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Retic bit mate -- please read

Shaun6 Jul 31, 2004 04:27 PM

Okay I took the female out of the cage to feeed her after she finished i put her back in the enclosure. And was about to grab the male but the male bit onto the female. i had to tap on the male to make him let go as the female tried to get away.

Now the female has a raised area on her skin where the male bit. kind of like a bubble but doesnt look like any fluid is in it. My question is: is this most likely just streached-raised skin?

Also: what is recommended for treating it?

there was no blood and i only saw a 2 teeth marks.

thanks, dont think im going to house them together anymore till they are ready to breed.

Replies (2)

riiotgrrl Jul 31, 2004 09:37 PM

Betadine is a good stand by for flesh wounds. I think that a and d ointment or evenn neosporin will work well too. Good luck with her.
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rmertz Aug 03, 2004 03:57 PM

This is my first time on this site, and since no one has really answered your question, I thought I'd put in my two cents (please keep in mind that I haven't worked with reptiles in a long time, and I am considered "old school" ). First of all, in my opinion, your male "attacked" the female out of a feeding response. Your female must have had some scent left on her (from whatever it was you fed her), and the male was just responding to stimuli. Secondly, you need to check the bite wound for any teeth that may be left in there. A broken off tooth may be hard to see, so you may need to use a tweezer (or something) to feel around for it. Also, I noticed that someone else recomended A&D ointment, and I, personally, would not recomend that. I've seen many people use stuff like Bacitracine and Triple Antibiotic ointment, and in my experience, I've seen this stuff "peel off" scales, layer by layer, right down to the skin; A&D ointment may do the same, I don't know. I may be alone in this; you should ask a vet (a GOOD REPTILE vet). Either way, you should just apply the basics: CLEAN cage (quarentine), CLEAN water, and raising the temp a few degrees may help speed up the healing process. As for cleaning the wound: sometimes betadine isn't always good (esp. if it's gonna be able to "pool" under the skin). Peroxide works very well, maybe you may want to try that; very salty water may be another method (again, just my opinion). Either way, you should clean the wound well initially, and then keep a close eye on it for any follow up meds (remember that reptiles usually heal slowly, so be vigilant). In short, you can prevent things like this from happening in the future by housing your animals seperately. For what it's worth, I've seen a boa with it's cage mate's tail end hanging out of it's mouth, because the owner fed them at the same time, in the same cage.

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