Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got a ball python that was kept in a dirty cage for a long time. She has a sore on her belly now and also her skin is not at its best. What should I put on the sore and is there anything you can do to make a snake's skin healthier, more colorful, and softer?

First wash her in worm water with 1 drop of down in it or I prefer just plane old Ivory soap bars and just swish the bar around in the water . Dry her and apply a 50-50 mix of Equate brand anti fugal athletes foot cream and a triple antibiotic cream limberly twice daily for a week then once a day until gone and then for 4 more days . David

Truth is generally the best vindication against slander
Abraham Lincoln.

i have some experience with this.
warm bath with a few ounces of hydrogen peroxide. about 1/2 hour.
neosporin on affected area, place on fresh newspaper substrate only. cereal box or other disposable hides are best here.
change paper and drinking bowl EVERY day, apply neosporin EVERY day. after animal sheds (usually a few weeks) reassess situation.
GOOD LUCK.
ck

All you have said is good but you must use a anti fungal ,as scale rot is a fungal infection and a triple antibiotic cream will not always do the job and takes 2-3times as long if at all . David of DS Reptile Rescue ,Removal & Rehabilitation

Truth is generally the best vindication against slander
Abraham Lincoln.

that...is a valid point.
ck

that is amazing that people can diagnose a medical problem, and prescribe medical treatment, all based on the description of a "sore" without so much as a detailed description or picture.

your best bet it to see a vet for a first hand diagnosis. in the meantime, get your husbandry and setup where it needs to be.

get a good Ball python book that covers husbandry details. at the very least, McCurley's $11 Ball book, even better his Complete Ball Python book, or VPI's Ball Python book.

if you would like your Ball to get the best possible chance, get it a first hand look from professional hands. best of luck.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Robyn what they were describing is one of the most common issues that come from being kept in a dirty enclosure , scale rot is almost the only thing it could be unless it’s a burn and ether way the treatment is the same . It is a pretty simple thing to diagnose and that is why people post there questions to get answers but I’m sure if they feel the need to pay a Vet bill to hear the same thing they will go and do so . But thanks for your input . David

Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Yes David, but what if that sore is actually a necrotic wound that needs treatment by a vet? If not treated, it can cause sepsis, and the snake will most likely die.

Or what if the wound is actually a parasitic cyst that needs lanced and removed, and treated with antibiotics?

It "may" be scale rot, but there is no reason to diagnose anything over the internet when no one even has the slightest clue what the illness may be. It's just dangerous.

And NO on the peroxide. It is only good for getting blood out of clothes(and out of animals' fur) and will actually damage healing tissue and prevent regrowth(causes alot of scarring). Soaking in diluted betadine or chlorhexidine gluconate with some gentle but firm scrubbing on the affected area twice a day, let the snake dry, then liberally apply triple antibiotic ointment or silver sulfadiazene cream a few times a day will work much better.

I wholeheartedly agree with the "take the animal to a qualified veterinarian" statement. Best advice anyone can give.
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-Becky Brown, RVT-
1.0 Lemon Pastel Classic Jungle,1.0 Black Pastel,1.0 Enchi,1.0 Yellow Hypo,0.1 100% het Butterscotch Hypo,0.1 66% Poss Het VPI Hypo,3.24 Normals,1.1 Spider,1.1 Yellowbellies(BHB),1.0 100% Het Pied Classic Jungle,1.3 66% Poss Het VPI Axanthic, 1.1 Poss Het VPI Snow,1.1 100% het Genetic Stripe

Yes miss Registered Veterinarian Tech you are partly right , but if there were necrosis I would thing it would have been described as a festering and stinking wound and not a sore and as for parasitic cyst
It would not be a sore but a swollen and inflamed area unless it were ready to erupt or in the process and would not look like a simple sore, ether way It doesn’t take a genius to know that if in a short time it doesn’t start to get better or gets worse than you go to the Vet , and as for as peroxide it was not my suggestion and I would not put it in water for a soak , but I have used it as a one time disinfection aide on sever and dirty wounds ,but you can only use it once or it will stop the healing process by removing new tissue growth .there are a lot of things that can be done without a Vet bill and if there is a post were it is a series problem I am the first to say to go to a Vet , but not every thing needs a vet bill ,but I can understand your insistence as it helps insure your pay check! That aside people post there questions here to get advise and that’s what they get not a court order to do as told by the person that replies to them and if you don’t agree with them just simply say so and then give your advice ,but I am sick of those that tri to belittle and tri to make the other posters feel stupid . Some people don’t have the funds to run to the Vet with every little thing and those that have large collections have to learn to do things for them selves . I have been working with Herp.s for 35 years know and have a pretty good grasp on the common and even most of the uncommon problems that reptiles face ,I do all my own cultures and can identify most any parasite or infection . So please don’t talk to me like I am some idiot .if you spew venom then you get venom back . Your truly David of DS Reptile Rescue , Removal & Rehabilitation

Truth is generally the best vindication against slander
Abraham Lincoln.

but there are other possibilities : )

for your own experience and application (DS), it may be fine to do your own treatment. we do our own treatments all the time at PE. but that is after years of experience and working closely with a vet, so i feel comfortable and familiar with the specific situation. and yet there are still a number of problems that i go to the vet to get a professional opinion and diagnosis for.

the problem in this type of instance, and it is an important distinction, is that this keeper (and hundreds other just like him/her) seems to have ZERO medical experience and background, so even a "simple" treatment is something new, unfamiliar, and potentially disastrous.

that is not a bad thing, we have all been there.

without a basis of knowledge, any simple treatment can go horribly wrong and in the worst case scenario, kill the snake. it seems unlikely, but i have seen SO MANY simple situations result in dead reptiles, i just don't think it is responsible to encourage self treatment for medical issues when the keeper doesn't even have the experience to provide specific details and pics.

we all want the best for the animal, we just have different ways of achieving that. in this case, and ones like it that are posted ALL THE TIME, having an inexperienced keeper see a professional vet for a hands on diagnosis is the best option, and leads to the best chance of success : )

at this point, i would never take a snake to the vet for mouth rot, i can treat it fine here at PE, it is pretty simple and straight forward. but i would never suggest a new keeper attempt the same : )
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Well like I said these or just suggestions and advice they are not a court order to do as I say . And if they are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the treatment or advice then I’m sure they have a brain and can and have entertained the thought of going to a vet . But if the vet was what they thought was the best option then they would not be asking us what we thought ,they would go to the vet and be done with it . And as for experience , I have 35 years and in 3 months 36 , I have worked closely with Vets as well as working at the Houston Zoo as a teen in the Reptile house ,were I was under the supervision of Dr. John Wereler . He was the curator as well as a Herpetologist and a author of several books on Texas snakes . And like you I do almost all my own treatment and diagnostics , most of my Vet trips are for confirmation or for meds I cant get any other way . And if we don’t help the people that ask us for advice then they don’t learn and that would be irresponsible . It is up to them to take what we offer them and you know as well as I do it doesn’t mater what we say they are going to do just what they wont to do , if everyone said go to the vet and they have already made up there minds not to and no one gives any other advice like how to treat the snake then only the sake will suffer .so if you don’t wish to offer help then don’t but don’t offer criticisms either to those who do . Thanks David

Truth is generally the best vindication against slander
Abraham Lincoln.

How in all hell was I spewing venom?? I see no spittle on my computer screen. Jesus H.. If you wouldn't read it as such, then it wouldn't come off as me being rude, which I am so far from being it's ridiculous. I don't sugar coat things, and just "write it" how it is. Sorry I didn't put smileys and frolicking ponies to convey my happy message.

All I'm saying is that: New keepers who have absolutely no experience in treating reptile illnesses and wounds, NEED to take that animal to a qualified veterinarian. After they have alot more experience in treating those things, and how to identify what different illnesses look like, then they can treat them at home if they aren't too severe(and before the disease gets out of hand). Sometimes they can do more harm than good.

A new keeper may not even know where to get betadine or chlorhexidine, or if the wound needs debriding or if it's healing as it should. If the snake needs antibiotics for the systemic infection from the advanced case of scale rot or an infected burn, how are they going to be able to identify that?

Last thing.. Encysted cystercerci(tapeworm) don't look like anything other than a bump on the skin. Abscesses don't look like anything except for a localized swelling(until they are lanced that is- SO much fun!).

It's always important to have a rapport with your vet in the beginning so you will already be in the system in case a major emergency pops up. It's just what goes with being a good pet owner.
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-Becky Brown, RVT-
1.0 Lemon Pastel Classic Jungle,1.0 Black Pastel,1.0 Enchi,1.0 Yellow Hypo,0.1 100% het Butterscotch Hypo,0.1 66% Poss Het VPI Hypo,3.24 Normals,1.1 Spider,1.1 Yellowbellies(BHB),1.0 100% Het Pied Classic Jungle,1.3 66% Poss Het VPI Axanthic, 1.1 Poss Het VPI Snow,1.1 100% het Genetic Stripe

You are exactly right and I am so sorry I pissed you off but you pissed me off . So I guess we are both at fault here . You took me the wrong way as I did you . All I was trying to tell you is the only way some posters have of getting first hand info is to ask . I don’t expect them to take every ting I say as some holly nugget . But every thing you say is not one ether .when I disagree with someone’s post instead of going at it like you did,and I have in the past I am working on trying to add to there post instead of just blowing it off . I think we can do a better job of educating others if we all team up instead of the lone ranger approach . It would have been less offensive if there would have been something like this ,( well you may be correct but I would like to see a pic or a better description and maybe you should take it to a vet if your not comfortable with the advice offered buy us here .) as we can’t read each others faces over the web. Things often get taken the wrong way . David

Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Wooo! Careful of the HOT venom!

David, she wasn't belittling you, she was stating a very obvious fact. (and with no venom I can read) The initial description from the OP said "small wound on belly". That's a pretty ambiguous description, especially with no descriptions in color, condition, or even a picture.

What if (bear with me) the animal died from this wound, and he blames you for not telling him how to correctly treat it? You may be certain it's only scale rot... but what if it were a something worse?

HOTregius only said that when in doubt, seek a vet, because without any further information provided, all you can really do is speculate on the condition.

It's ok to give advice for small first aid when there is little doubt, but it would seem there is some lack in descriptions about this "wound".

OP, why not put up a picture to show exactly what your referring to?
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