Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone,

Just wondering what thermal burns look like, and are they a serious injury that would require immediate veterinary attention or something that is easy to treat yourself? Would thermal burns shed off when the reptile sheds? Just thought I would ask, to learn a little more about them.

Thanks for your time!!

best wishes

if anyone happens to have any good descriptive pics of reptiles with thermal burns, that would be a great help also, it would give me an opportunity to familiarize myself with what they look like.

Thanks again!

I have only seen them on albino's but they are red..and bad ones will blister and scab...They will shed off..will take a few shed cycles though.
You can get medicine from a vet for them...Depending on how bad it was i guess would depend on if you needed to see a vet or not.

I just have to ask why you seek this info? It is easy to assume that your burm already has some sort of injury and you are trying to treat it at home. If this is the case, of course, take it to the vet. That's it, no more, thank you come again

I wish I had pic's that I can post here but those that I do have are all in some sort of program that I can't get into kingsnake...part of a continueing education thingy. Do you know what the 3 degrees of burns are in humans? They look the same if you can imagine it on scaled skin. It is important to remember that burns often don't show there true severity for a few days after it has occured.

All burns should in fact be brought to a veterinarian. Minor burns that are limited to slight reddening of the skin are often left without treatment, but the risk of infection or other complications exists. If the skin is broken, scales are missing, or any blistering is apparent, then topical, and systemic antibiotics are warranted, plus possible fluid therapy. Obviously this is via a vet visit.

I hope this helps fill your curiousity, any more specific questions, feel free to ask

My question is of nothing more than curiosity, and educational purposes. NONE of my animals have any injuries nor illnesses. Just as I have explained before, I seek medical information, simply because, just as you would perform some first aid measures on yourself if you got injured to prevent further injury, I feel you should be able to do the same for your animal. If you split your leg open, you would stop the bleeding, clean the affected area, and then immediately see a doctor. If you could do these things for yourself, there is no reason why you should not to do the same to help your animal stay comfortable within the mean-time of getting to a vet. If you cannot take a few minutes of every day to do a little more research to better benefit your animals, then do them a favor and find them a better home. It's a bit blunt, but that's the way I feel. I do this for all of my animals, not just my reptiles. This is not a "work-around" from going to the vet by any means. Furthermore, there are some instances, where you would be stressing your animal out, much more just in the process of taking it to a vet, for it to be something so simple as some iodine and a good cleaning (this is only an exampe, in no means am I implying that iodine should be used in certain instances).

I work primarily with crocodilians. Crocodilians have a very high defense level against infections and so forth. So, as an example, if there was ever an incident where two smaller crocodilians got into a scuffle, and one had some minor lacerations on his leg, there is really no need for panic. Cleaning the affected area with iodine (this time, I am saying that it can be used) and leaving the animal out of water for a few hours to allow the iodine to work its magic. Making sure that the animals water is perfectly clean every day, and the animal is kept warm and separated from the other animal during the mean-time, is all the medical attention that is needed. Anyone that has worked with crocs for a period of time, has learned what injuries are serious and what is not. In the wild, these types of injuries and much worse are not uncommon. Different animals will react differently to different injuries. I am simply trying to learn the ins and outs of my animals to provide them the optimum care that I can provide. I apologize for the lengthy reply, but just thought I would voice, once and for all my reasoning for researching certain first aid options for injuries/illnesses.

Best Wishes,
Stan

A really good book for that kind of information is "Whats wrong with my snake" by Phillipe de Vosjoli. It has information on all sorts of snake ailemtns, along with pictures and treatment advice
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican kingsnake
1.0.2 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Rose Hair Tarantula
1.0 BTS
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

Thanks alot of the advice. As a matter of fact, I will be going to a book store this week, and I will request that book. Thanks again for the info.