Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my 2 yr old female Gaia made a valiant escape attempt in which she pushed off her heavy weighted screen lid. I found her slithering in my bed @ 4am. This happened abou a month ago. in the process she peeled off her crown scale(hexagonal scale at top of head). This left a nasy hole. i put neosporin on it in hope it would heal but it hasnt. I put her on paper towel and cleaned the wound which was dirty with coco fiber w/ hydrogen peroxide. i supose my question is were these steps correct and how long will it take to fill back in? Is there anyhing else i can do to encourage scale growth or more rapid shed inervals?

Zach Attack

What you have already done sounds OK, is there any sign of infection? pics would help of course!!!

Over the years I've gotten in ones with bite marks that seem to take a long time to heal but all were already partially healed so I can't say how long they had already been healing.

Of course there is always the Vet option and if there is any sign of infection, swelling, pus, inflamation etc then by all means get her to a vet asap. If all looks OK (other then the nasty hole) then you cold let nature take it's course. When you used the hydrogen peroxide (I dunno if this is OK for a snake BTW) was there fizzing that would indicate an infection?

Sounds like you alrady switched over to paper towels, good move, need to keep a pristine cage to aid in healing.

Screen top with heavy weights - You now know that won't hold them so fix it!! Besides being a means of escape, a screen topped tank without cerytain modifications is a horrible enclosure for a Rainbow. I'm assuming you have a BRB or other rainbow bow that needs higher humidity. At best (IMO) even with modifications, a fish tank can only be an adequate enclosure, not a good or great one. To keep using the tank, need to cover most of the top with a vapor barier, plastic, aluminum foil etc. Also depending on your house/room environment, may need to insulate the cage to retain the warmth without overheating one spot to keep cage warm.

I appologise in advance if you already know and/or have fixed / set up the tank to be more of a proper enclosure. I hear all the time about a screen topped tank being used and why is my rainbow sick or not doing well.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

the top is a screen top but it is covered with plastic over 4/5s of it rather than the usual 3/4 plastic due to the paper towels not retaining moisture as well. no signs of infection just dirt. the peroxide bubbled a bit but not to serious. I am pretty well rounded in my herp care. so i did everything i could think of.

Sounds like it, now it's wait and watch!!
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I would say if it doesn't look infected, just let it heal on it's own. I had a monitor shipped to me a couple years ago that got a nasty burn on it's head right before the guy sent him to me. It scorched off a lot of scales on the top of his head, and looked ugly. It never got infected, so I just let it be. After a little over a year you would have never been able to tell. All his scales came back perfectly.

I can't say if your BRB will be as lucky, but I thought I'd share this little story.
-----
Aubrey Ross

©
www.SlipstreamSerpents.com

My male Taiwan Beauty burned the top of his nose way back in 1992 (6 months before I got him). He still bears the mark.

It fills in with tiny little scales instead, but each time the female cycles he rubs them all off again. I'll post a pic tonight.
-----
Later,
Paul E. Turley

As long as it doesnt look infectedit should heal in 2-3 sheds. I dont know about head scales, but i know its like that for body scales
-----
As soon as your born you start dying...
So you might as well have a good time!!!

... And if you die in an elevator remember to push the up button

...And death is lifes way of telling you your fired

...And theres a good reason why the road less traveled is less traveled

...Dreams are like rainbows, only idiots chase them(unless its a boa)

0.1 Tangerine albino leopard gecko typhon
0.0.1 Green tree python
0.1 Brazilian rainbow boa
0.1 evil sibling