Reptile & Amphibian Forums

If you have seen burn symptoms in a snake, please reply. Not necessarily direct contact with flame, but any damaged areas from excess heat. (Especially helpful if you have seen burns with Mexican Black specimens.)

Mine may have burned some scales when it escaped and lived in a baseboard heater for 5 days.

Afterward, I noticed dry, rough, flat, brown areas that eventually increased in size. They only occurred on his upper, dorsal area up to the neck & head.

He went thru pre-shed symptoms - twice - without shedding. Weeks went by, affected areas seemed to increase. I treated with hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin. Last shed erased almost all traces! Shiny & glossy once again, except for a tiny patch that is mostly shiny.

I need more information to determine what the cause was of the damaged areas. Had me quite concerned for awhile. (There are only 2 local reptile Vets in my area, and I know more about Kingsnakes than either of them.)

hmmm maybe it was some sorta fungal infection. The fact that the areas increased in size over time is puzzling. I know burns can look worse after a number of days but you seem to be talking about weeks here. Ive heard good things about Silvadine or Silverdine ointment but you need a script to get it.

Keith
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I do live in the Pacific NW, but it's getting warmer & dryer here by the year. (We had local trees begin their buds in late January. By Feb 8, local Camelias had bloomed - only to be thrashed by the frost.) He's also in a desert vivarium with sand, with less humidity than the rest of my home.

Years ago when a Desert King had a weird skin problem with different symptoms, I treat with a "zole" type anti-fungal cream. It seemed to dry up the scales even worse, and I quit.
(In that instance, I think that she damaged herself with cactus spines. She had climbed down inside one.)

Whatever it was recently with my Mex Black, it seemed to affect his shed. He went thru smoky eyes, clear, days pass - twice. He was weeks late for his usual shed. Afterward, almost all areas are like new. Only 2 tiny areas show any anomalies at all, and they are minor.

Most bizarre.