Should I be Worried

[Sh0rty]

Posted on here a bit ago that BP has not eaten since Nov. 13.

He just had a bad shed, so I helped him out a bit. Soaked him in a tub of warm water then let him slither through a wet towel. He has one retained eye cap, I'm looking up how to get it off.

But as I was holding him today I noticed that over half of his underside is a brown/pink color and looks to be very very dry. I'm almost positive it's not a burn, but it might be a possibility because his rheostat broke while I was away from the weekend and the heat mat was running hot. I'm wondering if this a part of the shed I failed to take off, or something more serious.

[SatanicIntention]

I would soak him again in a small tub that you can fit in his enclosure. Stick some paper towels in there and put the whole tub(snake in tub, lid on tub) on the warm side. Leave it alone for an hour and come back. The skin, if it is skin, should have slid off by then.

If the area is still irritated looking, I would disinfect the enclosure. Then let the snake soak in some diluted chlorhexidine for 15-20 minutes. Lightly but firmly scrubbing the irritated area will help get the chlorhexidine up in there. After the snake has soaked, don't rinse him off, just lightly pat dry. Then liberally apply antibiotic ointment such as neosporin or sulfadene. You will want to do this 1-2 times per day.

Make sure the snake doesn't soak by providing a small, untippable water bowl. Keep him on paper towels or newspaper so the enclosure can be cleaned regularly.

Also make sure you have a good digital thermostat to control your heat and a good digital thermometer to measure those temps. Your snake will either suffer, or your house could possibly catch fire..

[Sh0rty]

I have two digital thermometers to monitor the temps in his tank. I am always very careful to the point of obsessive to make sure the temps are correct. I feel terrible right now because the one time I go away the rheostat fails.


It seems like he is in discomfort right now, so I'm assuming it's a burn. Some of the scales look white, like when we get a scab. Will the scales fall off, re-grow, get infected? I'm trying to keep myself from freaking out right now.

And his tank is never damp for him to get scale rot, I have him on aspen with a very sturdy water bowl that has never been knocked over, just cleaned his tank as well.

...what is chlorhexidine? Is that like hydrogen peroxide? How should I dilute it? 50/50?

[SatanicIntention]

www.valleyvet.com search for chlorhexidine. It's good for cleaning everything from cages to wounds.

You can also get small bottles of it from your local pharmacy. You will dilute it per the instructions on the bottle, should be a sky-blue color.

Even if you just cleaned the enclosure, put paper towels or newspaper in. It's less irritating to the skin and won't hold in bacteria as much as wood will. Viva paper towels are nice and cloth-like for snakes recovering from burns or other wounds.

DO NOT use peroxide. Peroxide is only good for getting blood out of clothes and for making dogs throw up. It causes tissue destruction because it can't tell between dead tissue and healthy tissue.

Use diluted chlorhexidine or diluted betadine. Both can be found at your pharmacy. It is a surgical scrub used to disinfect.

Soak the snake in it and scrub the affected area gently but firmly with a clean, chlorhexidine-soaked paper towel or gauze. This will get the disinfectant up into the wound and prevent infection.

Afterwards, lube the snake up liberally with neosporin or sulfadene. (Sulfadene is a burn cream you get from your vet or your human doctor)

[Sh0rty]

Thank you : )

I'm assuming that I should only soak my snake in the solution just enough to cover the wound? Which happens to be on his belly?

Also, do you know the expected time for recovery? Or at least to alleviate discomfort?

[Sh0rty]

Okay, went to the pharmacy to pick up first aid supplies.

I went there and got the Neosporin WITHOUT pain relief. I asked the pharmacist about the chlorhexidine and he got me some. The bottle, however says chlorhexidine Gluconate 4.0% He said it was the same thing, so I bought it. I didn't soak him completely just incase the Gluconate was something toxic to him. I just dabbed it on with a Q-tip, so I want to ask if that it okay. Then I generously applied ointment.

Cleaned out his tank and put paper towels down as bedding.

[SatanicIntention]

Good job

The chlorhexidine gluconate will not hurt him in the least. May make his stomach upset if he swallows some. You can even clean his mouth with it. It's very gentle stuff(not on the bad bugs though).

You can also wash him off in Dawn or Ivory dish soap(a drop or two) to get the neosporin off when you soak him. It will help the chlorhexidine soak in since the neosporin creates a bit of a barrier.

[Sh0rty]

okay, thank you so much!

It does not say what percent water I should dilute it with? And...it's not blue it's pink LoL.

Irwin does not like paper towel substrate either. He kept me up a good portion of the night from 'digging' around and trying to escape!

[SatanicIntention]

Does it say on the bottle if it needs diluting? It should somewhere.

I would dilute it to a soft baby pink just to be on the safe side.

He'll get over the paper towels. Once his belly stops hurting, he'll calm down. If you can cover the enclosure with a dark sheet or pillowcase, that would help.