Small injury from toy

[Missveronica]

Today I gave him a holee roller ball for his birthday, he took to it fairly quickly. Unfortunately, he went through a hole that was a little small for him, and got stuck there, so I ended up having to get him out. there was a dent on his back from being too tight, and his stomach was a little scraped up. I put some neosporin on his belly. I took time looking into it to make sure it was safe, and I can't find anyone else this has happened to. Has anyone ever had this happen to their bp?

[Bogertophis]

I'm not sure what a "holee roller ball" is, but yes, it HAS happened to ppl before- not just with toys but when ppl use decor made for fish aquariums for their snakes- fish can swim in & out of holes, but snakes can get stuck* & injured, even fatally. (*especially after a meal, or when their growth just sneaks up on you gradually) NEVER use anything with such holes for a snake.

Below- an example from another current thread here- see the fake skull in the corner? That's a "no-go" (bad idea) for a snake to play in, and it makes a lousy "hide" anyway- too many holes.

You're lucky you got your snake out, & the dent could easily be broken ribs, so don't handle him for a while so they heal. Don't use too much Neosporin either, it can make for awful sheds in the future, because it's made with petroleum jelly (for human skin, not snakes); Vetericyn FOR reptiles is better- from pet stores & online- effective but water-based so no harm to snake's skin.

BTW, some have had their snakes get stuck like this to where they had to have the thing they were stuck in carefully CUT away to save them- it's very dangerous. In the wild, snakes get stuck in bird netting & some other kinds of fences- they cannot back out because their scales are directional & overlapping- & they generally die from heat exposure & predators they cannot escape from.

[Missveronica]

I'm not sure what a "holee roller ball" is, but yes, it HAS happened to ppl before- not just with toys but when ppl use decor made for fish aquariums for their snakes- fish can swim in & out of holes, but snakes can get stuck* & injured, even fatally. (*especially after a meal, or when their growth just sneaks up on you gradually) NEVER use anything with such holes for a snake.

Below- an example from another current thread here- see the fake skull in the corner? That's a "no-go" (bad idea) for a snake to play in, and it makes a lousy "hide" anyway- too many holes.

You're lucky you got your snake out, & the dent could easily be broken ribs, so don't handle him for a while so they heal. Don't use too much Neosporin either, it can make for awful sheds in the future, because it's made with petroleum jelly (for human skin, not snakes); Vetericyn FOR reptiles is better- from pet stores & online- effective but water-based so no harm to snake's skin.

BTW, some have had their snakes get stuck like this to where they had to have the thing they were stuck in carefully CUT away to save them- it's very dangerous. In the wild, snakes get stuck in bird netting & some other kinds of fences- they cannot back out because their scales are directional & overlapping- & they generally die from heat exposure & predators they cannot escape from.

I'm checking on him now, and he's crawling normally, and his body shows no signs of the mark (dent) that he had earlier. I will still leave him for a few days, keep a close eye on him, and take him to the vet if I need to. I did not put much neosporin on him, thanks for that advice, everybody was saying to do neosporin on other forums, I'll get that other stuff after work tomorrow, and check on him when it is safe to. If nothing changes, how long should I give him then before I attempt to handle him?

Btw a holee roller ball is a dog toy, but several bp owners give them one for enrichment.

[Bogertophis]

If the dent is gone, he's probably fine, but he might be a little sore, so I'd let him be for at least a few days, just in case. Sounds like he's fine though, I'm glad.

Neosporin is technically safe & effective as an antiseptic, but like I said, don't use more than a smidgen, & not for long. It really messes up sheds. If the skin isn't actually broken, you don't need it anyway, nor the better option of Vetericyn. Diluted Betadine (povidone-iodine) is fine for snake wounds too, with no impact on sheds.

BTW I just looked up "hol-ee roller" dog toy- now I know what that is, & my dog has one, lol. (but none of my snakes do )

[Caitlin]

I use holee rollers for several of my snakes, but my ball python is heavy-bodied even though he's a medium-sized male, so I only use the XL size with him. For a larger male or a female I'd either not use a holee roller at all OR I would cut the existing holes into larger ones.

I wouldn't be in too much of a rush to handle him - snakes are good at masking pain, as are most predators (it's an evolutionary necessity), so it would be a kindness to give him a couple of weeks to recover. It sounds like he'll be fine. If he really enjoys his holee roller, see if you can get the XL size if you haven't already, or just create bigger holes in the one you have!

For anyone who is not familiar with them, I'll share a photo below of one of my Rough-scaled Sand Boas on her holee roller. She loves that thing and climbs on it every single night. As you can see, the size I use is large enough to give her plenty of room to move freely, and that's very important. [IMG][/IMG]