Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What else can I say?

He's approximately six months old, and he took on a feeder mouse (a fairly large adult) last monday. When he first attacked, i noticed a few drops of blood on the bottom of his feeding box. I didn't think too much of it, as his new thing is to bite, kill, and then detach himself from the prey and readjust for the consumption. I figured that it was from the mouse.

He's been in his hide digesting, and when i checked on him friday i noticed that he had a chunk of skin missing just behind his left jaw. I'm not sure if it's a bite mark, or if his skin ripped while he was eating it.

I've gotten him some of the Zoo Med Repti Wound Healing Aid, and he's not showing any signs of pain or irritation.

I'm posting a few pictures of it in hopes that someone will let mee know if everything's looking ok or not. I know that this is a part of growing up, and I hope he'll learn from it.

Also, I wanted to ask other ball owners out there if they've ever used Zilla's Tropical Mist Spray or Zilla's Water Conditioner. I got both about three weeks ago, and within the first week of using both my snake's skin developed dry, white pathches. I'm not sure if it's from the spray or the conditioner... I'm certain it's not mites. I stopped using it about a week and a half ago, yet there's no change in his skin (even after being washed). Suggestions?

Despite all of this, his demeanor hasn't changed. He's still his happy, go-lucky self.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
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I've always read to put Neosporin (not plus, just regular) on bites.
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2.1 Dogs
2.1 Ball Pythons
1.0 Cat

wow...in the second pic you can see a big pus head dripping out of it...

wait...is that a paper picture?....

anyways..he'll live....it is a bad bite....never usually see anything more than a little dot of a hole in them from mice bites...

he'll heal and it will all shed out...

just make sure it dries up and doesn't swell and swell and keep oozing...it should shrink in size....

good luck....
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....dumbest thing ever created...
NO, not a hybrid....well....it is becoming one....

there is a little ball of something under the bite.
do you think it could be pus?
should I concentrate on trying to squeeze the pus out?
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probably swollen muscle tissue...could be some pus...
let it alone...it'll be fine.....( unless it gets worse and worse...but they usually don't,) ....

...
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....dumbest thing ever created...
NO, not a hybrid....well....it is becoming one....

well, i checked out that ball of something, and applied some pressure to it with a q-tip. nothing came out, so i think you're right, it's probably just swollen tissue.

snake's still doin' fine.

thanks for the feedback.
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I'm fairly positive J was referring to the ironically placed picture of Dubya's mug as being the pus wad. Don't keep messing with it. It should be fine with a little first aid and vigilance. Perfect example of not being able to "read" sarcasm going awry.

haha i totally got it but wasnt going to say anything xD
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2.1 Dogs
2.1 Ball Pythons
1.0 Cat

I forgot about George......

yes that pus wad was the paper pic

the snake's lump I think I mentioned MIGHT have pus...but let it alone..

bottom line...let it be...if it doesn't swell...it isn't infected....

..I've seen balls with about 2 inches and more of the backbone exposed from a mouse eating the whole back muscle tissue off (not my snake)...and it lived....shed alot...but lived...gross too......

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.....................................
....dumbest thing ever created...
NO, not a hybrid....well....it is becoming one....

no no, i understood what he was saying... i'm no idiot, i have a sense of humor too...

but i was more distracted by the lump under the bite that can be seen better in the first picture, and that was what i was referring to.

consequently, the lump under the bite HAS gone down since applying that wound-aid stuff, and nothing has leaked out of it, so all's well that ends well.
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I am pretty sure pus in reptiles isn't fluid enough to be 'squeezed out' so don't go about squeezing, poking or pushing at the bite. Most likely all you will end up doing is annoying your snake and get bit.

Not familiar with the wound treatment you have but if its a topical antibiotic without any pain killer, then it is fine. Polysporin is typically what is recommended as its a commonly found topical antibiotic found in most people's medicine cabinets.

If the wound doesn't heal out after a shed or two or a large bulge grows underneath it or around that area, take it to a vet. If it develops an abscess it will need to be drained by a vet and your snake may need antibiotics injected directly into his bloodstream.

For now, treat the wound with the topical antibiotic daily and keep his cage immaculately clean. I actually think it is best to switch to paper towel instead of newspaper, this way the inks in the paper won't cause any problems. Never like newspaper as a substrate as its dirty and the colored inks may be toxic depending on the printers. Just never liked having black fingerprints over everything and don't find it absorbent at all compared to plain cheap non name brand paper towel.
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PHLdyPayne

Thank you, I'll be sure to keep an eye on that "buldge" under the bite.

This wound aid has jojoba oil and tea tree oil in it, and i use both products pretty regularly on myself. It seemed like a good buy. thankfully i got lucky.
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