Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a black ratsnake. recently she started getting blisters on her body from too much humidity. i put her in a clean dry cage with news paper as bedding. she shed her skin and the blisters are gone, but now her mouth seems swolen and looks like it might be getting infected. would a water-peroxide solution rinse be safe to use? any suggestions?

only had one reptile vet in my area that i trusted, but he youthanized himself! guess i'll have to figure it out myself. p.s.you guys suck!

>>only had one reptile vet in my area that i trusted, but he youthanized himself! guess i'll have to figure it out myself. p.s.you guys suck!

Oh boy. Don't even know what to say to that.

We do not live on the forums. We have busy lives. Sometimes it takes more than a day for someone to get around to answering a post.

The vet euthanized himself? Or wanted to euthanize your snake? Did he commit suicide? I'm a bit confused. Please use proper English. If your vet is indisposed, you can check www.arav.org for more local herp vets.

If this is an experienced herp vet I could only imagine that he would suggest to euthanize your snake if the animal was in terrible condition.

Mouth infections typically need antibiotics prescribed by a vet to cure. Sometimes severely infected tissue needs to be surgically debrided, and a local antiseptic applied regularly. What you can do at home is raise the warm end temperature by a few degrees to help your snake's immune system, just ensure that there is still a cool region to hide in.

Without seeing the severity of the potential mouth infection, I can't say whether to start a rinse at home or to wait to see the vet. Trying to rinse can also cause more damage to the tissue, which could allow the infection to enter the rest of the body more easily. I do not like using water/hydrogen peroxide for any wound rinse because it damages healthy tissue, too. For mouth rinses, I would use 0.25-0.5% chlorhexidine diacetate (Nolvasan) or 1% povidone-iodine (Betadine) solution, ensuring that the animal does not swallow the fluid.

FYI, if I didn't have such a good day, the "you guys suck" comment would have been very effective at not making me write a reply.

Don't count on getting any more help with that kind of attitude.
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Christina Miller, CAHT
www.herptiles.net

I'm glad you had such a great day Christina

I only had a good day because I finally got THIS moved in and set up!

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Christina Miller, CAHT
www.herptiles.net

I didn't mean to lash out at anyone. I mean, I understand it's free advice. I was just concerned about my animal, and it seemed like the most important herp forum is one of the least read. forgive me! JERRY P.S. yes, it was suicide R.I.P.

>>I didn't mean to lash out at anyone. I mean, I understand it's free advice. I was just concerned about my animal, and it seemed like the most important herp forum is one of the least read. forgive me! JERRY P.S. yes, it was suicide R.I.P.

Oh dear, really wasn't sure what you meant by the "euthanized" comment. My condolences.

Definitely take a look at the ARAV website to find another herp vet. Infections tend to get worse, not better, with time, and the worse it gets the harder it hits the wallet.

Good luck, keep us posted.
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Christina Miller, CAHT
www.herptiles.net

n/p