Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey guys. you may remember i had my new BRB get herself cut on some office furniture not long ago. Last night she shed for the first time since i've had her, and i got to check her out and take some pictures. As I had been applying the topical antibiotic every day, the major wound appeared to be getting smaller and the skin appeared to be getting firmer. Now, the wound appears to be bigger again (original size), and looser. The plan there is to keep applying the topical antibiotic from the vet. when she got that injury, i noticed some very small discoloration along her back, which appeared a kind of brown-green, nearer the tail. I almost always had some topical antibiotic remaining on my finger after applying it to the first wound (it's hard to judge such a small amount!), and so applied it a few times to her there, dorsally, figuring it could only help her skin. now, after she has shed, there's a much larger pinkish/white coloration to her back there. She's got a new sterile newspaper setup, with 72-84 degree 24-hr temp cycles (with no heating elements, that's just the natural range of my room here) with 2 hide boxes, an additional hide box stuffed with moistened moss for humidity, and a full water dish. humidity ranges from about 91% right after i spray to about 74% when i spray again. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what (else) might be wrong, and what to do differently treating her if anything. Any guesses or information are appreciated. thanks guys!

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cdohna.googlepages.com
1.0.0 WC SD Gopher Snake, Max
1.0.0 CB Albino Banded Cal King, Manny
0.1.0 CB BRB, Mucalinda

I would use a damp paper towel in a hide box rather than moss and I would change that paper towel daily and wash that box often. Infection is a concern here. Also, I feel she needs a warm spot when it gets down to 74. When I need to heat something just a little I'll put a red heat lamp on one side of the cage and just use a thermometer to make sure I'm not overheating. You can get the bulbs for a few dollars at any pet store and put it in any lamp. That way she has a warm spot if she wants it. I mean I don't think 74 is so cold that it will hurt her or anything, but you want to provide her with the best conditions so her immune system can be in top form!!

Also, can you get pics of this brown-green discoloration, or point it out in the pics you took, because I'm not seeing it.

Hope that helped some. Good Luck. Oh and she's a purty little girl!
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5.19 BRB
10.20 BCI
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa
0.1 Albino Corn Snake
2.8 Leopard Geckos

thanks for the advice! i guess i wasn't really clear on one issue- what i described as a green/brown (generally dark, i guess, it was subtle) discoloration became the sort of white/pink discoloration in the same spot after she shed, and that's the dorsal discoloration featured exclusively in the first picture, and visible also in the third. Obviously i know what happened with the bigger laceration on her side, and the rep vet gave me a treatment program on that. i don't know exactly what the dorsal effect is. it doesn't look like a cut through anything- could it be a burn or contact wound of some kind? just thinking out loud here. thanks again.
-Chris
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cdohna.googlepages.com
1.0.0 WC SD Gopher Snake, Max
1.0.0 CB Albino Banded Cal King, Manny
0.1.0 CB BRB, Mucalinda

What it looks like to me is a rub, much like a nose rub when you get a wild caught and they aren't used to the cage, so they push up against the sides of the tank/cage to try to get out. It should go away with a couple of sheds I would think, but keep an eye on it for sure. Below is a couple of pics of my wild caught female, Pandora. The first pic she has a nose rub and the second is after a couple sheds and it's gone. They usually go from pink (but not a gaping wound like the cut), to white in a shed or two, back to normal scales or with no or subtle scaring.

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5.19 BRB
10.20 BCI
0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa
0.1 Albino Corn Snake
2.8 Leopard Geckos

That wound does not look too bad. It looks like good granulation tissue is forming. It is going to look larger and meatier right after a shed. Keep applying antibiotic ointment to it and it will slowly heal. The area of funky looking scales looks like before the shed there was a physical scrape or a fungus that went through the old skin and damaged the tender new skin below. It should clear up after one or two more shed cycles.

>>hey guys. you may remember i had my new BRB get herself cut on some office furniture not long ago. Last night she shed for the first time since i've had her, and i got to check her out and take some pictures. As I had been applying the topical antibiotic every day, the major wound appeared to be getting smaller and the skin appeared to be getting firmer. Now, the wound appears to be bigger again (original size), and looser. The plan there is to keep applying the topical antibiotic from the vet. when she got that injury, i noticed some very small discoloration along her back, which appeared a kind of brown-green, nearer the tail. I almost always had some topical antibiotic remaining on my finger after applying it to the first wound (it's hard to judge such a small amount!), and so applied it a few times to her there, dorsally, figuring it could only help her skin. now, after she has shed, there's a much larger pinkish/white coloration to her back there. She's got a new sterile newspaper setup, with 72-84 degree 24-hr temp cycles (with no heating elements, that's just the natural range of my room here) with 2 hide boxes, an additional hide box stuffed with moistened moss for humidity, and a full water dish. humidity ranges from about 91% right after i spray to about 74% when i spray again. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what (else) might be wrong, and what to do differently treating her if anything. Any guesses or information are appreciated. thanks guys!
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>>cdohna.googlepages.com
>>1.0.0 WC SD Gopher Snake, Max
>>1.0.0 CB Albino Banded Cal King, Manny
>>0.1.0 CB BRB, Mucalinda

Thanks guys. Had a look today, and the tissue in the wound already looks to be sort of firming up again, and is taking on a brown tint along with that granulated tissue. I added an UTH, and the hot side now measures 90.4, and the warm end 76.2 degrees. This morning I found her right in the middle. She looks so fantastic after the shed! I look forward to the day when I can just appreciate and don't have to worry anymore. Best to you all,
-Chris
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cdohna.googlepages.com
1.0.0 WC SD Gopher Snake, Max
1.0.0 CB Albino Banded Cal King, Manny
0.1.0 CB BRB, Mucalinda