Mouse nipped my ball python

[Violetdragon626]

So I know just by the title alone, 99.99% of everyone is going to tell me that “best way to avoid this is to feed f/t or pre-killed. I get it, but trust me, i’ve tried!! I’ve wasted money and have had to throw away a good dozen rats and a dozen mice to try and get my little one to switch with no luck. Believe me when I gave her her first f/t rat after her taking f/t mice, she just hissed at it and rejected anything else I gave her unless it was live.

Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox…..

Main point! As she was constricting her live mouse, to which I supervised the entire time, that the little guy was still fighting back. The way she had struck it left it some room to turn its head and try to bite her. I tried to move her in a way that wouldnt disrupt her, but i was unable to stop it from biting her. After she finished packing it in, i did a complete check on where it bit her. It looked red underneath her scales, so I think it may have drawn a tiny bit of blood that had moved its way down near her scutes. I had gone in with a q-tip with some water to try a clean it up if there was anything, but Im not sure if I was successful or not as she wouldnt sit still long enough for me to do anything, plus i didnt want to risk regurgitation if I tried to really hold her down. So, I tried to do that and then put some neosporin one the area(yes it was the kind without pain killers or numbing agent in it) as I have read on here to do so in case of this situation.

I guess my point is, is there anything else I should do or just keep neosporin on there for a few days and just keep an eye on it or do I need to think about taking her in to her vet? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[Erie_herps]

For right now keep an eye on it and make sure that it doesn't get infected. I don't think a vet visit is necessary since it sounds like a very minor injury. I'm not sure if neosporin is the best thing to use or not so wait until someone else with more experience chimes in to determine that.

[Bogertophis]

A "little" Neosporin or similar product (like Triple Antibiotic ointment) & without "pain relief" is okay to use, but just keep in mind that these ointments designed for human use are petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) based, & if you use much, they can really mess up your snake's sheds for a while.

Better thing would be the water-based & made FOR snakes ointment by Vetericyn- get the version for reptile use. You can also use diluted* Betadine (povidone-iodine) (*so it looks like weak tea) dabbed on occasionally while the minor wound is healing. Don't think I'd run to the vet for something this minor- just going by your description though & without seeing it.

UNLESS: it fails to heal- swells, drains (blood etc)- if that happens, see a vet a.s.a.p.- rodents carry some nasty germs, & this bite did break the skin on your snake, so an infection is possible despite your topical first aid.

And yes, sooner or later, this happens when you feed live rodents- they manage to turn just enough & bite back, or even squirm away- snakes have lost eyes & had other serious injuries, even life-threatening ones, from live rodents. All the best.