My BP has a belly burn and is in the middle of a bad shed

[Lyssa981]

So, let me start with his history as best I know it. I just got my first snake last month, it's a long story but let's just say his previous owner didn't take care of him as well as he should have. When I got him he had a nasty burn on his belly, it almost looked like his skin was split down the middle. was off his food to the point I could see his backbone and the skin on his neck was sagging badly, and he was trapped in what looked like 3 or 4 layers of shed in places. It was the weirdest shed I have ever seen, you could actually see the pigment colors in it. So we got him cleaned up, changed out the rocks that were in the tank for paper towel changed regularly to minimize the risks of infection, insured the tank was at a good temp, and kept it pleasantly humid with a heat lamp directly over the water dish which we clean and refill daily. I did not exactly take him to a vet, we have a gentleman in town that raises, breeds, and educates people on snakes, he is also the go to man to source mice, since I'm not inclined to try frozen/thawed and I trust him far more then the vets around here.
So fast forward almost a month, Sampson is now on a good feeding schedule (one good sized mouse every 5 days) and is filling out nicely. He is actively moving around his tank looks genuinely happy to be free of his old skin. His belly is begining to heal up and I'm not finding much ooze on his paper towel, any more. We were cautioned to keep his humidity up, but not to actually get him wet (no damp paper towels soaks or mistings) to minimize the risk of infection. SO that's what we've been doing, then last week he holes up in his hide by the water dish (the one w/o the heater under it btw) and we don't see much of him for the next couple of days. Yep he's shedding again. Now I have been handling him more then is recommended, but he is a very calm snake and I have been very careful. He has yet to try and strike at me despite his eyes being milky white, I am still changing his bedding daily and checking on his belly. It appears to be scabbing up nicly along the sides, and is beginning to scale over. His shed however is looking very patchy. I noticed 3 places along his back and 1 on his neck where the shed was beginning to peal it definitely looks better then before, but his still seems to be struggling to remove it At this point I was still confident he could manage to sort it ou, . Now today he has started to get more active in rubbing at his rocks and other textured things in his tank. He is also climbing the side of the tank we open, a behavior I associate with him wanting out (he genuinely seems to like being handled) or him being hungry, which should not be the case during a shed I believe. . I am very worried in his quest to remove his old skin Sampson will open up his belly, it has started to ooze again. I want to help him, but I don't think I can raise the humidity level any more with out using more direct methods. which I was told not to use. I am far more concerned about his belly then the shed, but he seems to be more concerned with his shed. As I said the burn is still very raw and I am unsure how it will be affected by his shed. I could really use some advice from anyone that's been in this situation.

[KMG]

It would be very helpful to see pics of what your talking about so we do not give you blind advice for what we picture in our head.

[dr del]

It's fairly common for shedding to slightly re-open healing wounds and for them to shed more often than normal as part of the healing process.

Getting the humidity right for a couple of days will probably have more of a beneficial effect at this stage than a negative one. Just make sure to clean the enclosure after the shed and keep everything as clean as possible to minimise infection.

[bcr229]

Normally soaking in warm (mid-80's) water helps with a patchy shed. I would add a bit of betadine to the bath to help the burn heal up, the bathwater should be the color of weak tea.

If you've been using neosporin on the burn you'll probably want to switch over to either silvadene (silver sulfadiazine) or to vetericyn gel (Petco sells it) if the scabs come off during the shed and the wound re-opens. Neo is petroleum-based and long-term use can cause the healthy scales to start flaking off.

[Lyssa981]

I'll try to get pics next time I get him re situated. We are still pretty new to each other, and his eyes are pretty well capped over so I'm still very cautious about what I can do with him. He really is a trooper though, I can't believe how quickly he took to us. I have been using neosporan and I'll look into the other. I may try misting the tank a bit too. The humidity is sitting in the low 60's, so it's not too bad. I know it should be higher ideally, I also don't know if Sampson has a history of bad sheds (other then the mess he was in when I got him). He was in a 55 gallon with a screen top (which we now have mostly covered to keep the temp and humidity stable) I will say though he seems to like the extra space so I may leave him in there if I can get the humidity straightened out. I found a few pics that pretty accurately show where he is though. This is not my snake, it is a pic I googled, but it is almost exactly what he looks like. On Sampson the side of the wounds are almost black and have a raised scab that runs farther up then the one pictured

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[Foolish1]

So I haven't heard anyone say this but I am an organic farmer who lives in the middle of nowhere. When I get a burn on myself I use aloe plant and organic honey. Honey has been used forever for anti fungal and skin treatment. Aloe is an amazing skin healer. Can anyone chime in. I can't see these 2 things hurting a reptile. Figured I'd mention it. Maybe rub some of and honey on his belly see if it helps.

[Viol8r]

Ouch... We've been through a burn and went to the vet. (ours is a snake keeper) We were given a topical treatment and antibiotics, the burn we delt with was no where near as bad as that. I can't recall the name of the topical but after a few uses the snake started to smell like oysters... she's all good now.

[Lyssa981]

UPDATE: we added misting the tank 3 times a day and (it seemed to be the lest likely to cause issues) and that got the humidity up into the 70's. I think that was enough, he just worked his shed down to his neck so he can see! I'm hoping most of his upper body will come off together. Seriously though what can I expect of that belly when he sheds it off? Can I wrap his tail in any kind of gauze after? The section from directly under his boy parts to his tail (very much like the snake in the above pic.) Is the part that is oozing. The tip of his tail is very stiff and very scabbed, will he even shed that? It no longer seems to be actively paining him but he doesn't really use it for much in the was of gripping. He is moving and flexing it though. The guy I took him to is out of town for a few more days for the holidays and I really don't trust the vets as much around here with snakey questions. He really is the local expert.

[bcr229]

The tip of his tail is very stiff and very scabbed, will he even shed that? It no longer seems to be actively paining him but he doesn't really use it for much in the was of gripping. He is moving and flexing it though.

No way to know other than wait, but be prepared to help him shed his tail and lots of soaking to soften the scabs and skin over his scars. If he doesn't shed it off then eventually the old sheds can build up, cut off the circulation to his tail, and cause him to lose it.

[Viol8r]

The burn will fade as you animal sheds, taking scabs and discoloration with it. Be mindful of what BCR mentioned in the above comment. It may lose the tip of the tail anyway due to the burn, but you want to make sure the shed is complete. As far as wrapping a snake....they come out of there skin so I'm not sure any wrap would stay on them for very long. If the enclosure is kept clean and changed like you would a bandage or dressing then that would be best. Like if he/she oozes on the paper towels, replace them. Obviously changed/clean the enclosure as soon as you notice any feces/urine.