pythons&falcons
New member
In order to hopefully help others avoid or treat problems of this sort, I have decided to post my experience regarding one really nasty rat bite (well, chew) on a young savannah (cinnamon x mojave) female hold back. I left a young rat in the bin (VERY young, it was still nursing, although with plenty of teeth and perfectly capable of chewing) with this snake, who at 680 grams and 6 months of age had never missed a meal. Not an excuse. I felt horrible about it when it happened and I fully expect/accept any outrage anyone may have toward me when you see the pictures.
I smelled the scent of death and found the rat dead in the last place I looked - the bin of the snake that had never refused a meal - and the horrible injury that had occurred before its death (picture one). I washed the very open wound under warm running water for five minutes straight, then went to my vet in the morning and had a Baytril injection performed. My vet supplied me with 4 additional shots of Baytril which I administered every 3 days. During that time, I rinsed the wound out with warm water once per day, patted it dry (snake actually sat still through all of this), sprayed the open wound with a gel called Vetericyn (Neosporin works the same way), and then placed a gauze bandage over the hole, securing it with two bandaids. I repeated this procedure for about three weeks. The snake went through a shed cycle and the scab that had formed came off, but the skin underneath always looked pink and healthy. I smelled the wound daily to check for infection as well.
Anyway, it's been about two months since the incident, and the last picture on this post is what it looks like now. She is taking food again (small meals) and appears to be well out of the danger zone, although of course she will have a large scar as the result of my stupidity. I just wanted to post this because a few people I consulted advised me to just euthanize her, that she would not make it through, but she did, and really seemed to handle the entire thing quite well. She was in obvious pain for the first two to three days and then seemed to adjust very well to the routine of cleaning, spraying, and bandage changes. If this happens to your snake, please try to save him/her! It is possible, even if the rat chews them right down to the bone! I learned my lesson and I hope this post helps others. Thank you for reading.
I smelled the scent of death and found the rat dead in the last place I looked - the bin of the snake that had never refused a meal - and the horrible injury that had occurred before its death (picture one). I washed the very open wound under warm running water for five minutes straight, then went to my vet in the morning and had a Baytril injection performed. My vet supplied me with 4 additional shots of Baytril which I administered every 3 days. During that time, I rinsed the wound out with warm water once per day, patted it dry (snake actually sat still through all of this), sprayed the open wound with a gel called Vetericyn (Neosporin works the same way), and then placed a gauze bandage over the hole, securing it with two bandaids. I repeated this procedure for about three weeks. The snake went through a shed cycle and the scab that had formed came off, but the skin underneath always looked pink and healthy. I smelled the wound daily to check for infection as well.
Anyway, it's been about two months since the incident, and the last picture on this post is what it looks like now. She is taking food again (small meals) and appears to be well out of the danger zone, although of course she will have a large scar as the result of my stupidity. I just wanted to post this because a few people I consulted advised me to just euthanize her, that she would not make it through, but she did, and really seemed to handle the entire thing quite well. She was in obvious pain for the first two to three days and then seemed to adjust very well to the routine of cleaning, spraying, and bandage changes. If this happens to your snake, please try to save him/her! It is possible, even if the rat chews them right down to the bone! I learned my lesson and I hope this post helps others. Thank you for reading.
