2 sores under chin

I have a ball python that has 2 sores under her chin that are brown and rough and obviously hurt her when I touched very lightly. I saw another thread that says its not scale rot and no I cannot provide pictures because this site or forum won't let me which leaves me wondering why this forum doesn't have an option to upload pics from gallery. But do I wait till next shed and leave it alone or do I apply that betadine? How would I apply the betadine if its under her head? Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Joseph Flores

I have a ball python that has 2 sores under her chin that are brown and rough and obviously hurt her when I touched very lightly. I saw another thread that says its not scale rot and no I cannot provide pictures because this site or forum won't let me which leaves me wondering why this forum doesn't have an option to upload pics from gallery. But do I wait till next shed and leave it alone or do I apply that betadine? How would I apply the betadine if its under her head? Thanks.

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Just use the direct link option: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Post-Pictures

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery//upload.phpthanks heres how it looks

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...525_203840.jpg

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Originally Posted by Joseph Flores

I have a ball python that has 2 sores under her chin that are brown and rough and obviously hurt her when I touched very lightly. I saw another thread that says its not scale rot and no I cannot provide pictures because this site or forum won't let me which leaves me wondering why this forum doesn't have an option to upload pics from gallery. But do I wait till next shed and leave it alone or do I apply that betadine? How would I apply the betadine if its under her head? Thanks.

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Even seeing the issue, it's hard to give you an opinion as to exactly what this is. How long has she had these sores?

The fact that there are 2 sores on the chin of your snake that are obviously painful suggests an infection of some kind, so first I have to ask, do you feed live rodents? It does look like it could be a rodent bite to me.

If the answer is yes, I would bet your snake got bit when trying to kill her prey, & if that's the case, you should take her to see a reptile vet, as the mouth/face area of a snake is sensitive & crucial for life, not to mention near the brain, so infections can be serious if untreated; keep in mind that even if it seems to heal OK, snakes produce solid pus that does not drain away on it's own -it forms lumps that require surgical removal because they cause pressure that hurts. Your snake may also need an antibiotic to heal.

You can try to apply Betadine or better yet, Vetericyn ointment (for reptile use), but if it's not a fresh open wound, these topical medications probably won't reach the infection to do any good. Brown generally means a scab of old dried blood, & to apply any topical product, you'll need to gently restrain your snake's head & apply it with a Q-tip.

But again, you really should take her to the vet instead...the fact that you're asking us how to apply something under her head suggests you're not up to the task, & the fact that it's painful suggests an infection that needs more than you can do at home. If you're feeding live, we can help you get her on f/t rodents so you won't keep having injuries in the future...that would be best for your snake. If this IS a bite wound, your snake may also now fear live rodents as a result of the bite, & now be harder to feed.

The one almost looks like a cut. Is it?

Anything in the cage that could do such a thing if the snake jammed it's head in or across it?

Being in the same spot on each side makes me think it did it pushing it's head into something, but it is a bit blurry and I'm on a phone so take it for what it is. Just a guess.

No I do not feed it live rodents or anything and my humidty is good. Im sure she tried escaping out and may have cut herself by accident because the lid was a bit loose but I put a heavy rock to seal it shut completely and yes I have clips and yes my temperatures are good. I cleaned her enclosure and made sure there were no pee or poop anywhere. I already applied a Triple Antibiotic Ointment to her Im not sure how often to apply it tho but I will see if I can go get some betadine for her.

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Originally Posted by Joseph Flores

No I do not feed it live rodents or anything and my humidty is good. Im sure she tried escaping out and may have cut herself by accident because the lid was a bit loose but I put a heavy rock to seal it shut completely and yes I have clips and yes my temperatures are good. I cleaned her enclosure and made sure there were no pee or poop anywhere. I already applied a Triple Antibiotic Ointment to her Im not sure how often to apply it tho but I will see if I can go get some betadine for her.

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You don't need Betadine if you're using Triple ointment, just one or the other. Glad you aren't feeding live, I was typing before you put up pics & it does look more like a cut.

When snakes try to climb, they often use their chin when they pull themselves up, so check for sharp edges on branches etc. I hope you can get by without taking her to the vet for this: a rodent bite would be more likely to get a nasty infection, but even though it's not a rodent bite, if you find she has hard lumps (or any swelling) where these wounds are, you still might need some medical help with this. Hope not. I'd apply a tiny amount twice a day. Not too much, as it just smears off (& can also mess with future sheds- that's where Vetericyn is better, it's water-based FOR reptile use. Most ointments are petroleum based, not good on snake's skin.)

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Originally Posted by KMG

Anything in the cage that could do such a thing if the snake jammed it's head in or across it? Being in the same spot on each side makes me think it did it pushing it's head into something.

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Almost certainly what this is as it lines up with their lower mandibles. Used to see the same thing on my retics when pushing/smashing their heads into parts of the enclosures.


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How would I stop her from doing this? I do not see her pushing against anything and she doesn't seem to have anything sharp in her enclosure but I notice when she's hungry, she roams her enclosure during the day and just looks like she's pushing up on her tank lid but she's not. I feed her an adult mouse but do i feed her like every 6 to 7 days because i fed her a adult mouse last Wednesday and today is Tuesday and she's roaming her enlcosire again and seems hungry with her tongue flicking a lot. Plus is it even safe to feed her with those sores under her chin?

If the sores are not swollen, I'd keep treating them topically, & she should be fine to feed. Just like us, we might have a cut that's healing & it will be sore for a while,
but it doesn't sound like this is anything that would keep her from eating. And a good appetite is just what she needs to heal right.

Keep looking for how she managed to get this injury though. We'd offer suggestions but we're not seeing her set-up...;)

There have been situations where people used things to furnish a snake's home that weren't designed for that & had sharp edges inside because they were made for
aquariums, & fish don't push on things the way reptiles do.

I think I found out what may have happened. My brother recently stapled and duck taped 2 broken cork pieces to make a log and i noticed how some of the gorilla duck take was sticking out and even tho I didn't see any signs of junk or maybe there was but i threw away all the duck tape and staples. I totally forgot my brother put that in there but im 70% sure thats where she may have gotten that.

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Originally Posted by Joseph Flores

I think I found out what may have happened. My brother recently stapled and duck taped 2 broken cork pieces to make a log and i noticed how some of the gorilla duck take was sticking out and even tho I didn't see any signs of junk or maybe there was but i threw away all the duck tape and staples. I totally forgot my brother put that in there but im 70% sure thats where she may have gotten that.

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A good suggestion is to NEVER use tape inside an enclosure.....especially something like duct tape.

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Originally Posted by KMG

A good suggestion is to NEVER use tape inside an enclosure.....especially something like duct tape.

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And CERTAINLY no staples! Ouch! Either one can do real damage to a snake.

Yeah I know I feel retarded for having that in there like jeez. But I'm sure that was the issue and she just ate right now so she's for sure okay and the scar hasn't gotten worse or anything.

Injuries happen in the wild too, and at least it's nothing worse & you figured it out pretty quick.