Neglected BP - Belly Burns? Scale Rot?

[MazieBB]

I just rescued a BP from a home where he was severely neglected, I've attached photos of the wound this snake has there is so much i could write here about this snake but currently i'm looking to see if someone can tell me if this is scale rot or severe belly burns?! the photos I've attached are of the snake in its previous enclosure at the home i removed it from about two days ago i took them before removing the BP and taking it home with me. I'm guessing hes like 5 years old and been very abused and neglected. I've been having difficulty with him being that he is very stressed which is expected and very agitated/defensive he's striking at me and has bitten me several times doesn't stop me from trying get him some help. I've never experience anything like this with my own BPs I've had for 7 years now! I believe he might be suffering from both. I think he got burned and previous owner neglected to do anything so the snake started soaking as the previous owner stated his snake started swimming a lot .. i found it under a large glass casserole dish being used in its enclosure as its water dish he was coiled up under and had pretty much dug his way through very wet/moist dirty coconut dirt to get there it looked like he had been doing it often there were lots of pieces his shed mixed with the dirt. the photos show the worst part and side of the snake but it has these all over mostly from mid way down his body to the tail on both sides of him. I have 4 more days not including today till the vet appointment i have for him i tried to schedule it a lot sooner but my awesome herp vet lives almost 3 hours away and is the closest to me, im desperate looking for help and advice on what i can do for him in the meantime till saturday! please help!
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[Kokorobosoi]

Well this may be obvious I don't mean to offend... So here goes.

put him on unused newspaper or paper towels. Keep his tank to a minimum. I would triple check for anything sharp or too textured. If you have betadine use it. If you use a hook try to be careful of the wounds.

Question: is he leaking any fluid? Is he warm to the touch?

Handling is is going to be a process. Good on you for doing everything you can! Expect grumpy defensive behavior. I taken in a ball that had gotten stuck on a mouse trap in its previous home and required at home antibiotics. Vet wanted it injected directly not into the feeder. The poor thing never calmed down, was aggressive/defensive up until the day I found a breeder willing to take him in.

Keep us posted! Poor guy.

[Kokorobosoi]

If the biting becomes an issue, what I did with terminator was I wore gloves and wrapped ace bandages over my forearms.

[Bcycling]

I am not that experienced with burns or rot, but that looks bad. Are u planning on taking him to the vet?

[DVirginiana]

That looks like either an injury from being left alone with prey or a burn from getting too close to an unregulated heat lamp... Maybe even getting caught on a piece of dangerous decor or something. UTH burns and scale rot are almost always on the belly.

Until he gets to the vet, replace the bedding like was suggested. I'd recommend paper towels; it's easier to keep track of bleeding/fluid/discharge on those than it is on newspaper.

As for the actual wounds, betadine is good, and chlorhexidine works as well (it's a bit milder when you're going to be using it long term IMO). First thing is making sure the wounds are cleaned out. You don't want bits of bedding caught in there complicating the healing process. You can make a solution of either betadine/chlorhexidine and water and use that to kind of wash off any debris in the wounds. Then, if it was me, I'd probably quickly swab the wounds with that solution at least once a day until he gets to the vet to try and minimize the risk of infection.

[MazieBB]

He isn't leaking fluid from what I've seen he doesn't let me handle him very long.He had a slimey feeling and sticky in spots when I got him out at the guys house and he smelled dirty like musky moldish. There's no substrate in his enclosur here just news paper , a small water container and I've given him three hides that he takes turns in rarely comes out at all even at night. I did have him soak for 10 min then as gently as I could patted him off, the slimey feeling is gone and the smell. He did feel warm when I took him out of his previous home but its enclosure was heated wrong it was too hot by his pad he'd dug up the dirt they used for his enclosure right next to it was a heat lamp they had & heat rocks that were hot to the touch when I touched them they kept his water right next to all of that. I haven't handled him today as he's been in the hides, trying not to keep stressing him out.

[DellaF]

Poor baby! I hope you can help him. Looks like he really needs some vet care. Glad you got him out of that place.

[Albert Clark]

Wow, animal cruelty at its worst. Even if it was from ignorance this is pitiful. I suspect deep tissue burns with a secondary Infection. I am surprised to hear the reptile is moving and alive. Kudos to you on the rescue and vet intervention. The reptile is probably septic and will require antibiotic therapy and surgery. He is a strong animal to still be alive. Yeah, paper towels as the substrate and ( tea colored) betadine soaks twice a day. You can even alternate with Chlorhexadine soaks on following days. Vetericyn as a antibiotic application or neosporin ointment w/o pain relief. The betadine soaks should be followed by clear water rinse. Chlorhexadine doesn't need to be rinsed off. Hoping for the best healing and rehabilitation. Good luck.

[distaff]

Yikes.
Please keep us updated.

[Lady mkrj58]

This kinda stuff really tees me off Thank you for what you have done.. please let us know how things are going.