Rat bite care

[kthleenus]

(Note: I know there is controversy feeding live vs. f/t. I prefer if I didn't get any lectures/hate for feeding live. This post is solely to get advice on the best care I can offer my snake AFTER the injury has already happened. Telling me I'm dumb for feeding live isn't going to help prevent infection. After this situation, I am considering switching to pre-killed or f/t anyway. So please, keep it to yourself.)

Apollo has recently gone up in size with his food and he is now eating small adult rats (they grow up so fast). Today was only his second time with an adult. The first time went very well, but today not so much. I was watching the entire time, but after he coiled, he almost completely covered up the rat so the rat's mouth was not visible. Once the rat had died and Apollo pulled away, I saw two small holes on the bottom side of his neck around the area where the rat's head was.

I understand the basic care for wounds. I plan on giving him a small bath with antibacterial soap to clean the wounds, but there are a few specific questions that no one seems to answer that I want to be 100% sure on. The first thing is how long should I wait to take care of the injury? I usually leave him alone for 48 hours after he eats just so I know he has completely digested, but obviously, a lot can happen to the wound in a couple of days so when do you guys think it is best for me to handle him to clean the injury? My motherly instinct is to do it immediately but I know that's probably not a good idea. Also since the bite is on the underside of him, I plan on changing the substrate to newspaper or paper towels to avoid dust and whatnot from the current substrate (eco earth coconut fiber). That requires him to be picked up and moved I need to know how long to wait before I do that. Along with the substrate, is there a preference on whether paper towels or newspaper is better? To me, paper towels don't seem like a very good option, but I don't have any newspaper lying around. If there is a reason to choose one over the other please let me know and I will venture out to find newspapers somewhere if need be.

Next is about using Neosporin/ointment. I know everyone says something different, but should I put some on the wounds after I clean them just to have that extra layer of protection? I want to do everything I can to avoid infection but if the Neosporin is going to do more harm than good, please let me know.

Lastly, I want to make sure I'm not downplaying how bad the injury actually is. Apollo has gotten a scratch from his food before, but I know bites can be much worse. Everyone says it should be okay if the wound is not too deep but no one ever defines how deep is too deep. The bite looked much worse initially than they do now. There was only a little blood coming from one of the holes but it was a very small amount. Apollo isn't acting any different and he had no problem getting the rat down, and he is now back in his hide sleeping. It has been about 30 minutes since he finished eating. As I said prior, the bite is on the underside of him, and it is on his neck about 2 inches down from the base of his head. Luckily when he was finishing swallowing the rat, he was upright just long enough for me to take pictures without having to handle him. I have attached to pictures to this post. If it is worse than I think, please let me know. I'm lucky enough to work at a place with an exotic veterinarian so I can go there if I need to.

I know this is a lot but I want to make sure I am doing the right thing for my boy. I really appreciate any help and advice. If I'm being honest, the only reason he is fed live now is because the breeder we purchased him from fed him live and when doing my research before getting him, I read A LOT on how ball pythons can be very picky. I thought it'd be best to stay consistent since he was so young. Now I've learned that Apollo is probably the least picky ball python ever and he will literally eat in any scenario so for his safety, I might be switching away from live soon. I don't like seeing him hurt and it's scary .

[Bogertophis]

Clean the wounds now, not later. Apply Vetericyn or Neosporin or similar antiseptic (not the kind w/ pain relief) after that. Clean the cage & change to
paper towels now, when you have him out for wound care. (you can also use Povidone-iodine topically on his wounds) BTW, it's better if they had bled a
bit more...that helps wash out the wounds; with what may be a deeper wound that doesn't bleed, germs get trapped inside & fester.

Bites from rats carry lots of germs- topical may not be enough, it's more likely he needs antibiotic injections from a (reptile experienced) vet to be safe.

No way to know by looking at outside how deep it is, but rat teeth are long & in a life or death struggle, a rat is going to bite as hard as he can to survive.
I'd get him looked at, personally, & listen to the vet.

Another thing with live-feeding accidents: some snakes refuse whatever prey bit them in the future, ie. become fussy-eaters. Hopefully that won't happen...

I understand feeding the same way he was fed right before you got him. Just remember, once rats or mice have eyes open, they bite back. The older they
are, the better they are at self-defense, & the greater the risk to your pet.

Oh, & do your best to keep him calm...hopefully he won't regurge his meal...handle him very gently, keeping his head up at all times.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

It's minor

Change the substrate to clean paper towel until the next shed

Clean the wound with betadine

Apply anti-biotic ointment once or twice and let it heal, you don't want to use to much anti-biotic ointment since it is oil based and will loosen up scales.

Keep an eye out for abscess which usually appear later on not right away.

[Armiyana]

I've got a fussy eater like that. It's a struggle sometimes for sure, but good on you for being vigilant! Those are fairly minor nips.
My guy is pretty good about striking, but sometimes just to be sure, I reach in with feeding tongs and put them between the rat and snake or push the head away slightly just in case the teeth are too close.

I agree. clean it up sooner than later.
Also, along with any swelling from abscesses, keep an eye out for secondary infections symptoms like wheezing, red spots on the belly or lethargy. It's not a deep bite, but you never know if they will pick up an infection or not

[kthleenus]

Is Vetericyn the same thing as Neosporin? And where can I buy that and the Providone-iodine? Is that going to be at a drug store or do I need to go somewhere special to find it?

[kthleenus]

Same thing with the betadine, where would I be able to purchase that? And is the abscess a sign of infection at which I should definitely take him into the veterinarian?

Oh, and what does lethargy look like in a snake? He already sleeps more than anything else lol

[CALM Pythons]

Thats nothing.. clean it and change to paper.
The fussy eaters jn this house do not get adults rats. You should see a bite from a medium adult. That will really make you panic. You have a nick there and nothing more. I suggest you feed multiple smalls to a Ball that only takes live... Balls are nothing like large constrictors and its easy for them to loose a battle with a adult rat quickly.
I myself have not known a Ball that will not take a fresh killed when done correctly. Id look into it. If you want to try it, just skip a feeding so their extra hungry. Present the fresh kill as soon as its dead.. good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kthleenus]

I have heard of a few different ways of killing/stunning the rat for pre-killed. What would you recommend to be the best way to do it? A lot of what I have read is a CO2 chamber is the best but that seems like a lot for only one snake that is only eating every 10 days lol

[Bogertophis]

Same thing with the betadine, where would I be able to purchase that? And is the abscess a sign of infection at which I should definitely take him into the veterinarian?

Oh, and what does lethargy look like in a snake? He already sleeps more than anything else lol

Betadine* is a trade name (= to Povidone-iodine), available any drug store, or Walmart, etc. Vetericyn is a water-based (NOT oil-based like Neosporin, so better for
snakes) antiseptic for animal use, & you can find in feed stores, pet stores, Amazon+ (google!) I would just use "Betadine" for now, it's easy to come by. Since these
aren't very open as wounds go, the topical products won't really get in there much. My concern & hope is that he doesn't develop a deeper infection, but alas, I have
no "crystal ball"- it's a "wait & see". (*Betadine is used in human hospitals quite a bit for surgical prep- it's a watery liquid, best applied with saturated Q-tip on your snake)
Neosporin is "for human use" sold in all drug stores (DO NOT BUY the PAIN RELIEF formula IF you decide to use this); it's good stuff, I always have it on hand
for MY "boo-boos". It gets mentioned for use on snakes, not because it's the best option, but one that many ppl have on hand for immediate treatment.

An abscess is the result of a contained infection, & in a snake, does not drain they way they do in other animals because their body produces pus that's not liquid
but solid, so a lump will form at the site of the injury; it takes surgery to remove an abscess in a snake. So while this injury appears to be minor, if you notice swelling
at the site, yes, get him to the vet to treat it. It seems unlikely that a systemic infection would result from this but can't say that for sure either.

Lethargy- you obviously know the meaning, & if your snake seems more lethargic "than usual", that could be significant. Nobody ever said that snakes are easy to read
for symptoms...but the longer you keep them & the closer you observe yours, the easier it gets.

[Danger noodles]

I’ve seen trained professionals kill the rat instantly by whacking their head against the edge of the table and breaking the neck. It severs the spinal cord and they feel nothing.