Somewhat urgent Woma Python question....

[Hypancistrus]

So my woma python, Dingo, who I adopted from a friend, used to live in an Animal Plastics cage which had sliding glass doors. He managed to wedge his head between the doors and rubbed the scales off. The wound was healing well up until the past two days, when I noticed he appeared to have rubbed the "scab" off the wound. He is now rubbing it on everything in his tank he can reach and it seems to be getting more and more raw. I am considering a trip to the vets this week, but I am not sure what, if anything, the vet can do. He has not yet shed since I got him from my friend about three months ago. He is eating well and seems to like his new caging (I ditched the AP cage) which is a 36" x 18" x 18" viv with a screen top. His hot spot is about 92-93* and ambient temps are in the 80's during the day and mid-low 70's at night.

Anyone ever have a snake do this? Anything I can do? I am going to change out his litter for carefresh tomorrow because it is softer, and remove the wood and rough parts of his cage.

[bcr229]

It may be itching as it heals. Try some Vetericyn gel on it, Petco sells it if you don't have any at home.

Also I don't know if womas need to be humid or not, but bumping up the humidity may help the wound stay flexible.

Definitely take the cage décor down to the minimum needed - substrate, hides, and water bowl - and remove the other decorations until he heals up.

[Hypancistrus]

Okay, thank you-- I will try that.

[CantHelpIt]

Im curious how big that gap is.
My corn tries to do the same thing when he smells rats but the gap is much much too small.
I have a piece of cardboard blocking it at night just in case though

[Herpo]

My carpet ripped a scab off his tail once. I put some Betadine on, but don't put too much as it encourages tissue growth.

[Zincubus]

Im curious how big that gap is.
My corn tries to do the same thing when he smells rats but the gap is much much too small.
I have a piece of cardboard blocking it at night just in case though

I did a similar thing although I used a clear plastic / Perspex ruler which was hardly visible

[John1982]

Learning why he's rubbing is the first step in stopping it, or at least lessening the urge. Aspidites feed mostly on reptiles in the wild. This makes them more active simply because they have to eat often to sustain themselves - not a lot of fat content in the snakes and lizards they typically consume. The need to breed can also cause a male to get a little stir crazy as he searches out a mate. Luckily, the same medicine will often alleviate either symptom. Feeding smaller meals more often might lessen your boy's wanderings. This plays in your favor too since larger/older rodents tend to have a higher fat content which many australian species seem to have difficulty handling. You need to be careful not to overfeed.

[Hypancistrus]

Im curious how big that gap is.
My corn tries to do the same thing when he smells rats but the gap is much much too small.
I have a piece of cardboard blocking it at night just in case though

It was big enough for him to wedge his head in, apparently. He was living with my ex at the time and went completely off feed for six months. He always fed regularly when he lived here so she asked if I wanted him back and I said of course. When he came back, I realized the cage was a mess-- the light had been torn down, the doors were too gappy, and there was a hole where the light had been (to admit the cord) which allowed him to poke his head through. So I canned that cage and moved him into the viv he is in now. It is fully lit, with day and night heat lights and a pad under his favorite hide. He loves it and is a thousand times more active in it.

So far as feeding-- I have been offering him a smallish rat once every two weeks or so. Should I switch to mice, more often?

[John1982]

So far as feeding-- I have been offering him a smallish rat once every two weeks or so. Should I switch to mice, more often?

That's what I would do personally. At the least these should be fed weekly. You might want to even try twice a week to see if that doesn't get him to chill a bit. Something small like a mouse hopper or two, that won't chub him up, is what you want to offer if going to a more aggressive feeding schedule.