week or so ago, I posted a thread with pics of my BP's belly after her shed. Here is what I posted a week ago:

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...psywehy4uk.jpg

The vet and the people at the reptile store I bought her at both told me it was a minor burn and to simply apply a light layer of Neosporin (Yes, I know what everyone says about Neosporin but I did what the vet instructed me to do) This is Matilda today:
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...psued3iwm4.jpg

I really can't tell what's going on here. She didn't eat when she normally eats like monster, which I understand because that burn cannot be comfortable in the slightest. I'm taking her to the vet again in the morning to see what I can do but in the mean time, I'd like to see what you guys think. All of the husbandry specs are on par so I'm not worried about that. The temp in her warm hide is right at 90 degrees with an ambient of 78. But now some of the scales along her back are coming off. I could see them on my hands when I handled her just now. The 'scale' still seems in place as I can see the outline of it on her back but its like the top layer of them are coming off in one small patch along her back. I've read this can come from a bad shed but it still has me worried. Any and all advice is most welcome!!!

I've had a lot of success with using Neosporin on small areas, but some of the chemicals can soften scales and make them come off, so I'm betting that's what's causing the scales on her back to come off.
I imagine you already do, but do you have her in a hospital setup with just paper towels as bedding? That'll keep debris out of the burns.

It's good you're going to the vet again tomorrow, let us know what they say.

I have her on clean reptile carpet. Should I switch to paper towels ASAP?

you need to be asking right now. You have to take the offending heat source away pronto.

How are you heating?

If you are using a UTH is it on a thermostat?

The snake is clearly reinjuring itself on the heat source. Can you give us the details of your setup so we can look for the problem. A photo of the tank would be great.

I hope your snake survives this.

David

I am using a UTH but its not on regulated thermostat. I have a rheostat in the mail, arriving tomorrow though. I do have a thermometer resting under her warm hide, right over the heating pad. It reads 91 degrees right now. I put her on dry paper towels and have already removed all rough objects in her tank. After doing some research on exotic vet sites, I'm convinced this is scale rot, secondary to her burn. I'll post pics of the tank when I get a moment.

That unregulated uth is what did that, your probe may read 91 but i bet it gets alot hotter then that at points during the day.

Woah, didn't realized you hadn't regulated the heat source yet. Unplug it until you get something to regulate it, I'd bet you money it goes over 91 at certain points during the day.

I'd still change from reptile carpet to paper towel. It's a little less abrasive, but it's also better for being able to see any discharge or bleeding that might be coming from the wounds.

I have her soaking in a betadine solution right now and I've switched her over to paper towel bedding. My rheostat is coming tomorrow.

Wow, you really should have turned off the uth like we told you in the last thread. Leaving it on unregulated did nothing but allow what was a relatively minor burn to continue to get worse. If you have not turned off the uth and absoutely turn it off now leave it off until you have a thermostat on it. I would personally leave it off and use ambient temps at 86 or a heat lamp until that burn heals.

I would've done but I don't have a heat lamp. How can I keep her tank warm until tomorrow when my rheostat comes in??

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Originally Posted by RaeDee

I would've done but I don't have a heat lamp. How can I keep her tank warm until tomorrow when my rheostat comes in??

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Turn up the temp in your house. Or you could have gone to a local hardware store or some place like walmart and picked up a rheostat since you aren't going to splurge on a thermostat that would let you more accurately heat the UTH.

Whatever kind of thermometer you're using doesn't seem very good since you're still cooking your snake. You need to be able to measure the surface temperature, not the air above it.

:( I'm using a probe thermometer that sits directly on top of the heating pad. I'll look around for better hardware tomorrow after the vet visit.

A small electric heater for the room or nothing. 70s for a few days will not kill her but that unregulated uth absoutely will.

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Originally Posted by RaeDee

I would've done but I don't have a heat lamp. How can I keep her tank warm until tomorrow when my rheostat comes in??

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What's the temp in your house?

Walmart, Lowes or tractor supply (and probably local hardware stores) will have a heat lamp. Walmart has bulbs. I really recommend investing in one until she has shed a few times and that burn is gone.

It's 78 in my apartment but it drops slightly at night. I may run up to Walmart tonight in search of a heat lamp.

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Originally Posted by RaeDee

It's 78 in my apartment but it drops slightly at night. I may run up to Walmart tonight in search of a heat lamp.

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Your snake will be fine at that temp for a day or two.

Alright I'll turn her heat pad off. I have a vet appt set for 9am tomorrow morning and my rheostat is coming in tomorrow. When it comes, should I plug the pad back in but put it on the lowest heat setting? Or should I chuck the whole lot and invest in a lamp...

Uth will be fine once regulated, I just wouldn't use it while she's recovering from the burn.

She will be better off with no heat source until tomorrow as long as it's not cool in the room she's in, maybe bump the heat up in your house a few degrees, right now your UTH is cooking your poor snake and that is much more dangerpus than leaving the UTH off overnight. Turn it off and leave it off until you have it safely regulated

Your local hardware store has everything you need, they carry lamp dimmers that will regulate your mat.
Rheostats take work to dial in and will need to be adjusted during temperature changes so you will still need to monitor very close.
A thermostat would have been the better move because they will adjust themselves.

You said your thermometer probe is on top of the mat. Between the mat and glass OR between the glass and substrate?

There is no scale rot there.
It was a minor burn to start with but you didn't listen and continued using an unregulated UTH source so what would anyone expect to happen?
Your animal now has a long road of healing to do.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psne0gktek.jpg
I got one of mine from someone that thought they didn't need to regulate their source either, then again he told me she was het pastel too. :rolleyes:

Ok so the vet visit went well. He said he had seen burns worse than Matilda's that had healed just fine, so he felt her prognosis was very good. She'll be having a betadine bath every day, along with a light shmear of silver sulfadiazine, plus injections of Fortaz every 72 hours. As mentioned above by several of you, I've been instructed to get her a heat lamp until she's fully healed and after her next shed. So I'll be purchasing that today at the reptile store just as soon as it opens. Any advice on which type/wattage/bulb/whatever I should look for?

I have one of those guys too. The UTH actually caught on fire and she lost part of her tail in an accident with her previous owner. Those things are dangerous. :(

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps5yitudpr.jpg

Glad the vet says she has a good prognosis! Just make sure the bulb is the appropriate wattage for the lamp.

Best advice get a lamp with a dimmable switch not just and on/off one, this way you can adjust output and not be set to whatever the bulb produces at full power, also you may want to look at a heat bulb in either red or the blue... but better then them is a ceramic heat emitter... much more reliable then the light bulbs... but if you get a che you must make sure that the light socket is porcelain... as for bulb wattage a 75 or 100w should be more then enough

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Originally Posted by RaeDee

Ok so the vet visit went well. He said he had seen burns worse than Matilda's that had healed just fine, so he felt her prognosis was very good. She'll be having a betadine bath every day, along with a light shmear of silver sulfadiazine, plus injections of Fortaz every 72 hours. As mentioned above by several of you, I've been instructed to get her a heat lamp until she's fully healed and after her next shed. So I'll be purchasing that today at the reptile store just as soon as it opens. Any advice on which type/wattage/bulb/whatever I should look for?

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100/150 depending on what size cage she's in. (Always match bulb/fixture wattage) Larger isn't going to hurt and will be more efficient so long as it's controlled. Smaller the bulb the more it has to work to heat the same space as a larger one. Ceramic bulbs work well since you can keep them on at all times and won't affect the day/night cycle. And as MPC mentioned get a ceramic fixture for any CHE bulb.

I got a red bulb and fixture adequate for her tank size. And fortunately the fixture I got works with my rheostat so buying the stat wasn't a total waste hah. I also got a infrared temp gun so I can accurately read the temps in her tank. Thanks to everyone for their advice! (and shaming from some lol). This site really is indispensable.

Sometimes some people just dont want the truth and it may hurt but its all for the best of the animals we chose to hold prisoner in our hearts.

Hey, I had my first snake on an unregulated uth as well. All that quickly ended with the resulting burn. It wasn't bad, thank goodness, but it was enough to kick my head into gear! He once he shed it was totally gone, no scarring and he got back on feed, but it sure was scary and I was pretty upset with myself. You live and you learn right? Good luck with the treating of the burn!

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Originally Posted by RaeDee

I got a red bulb and fixture adequate for her tank size. And fortunately the fixture I got works with my rheostat so buying the stat wasn't a total waste hah. I also got a infrared temp gun so I can accurately read the temps in her tank. Thanks to everyone for their advice! (and shaming from some lol). This site really is indispensable.

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Telling you that your failure to listen to people's recommendations made the problem worse isn't shaming, it's reality. Everyone on here really loves these animals and to see one suffer because of stubbornness really gets under a lot of people's skin.

That being said, I'm glad the vet said that she has a good prognosis. In the meantime, I'd suggest saving up for an actual thermostat instead of just a rheostat. They are more reliable, safer, and just generally a better choice. I'm certain there are people on here that can give you all the fine points of difference between them. The rheostat is certainly a step in the right direction, but as with all equipment some types work better than others. I'm no expert on the best thermostat brands so it may be a good idea to start a new thread to get suggestions.

Kudos to you for getting to the vet and having the bp receive professional and definitive care. Who knows what someone else in the same situation would have done. All is well that ends well. Now it's the treatment and rehabilitation that is important. I hope that it all goes smoothly and she recovers and returns to the quality of life she is used to. Stay in peace and not pieces. Good luck. :gj:

It was not 'stubbornness' that kept me from removing her from the UTH. I was told by PROFESSIONALS AKA VETERINARIANS that she would be fine as long as I kept the UTH temp at 90 degrees, kept her environment clean, and treated with neosporin, all of which I did. The vet I saw yesterday said that her wound got so bad because of an infection secondary to the burn. As a fourth year vet student myself (small animal; don't even try me on the exotics field.) I tend to follow the advice of a veterinarian a bit more closely than that of others. I'm not trying to be rude but if I were stubborn, I would not have gone straight to the vet in the first place, ordered a regulator for the pad and paid out the you-know-what for it to be expedited, nor would I have even come here asking for advice. Perhaps invest in a dictionary to define the word 'stubborn' in future....I highly doubt a 'stubborn' snake owner would be willing to shell out almost 400$ in vet bills and other equipment within two weeks for one snake. Don't try me on my level of care and attention for my precious animals.. This thread is closed. ::drops mic::

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Originally Posted by RaeDee

I'm not trying to be rude but if I were stubborn, I would not have gone straight to the vet in the first place, ordered a regulator for the pad and paid out the you-know-what for it to be expedited, nor would I have even come here asking for advice.

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Just for giggles I went on amazon and looked up how much 1 day shipping would be for a Hydrofarm thermostat. It's 4$. You ordered a simple rheostat on 4-29. What kind of expedited shipping did you get that takes a week to be delivered? Now that maybe less because I have prime but did what you order cost much more than 40$?

Your snake was burned by an unregulated UTH, you allowed it to remain unregulated, the burn got worse and has gotten infected. Now you're stubbornly trying to justify your lack of action on the cause of the problem in the past week by pointing out your futile attempts at treating it.

I feel bad for your snake having to recover from something avoidable but certainly not for you being insulted. As a fourth year vet student no appeal to authority makes your opinion/actions beyond reproach. Especially when you're making major mistakes (like no thermostat) that should have been covered in any moderately decent care sheet.

And we all told you that sitting a thermometer on top of a heat pad does not keep it at 90 degrees, so no, you weren't doing what we (or the vet) told you to do. Keeping it at 90 would have required immediately putting it on a thermostat, which you didn't do. I'm willing to bet that your vet would never have told you to leave an unregulated thermostat on.

If you really want to get on a soapbox about how precious your animals are to you then do more research before you get the next one and you'll find out how to safely set them up. Yes, putting a snake on an unregulated UTH is a common and forgivable beginner mistake, but only if someone is willing to admit that they messed up and should have done better. I want what is best for your snake (don't really care if your feelings get hurt or not) but the fact is that you have not handled this situation the best way it could have been.

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Originally Posted by RaeDee

I was told by PROFESSIONALS AKA VETERINARIANS that she would be fine as long as I kept the UTH temp at 90 degrees...

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So after the first vet visit did you unplug the UTH or did it continue to run unregulated?

BTW a lamp dimmer does the same job as a rheostat, this one is from Lowes but Home Depot should also carry them, so you could have had a fix for your UTH a week ago for $15. They are a short-term solution until you get a thermostat. http://www.lowes.com/pd_70717-539-TT...ductId=3189447

Vets specialize.
My vet WONT touch reptiles because that is not her primary care and she admits to not knowing enough about them.
Not saying I know everything about anything but its funny when I get calls from her.

First of all, I never said I didn't make a mistake as I quite obviously did. Secondly, I saw an exotics vet. A SPECIALIST. I clearly misunderstood his instructions and I take full responsibility for that. However, I've been on a lot of forum sites related to many different subjects and I have never ever seen such condescending responses to someone who was reaching out for help. A few of you have been kind but the vast majority of responses and messages I've gotten since joining have been unbelievably insulting/condescending to the point of feeling bullied. So maybe next time a newbie who made a mistake comes round, try to be a little gentler. Yes I got defensive earlier and I apologize for that but I do try to do everything I can for my animals and I do hours and hours of research before I invest in a new one. I made a mistake. Now I'm doing everything in my power to correct that mistake. So can we please leave it at that? I feel bad enough as it is without a hoard of strangers shaming me for something I did wrong. :(

I'm sure everyone, you included, is frustrated. For me personally it was rather upsetting that I, along with several other people, had told you to immediately turn the uth off. You didn't do it and a few days later I come back and see the snake with an even worse burn than before. Really frustrating as an outside observer who gave you good advice that you didn't follow. It was sort of like why did you even bother to ask?

As for you I can certainly see how some of the comments would seem insensitive and even provoking, but I'm confident that the posters have the best interest of your snake in mind. Harsh yes, but the comments didn't seem to get through the last time so there is a sort of urgency to impress upon you the need for proper care.

When I first got into the hobby some of the terms were very confusing. I did a lot of reading myself, but unfortunately sometimes you don't learn things before you experience them. Chuck this one up to experience, learn from it and get on the ball to make sure you don't do it again. I believe that you have a promising start and I look forward to seeing your BP's progress as she heals. Best of luck.

I won't be using the UTH anymore. The heat lamp is working really well and I think it'll be safer for her in the long run. Im going to work really extra hard to make sure I never have to post a problem on here again. This has been stressful and yes, frustrating. Thank you Asherah for your kindness.

As long as the temps and humidity is good there is no reason you can't use the lamp long term. :) I hope you will post again in the future. There is helpful advice here even if it is frustrating getting it! lol You are welcome as well.

You have to remember you are posting in a public forum.
Many of us have dealt with the same questions over and over.
Many members are also sensitive.
Some of us (myself included) come off as rude and cruel when infact I just dont beat around the bush and blow smoke. I am straight foward and brutally honest.
Its not just you.

I'm sorry to everyone for being defensive earlier. I won't post again until I have some good progress pictures of Matilda's belly. Thanks to all and I'm sorry for not following your advice when it was given. :tears:

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

You have to remember you are posting in a public forum.
Many of us have dealt with the same questions over and over.
Many members are also sensitive.
Some of us (myself included) come off as rude and cruel when infact I just dont beat around the bush and blow smoke. I am straight foward and brutally honest.
Its not just you.

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I can vouch for this - *has vet that pit says is not good vet - I politely disagree* lol

- - - Updated - - -

Look forward to seeing them!

Matilda went into shed and I was so worried it was going to go horribly. I didn't think the burn had healed enough for her to have a nice easy (and blood-free) shed.

HOWEVER- my girl pulled it off!!! She shed PERFECTLY!!! There's no scar, no blemish, not even a single mark where the burn was from what I could see. (I still need to look her over more closely in full light. She wasn't really in the mood for much handling this morning) but OMG snakes are truly amazing snakes and I am so beyond thankful for the help I found here and that my snake is now clear and free from that awful UTH and the burn I caused her. So excited!! I was like a little kid on Christmas this morning when I saw her belly :) :) :)

I'll post some pics later so keep an eye out for those too. You guys won't believe it!!

again thank all of you so much. The help I found here was indispensable.

Really glad to hear that Matilda has healed up so well! :)

Glad to hear it!

Snakes are amazing *animals* lol sorry, just woke up. *_*

Thants fantastic news, congrats on the clean shed and great healing

Hey RaeDee,

Glad to hear your snake is doing okay. I'm not sure if your vet told you this or not but your snake will (and should) shed to get the dead skin off. I *just* went through this with our BP and his was 10x worse than your snake's burn. So be prepared possibly for a few scabs.

As for the lamp vs heat pad...if you can keep husbandry up with just a lamp..go for it!! My vets are very against heat pads because they can burn the snake (unless you have them on a thermostat that never breaks).

We are in the process of ordering a thermostat (not a thermometer) to hook our heat lamps up to because I have them on a lamp dimmer that I have to check everyday.

Be sure to have extra bulbs on hand.

Now, the thing I am confused on...did your vet look at the snake for infection?

I would also keep her on paper towels or newspaper for a bit in case her organs got a little damaged. I'm not saying they are, but there is no harm in being "overly cautious".

Just to show you that worse burns can heal, here's my post from treating a foster snake over the past few months... (it's in the advanced husbandry section). I found no issues with using regular triple antibiotic topically.

On another note, I've had vets that said they treated exotics that weren't aware of basic husbandry of snakes. There's just so much information, that you really need to find someone that has a lot of experience with snakes in particular. Where I work, we don't see snakes. One of the doctors will research and do some occasional work with mine, but I have a separate snake vet that I pay full price at for more serious issues.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ng-projects%29