Lefty, the wild Black Rat Snake I am rehabbing, took nice, long drinks when presented with fresh water last night and the night before.

He was caught finishing his shed this morning! Wow, was he slippery, trying to get away from me. He's gorgeous and tongue flicking a lot now.

Here is his fresh skin:


His wound, which I swabbed with betadine after taking this photo:


The piece of skin that was shed from the wound had the lump in it.


Here is the inside of the lump - it is soft and fleshy. I can't imagine how painful this shed must have been for him. It does not seem to be a parasite, but rather a piece of his own flesh. Poor guy! I put it in a bag in the freezer in case it needs to be checked out / biopsied.




Right after I changed his water, removed the shed, gave him fresh water, and put him back in, he presented me with a gift. I was happy he did not do this while I was swabbing his injury with betadine!


I will continue to swab his wound with betadine 2x a day. I won't offer food until the wound is healed over.