Minor Burn or Major Burn

[hjmash]

Hello, fellow Ball Python/Royal Python keepers!

I have a serious husbandry question, now before many of you tell me to look at previous posts about burns please understand that this is the first time my ball python has experienced one.
I arrived home from work today and did the daily care/inspection of my animals. I own two ball pythons, a year or so old female regular and a younger male bumblebee morph that I rescued a few weeks ago. I also own a gorgeous anaconda morph western hognose. While conducting my inspection I noticed a small burn area on my Female Ball Python. I was very distraught as I just combated a URI in my rescue male bumblebee, he is doing great now by the way. I have included some photos of my female along with a shot of the burn area, I do have heat regulators on all my UTH and both my ball pythons are housed in vision cages. My question is, the burn does not look major, and I have already taken care of the heating issue in the enclosure. What measures should I take next?

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Oh and I'm not sure I believe the burn may have been a result of a larger than usual meal, as she has now moved on to medium sized rats. I think she may have become too full to even move from her hide, maybe I am wrong.

[Bogertophis]

Ouch! This excerpt (-from https://www.petmd.com/reptile/emerge...ns_in_reptiles ) might help? I've never had to treat any of my snakes for burns,
and I don't know how serious your snake's is just by looking at your photo. I do know that a "larger than usual meal" does not cause a burn, your set-up needs improvements

TREATMENT


Burns may be quite serious if proper attention is not given immediately. The breaks in the skin caused by burning can leave your reptile at risk from bacterial and fungal infections, which can quickly become systemic and life threatening. It is difficult to determine how deeply tissue has been burned, therefore, taking your reptile to a veterinarian to get supportive care is essential. Veterinary treatment can include antibiotics, pain management for the burns, and feeding techniques for the the animal, who may have lost a lot of fluid.

The burned area will need to be cleaned and treated with topical ointments and/or cleansing baths. Your veterinarian may prescribe daily povidone-iodine soaks and an antibiotic ointment specifically for healing burned skin.

In cases of severe burns, a lot of fluid can be lost, leading to severe dehydration. The reptile may need fluids that can be given by enema or via injections. Your veterinarian will guide you in the best ways to help your reptile to heal from the burn.

[hjmash]

Ouch! This excerpt (-from https://www.petmd.com/reptile/emerge...ns_in_reptiles ) might help? I've never had to treat any of my snakes for burns,
and I don't know how serious your snake's is just by looking at your photo. I do know that a "larger than usual meal" does not cause a burn, your set-up needs improvements

TREATMENT


Burns may be quite serious if proper attention is not given immediately. The breaks in the skin caused by burning can leave your reptile at risk from bacterial and fungal infections, which can quickly become systemic and life threatening. It is difficult to determine how deeply tissue has been burned, therefore, taking your reptile to a veterinarian to get supportive care is essential. Veterinary treatment can include antibiotics, pain management for the burns, and feeding techniques for the the animal, who may have lost a lot of fluid.

The burned area will need to be cleaned and treated with topical ointments and/or cleansing baths. Your veterinarian may prescribe daily povidone-iodine soaks and an antibiotic ointment specifically for healing burned skin.

In cases of severe burns, a lot of fluid can be lost, leading to severe dehydration. The reptile may need fluids that can be given by enema or via injections. Your veterinarian will guide you in the best ways to help your reptile to heal from the burn.

Thanks for the information but I've been there and read that already, I was curious if anyone knew if the severity of the burn based on the photo...

[Bogertophis]

Thanks for the information but I've been there and read that already, I was curious if anyone knew if the severity of the burn based on the photo...

I know what you asked...I'd suggest taking him to a vet.

[Sunnieskys]

What heating measures did you fix? I'm not trying to sound snotty. Bigger meals do not cause burns unless temps are off on your uth and even then it's because your temps are off or not regulated properly. And a vet should see her. She can get an infection. Better safe than sorry. Keep us updated on your baby.

[Armiyana]

That's a pretty pink and good size area. Especially having the browned scales on both sides of the belly, I worry about how burned the skin between had gotten.
You won't know the extent of the burn for another couple of days, sadly. I would do what was suggested and take the snake to a vet now, that way you can start getting a plan together.

The reason you won't know for sure is because your snake will most likely begin a shed cycle now and shed out in the next few days. That's when you'll find out how bad it is. The tissue underneath if badly burned will die off and slough with the shed, leaving an open wound. If it just looks worse than it is, you may skip the shed and end up with a couple of popped blisters, but I feel like that is more of a septicemia risk than having an actual open wound and you will need to monitor it carefully.

Depending on the severity of the burn there's a few different ways to go about the treatment. If it's an open wound you'll need a flush and cream. If it's the blistered scales, you may still flush, but cream depends on the vet. Antibiotics may be given regardless, but if not you will need to keep an eye out for any signs of spreading infection.

That being said... it is nothing compared to a burn on a snake that I'm still working with. That snake had a severe burn over half it's belly. Snake is doing fairly well, but it was a lot of work to keep him from going septic. It's amazing how well they can bounce back if taken care of quickly. I have full confidence that as long as you get this taken care of now and keep on top it should heal up just fine.

Though definitely get the temps situated so you don't see another burn!

[Craiga 01453]

I have to agree that vet visit might be in order. I've never dealt with a burn on my snakes, so can't really offer advice for treatment.

I am extremely curious as to why you think a large meal could cause a burn????
And you said that the heating situation has been resolved, but how? What were you using to regulate your heat sources and what is different?

I'm not asking to badger you, I'm asking so myself and others can learn from this thread.

[NJ Balls]

I would also recommend taking her to the vet but in the mean time use paper towels for substrate so it stays as clean as possible and put antibotic ointment on the area twice a day.

[Craiga 01453]

I would also recommend taking her to the vet but in the mean time use paper towels for substrate so it stays as clean as possible and put antibotic ointment on the area twice a day.

Good points.
Important follow-up: don't use any topical ointments that contain "pain relief"

[Bogertophis]

I would also recommend taking her to the vet but in the mean time use paper towels for substrate so it stays as clean as possible and put antibotic ointment on the area twice a day.

Agree w/ paper towels, but as for ointment, the best thing to use as far as I know is Silvadene cream, but it's a prescription, so please (!) see the vet.
You owe it to your snake to help heal properly.