Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I fed my boa a rat today, and it scratched him, and he was bleeding a bit... what should i do?

Thanks
Logan Thompson

I would consider a small scratch and a little bleeding all the more reason for you to switch over to prekilled or frozen thawed. There are countless horror stories that we have all heard or seen first hand what a live feeder can do to your snake.

After you have disenfected the scratch (just to be safe) place some topical neosporin over the cut - last i checked there were 2 types of neo... 1 which was standard and the other had some anti itch agent mixed in (i think it was anti itch) get the STANDARD normal one.

Well it's a lesson learnt,Treat him or her with neosporin for a couple days an it will be fine an after a few sheds you will never know the scratch was their!Take a screw driver an lay it on the rats neck apply pressure an give a good jerk on the rats tail an you will never have to worry about this problem again!Not everyone can feed frozen thawed,The first time my wife seen a dead rat in the freezer,I was almost in the dog house,lol,An it was pretty funny too,so I got myself in more trouble,So I raise my own rats an prekill them myself!YOU WILL FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY OF DOING THIS YOURSELF!JUST MAKE SURE THE RATS DEAD AN NOT JUST STUNNED OR THIS PROBLEM CAN AN WILL HAPPEN AGAIN,GUARENTEED!!!!!!Its actually harder to kill a rat than one would think,Ive been doing it for over a year now every week I know!Thanks Charles![Hypoboa]

I had a buddy whose ball python would only eat live. His method was to hold the rat by the tail and flip it, hitting the rat's head on a counter edge. Worked like a charm for a long time. Then one day, as he was flipping the rat by the tail, the tail CAME OFF and the VERY ALIVE rat was running all over his house pumping huge amounts of blood everywhere. After hearin' that story I became a frozen/thawed convert for life.

Lucky for your boa it was just a scratch. If you don't change how you feed, this will happen again... its not a matter of if, but when. And next time it could be more severe. Switch to frozen rats.

As far as treatment, its gonna be pretty simple. Poor a small amount of hydrogen peroxide over the cut and let it do its work. After that follow up with a light application of neosporin.

Also, I have heard good things of people using those new clear liquid bandages on herps and getting good results. I havent had a need for it on my boa, but used the Band-Aid brand liquid bandage on myself a few weeks ago when I sliced my palm. It healed up very nicely, and I see how this could work great on a snake. Its water resistant but not totally water proof so you may need to reapply after your boa takes a drink. Just brushes right on, and dries clear in about 30 seconds. Good luck!
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David - Houston, TX
Young Red Tail Boa
Purchased 11/16/03
www.geocities.com/davidag02

Put neosporin on the scratch and watch it. It will heal but will take several sheds.

Personally I feed all my snakes live, but I do it in a very controlled environment. (It is my personal choice based on all of my available options... if you want more details, then ask)

I suggest a feeding regemen of the following...

1) A feeding location other than the cage (Tubs, Box, etc)
2) When feeding live I always hold the mice by the tails and let them dangle about 1/2" from the ground near the snake. All of my snakes make instant head shots without fail every time. For rats use tongs as snakes big enough to strike a rat can do damage to your hand if they miss.

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Injuries are part of nature. If you minimize the potential for injury and avoid stupid mistakes, then you have done what you should do for your pet. Snakes are incredibly resiliant and heal well.

Good luck.
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-Iman
1.1 Sugar Gliders (Gizmo and Nema)
1.0 Ball Pythons (Spot)
0.1 Guyanan BCC (TBA)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow (TBA)

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Imans House of Herps

To everyone who replied....
I would feed him frozen, or prekilled, but he is 14 years old, i rescued him from a teacher at my school, and he has been fed live since he was born. I tried prekilled, and he wouldnt take it, he is a very agressive feeder, and just got scrached by a hind leg of a rat.

Thanks
Logan Thompson