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Scratched up snake, I'm looking for advice.

Missymonkey

Missymonkey

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I have a texas long nose that got loose in the apartment. After searching for well over a week, I decided to give it a rest and see if she would pop up.

Needless to say, I woke up early one morning and found her climbing on my file cabinent looking at my cat who was sniffing her cautiously.

She is alive which is a plus, but wounded which is a minus. I'm really not sure if the cat did it or not. The cat wasn't acting like she was courageous enough to mess with the little snake however how can I truly tell what happened while I was sleeping.

Her wounds aren't horrible. She has nicks and scratches on her lower half and her cloaca/poo hole is rather beat up. One wound is a bit scarey though. The skin is slightly lifted and pushed over so that you can see pink. It is a small wound but the scales and skin is moved aside and I am wondering if I should take a pair of sterile tweezers and try to move it back and then bandage it???

There is no vet in my area who has any more knowledge than I do about snakes. I could take her 2 hours south to a vet but I don't even know any vets in the Madison area well enough to take her to them. Plus I don't think it is that serious.

I have given her a sterile tank with paper towel and a new fresh water dish. I bathe her in warm water every other day and put fresh neosporin/triple antibs on her every day. They aren't big scratches but I am concerned about this one where the skin is slightly moved. I don't want an infection to grow in the bunched up skin and I want to avoid scarring.

Have you guys ever delt with this? Any sugguestions on what I could do? Or should I just keep doing what I am doing?

thanks
 
If you can't bring her in for a visit, could you at least try calling a vet for advice?
 
For what it is worth, I think you're doing everything right. The important thing is to make sure to keep her clean and her wounds moist with the antibiotic ointment. I know the tear looks bad with the way it wrinkles and folds but it will heal and close up...don't worry about the gapping unless it's really huge. It's better that it stays open and heals from the outside in so that infection can fester underneath. Also, don't feed her until her skin is healed and becomes supple again. She'll be ok. Snakes are much more resisilant than we give them credit for. ;)
 
Thanks for the advice!

I used liquid bandaid to cover the wounds so that they won't get infected. She's rather hungry so I feel bad about not feeding her, but oh well!

She's gotten rather nippy and sassy since her stint in freedom. I got a new enclosure for her that locks shut! Muah ah ah!

I am starting to relax and be more confident that she will be alright! I'm such a nervous nancy!
 
You closed the wounds? Eeek. Be very careful. Liquid bandaid is great if you're sure the wound is clean but if anything got trapped inside, she's going to have internal infection. Keep a close eye on her and if you see any puffiness, etc, you'll have to get her on antibiotics.

It's a good sign that she's moving around a lot and acting hungry. It sounds like she's feeling pretty good. LOL!

Thank you for the update. I was worried about her. ;)
 
Sybella's advice is sound and the snake will probably heal up fine on her own even without tx. I have used topical antibiotics on herptiles numerous times over the years, especially when suturing, with no ill effects. Liquid bandaid is another matter, however, and I would be relunctant to use the product for the reasons previously stated. Give her a couple of sheds to clear up - with external injuries I have noticed snakes going into shed more frequently than is usual. This is probably a natural physiological reaction to their injuries.

If you have further problems, just post here. Looks like this subforum is starting to be used more and I, at least, will start browsing it more often.
Kevin
 
As far as feeding, so long as you don't feed her something big enough to stretch her skin feeding should be ok. Unless she's a hatchling pinkies should be fine and the nutrution will help the healing process.

If they wound gets puffy you'll need to either drain it yourself or make that trip to the vet. So long as it stays smooth you should be OK.
 
A few days ago I did use liquid bandaid and it seems to be workiing quite well. I cleaned the wounds really really well before hand so I am sure that helps.

I haven't fed her yet because she was eating pinkies beforehand and I haven't got any small ones. I think that on Sunday I will try to feed her. SHe is active and snippy so I am not to worried.

I also switched her bedding to paper towels and she doesn't seem to like it. She's a burrower so all the paper towels end up smooshed in a corner and in her waterdish. So I may shred some paper towels in my shredder for her. We'll see.

I'm not too worried anymore. As she is VERY active and sassy! Such an attitude she developed while she was out!

thanks for all your help, you all are wonderful people!!!
 
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