Contact with tape = skin injury

[jwarriner]

I'm absolutely sick over this.

My girlfriend and I got a baby ball python in June. So far he has been great. He enthusiastically eats and has shed once with no problems. And he's just a very nice snake. Of course since he's my first snake I am constantly worried about him. I try to take excellent care of him and do everything I can for him.

Well last night after a short soak (I live in CO and it's very dry here) we were handling him on the couch. He was slithering around when all the sudden he came into contact with one of those pet rollers (tape on a roller to remove pet hair from clothing for those unfamiliar). We didn't know it was there. At first he just contacted it in a small spot the size of a dime. But he panicked and ended up getting stuck from the base of his head along the entire length of the roller (about 4" to 5"). He panicked more and was trying to get himself unstuck. I took him and the roller into the kitchen and ran them under some water to try and loosen the adhesive. In hindsight I wish I had tried cooking spray, soap or mineral oil but I think he'd have made things worse if I didn't act fast.

Well we were able to get him off the roller minus some scales. There was no bleeding or tearing of the skin, it's intact, but it seemed to have pulled the skin away from his body and there were air bubbles underneath that can be moved around with a finger. He still moves about his cage but he is obviously in pain.

I am horrified and feel terribly guilty for hurting him.

I guess I want to know:

1) Has anything like this happened to anyone else?
2) Is the injury itself life threatening?
3) Will this heal?
4) If it will heal how long will it take?
5) What steps can I take to help him heal?
6) Will he be deformed or have scarring?
7) He was due to eat on Saturday, should I wait? How long?

[littleindiangirl]

Take him to the Vet! There are no substitutions for online advice worth waiting for. Take him in as soon as possible.

[slartibartfast]

Were you able to get him to a vet today?

[ballroom]

We had a Valuable snake get loose at the Daytona beach reptile expo last year. We found him the next AM, but he also ended up stuck on someones Duct tape at the next table. Fortunately he only suffered about the same fate as yours. A few busted scales and A poor attitude. We did not however get the bubbles under the skin.. He healed perfectly but went off of food for a few weeks...
Do have him checked By a vet however for the air bubbles... Perhaps it'll go away but I would not risk it over a few dollars..

[frankykeno]

Personally I'd have him seen by a vet as soon as possible, I'd not feed until the vet said to do so or the skin lesions are healed and I'd put the snake on several layers of plain white paper towel as a substrate (Viva makes a very nice almost clothlike quality papertowel). If the vet says to feed I'd likely feed a smaller than normal prey item in order to not put much strain on the snake while it's skin condition is so abnormal. You don't want to risk a rodent nail scratch or a lot of stretching on skin that's already compromised, I would think.

[jwarriner]

Take him to the Vet! There are no substitutions for online advice worth waiting for. Take him in as soon as possible.

I wanted to come back with an update...

All signs of the injury are gone, he ate a nice fuzzy on Saturday and he seems to be in the early phases of a shed cycle.

Now, as for what the vet had to say...

I've been doing a lot of reading on this forum and it seems "take him to the vet" is the trump card answer for just about everything. But in some cases it's bad advice. I called a herp vet in the area. Guess what he said? He said don't bother. He said use Neosporin, watch for infection- which would take time crop up anyway- and give it a shed or two. I tried to insist and he simply told me, "we're not going to do emergency snake surgery or anything like that, we're going to see him and tell you what I already told you."

You can't expect every vet to have that sort of integrity so by chiming in on topics which with you have no experience just to say, "TAKE HIM TO A VET," it could be inaccurate and costly advice. I know people here are passionate about their snakes but really, if you have no experience with the topic at hand then don't post just to say "take him to a vet," someone might think you know what you're talking about.

[dr del]

Hi,


Actually I do expect every vet to have that sort of integrity - and if they don't they'll never see me again.

You asked an expert and he gave you expert advice - I can't see how that's a bad thing. Now as long as you explained everything relevant accurately over the phone that's fine.

I would rather someone complained I cost them $50 having their pet checked out when the vet said it would have been fine than hear someone say their snake died because , without ever seeing the animal or knowing exactly whats wrong with it, I told them it didn't need to see a vet. Sometimes people don't explain things well over the net and, in anycase, it's a lousy way to diagnose anything.

It may be costly and innacurate advice from your perspective on this occasion but it's the advice least likely to kill your pet from our point of view.

You should understand we have had people say there was a slight discolouration on their snakes belly then, when prompted, post pictures of truly horrific burns or scale rot. It is far from common I hasten to add but then it doesn't have to be to leave an impression.

I'm glad your little guy is on the mend though - did the vet give you recomendations for lessening the chances of infection?

I'd also keep a closer eye on him for the next couple of shed's and make sure the humidity is spot on as damaged skin is more likely to tear again - the male I have had nasty scars when we first got him and if the shed went badly the scars had a tendency to tear slightly for months afterwards (they were large, wide burn scars though). You will probably be fine it's just worth paying a little extra attention.


dr del

[jwarriner]

I'm glad your little guy is on the mend though - did the vet give you recomendations for lessening the chances of infection?

The Neosporin and then using paper towels as a substrate for cleanliness. That's about it. It has really healed very nicely and he is active and hungry.

As for humidity, that's been somewhat of a problem in our climate, especially now with the paper towels but normally I soak him (have not since the injury but may start as soon as shedding is more imminent). Otherwise his tank gets misted a couple times a day and most of the vents are covered to keep the humidity in. The enclosure I am building for him has a humidifier but it's not done.

[lord jackel]

I've been doing a lot of reading on this forum and it seems "take him to the vet" is the trump card answer for just about everything. But in some cases it's bad advice...

You can't expect every vet to have that sort of integrity so by chiming in on topics which with you have no experience just to say, "TAKE HIM TO A VET," it could be inaccurate and costly advice. I know people here are passionate about their snakes but really, if you have no experience with the topic at hand then don't post just to say "take him to a vet," someone might think you know what you're talking about.

First I think it is in poor taste that you come back on here and insult the very people that tried to help you. Go reread your post...you very stressed, upset and wanted help. People related their experiences and told you to take him to the vet. Had someone said "just leave him alone and wait" and your snake died you would be screaming that someone told you to do nothing.

No one on here is an expert or vet and therefore NO ONE will diagnose a potential life threatening wound over the internet from a simple description. You are right we are passionate about the care of our animals and in 9 out of 10 times the best option is a vet visit. Ok this time the vet said wait...but how are we to have known that. The vet still said he could end up with an infection (which means a trip anyway) .

You can't come running to people for help then slap them because you didn't like the advise after the fact.

[dr del]

The Neosporin and then using paper towels as a substrate for cleanliness. That's about it. It has really healed very nicely and he is active and hungry.

Cool - I'd possibly keep his meals a little on the small side but that may be over-cautious if he managed his normal meal already.

As for humidity, that's been somewhat of a problem in our climate, especially now with the paper towels but normally I soak him (have not since the injury but may start as soon as shedding is more imminent). Otherwise his tank gets misted a couple times a day and most of the vents are covered to keep the humidity in. The enclosure I am building for him has a humidifier but it's not done.

Actually soaking before the shed can actually make it more likely to be a bad one according to some of the threads I've read. I would try adding a second waterbowl (shallow but large surface area works best) on the warm end if you haven't already tried that. How are you measuring the humidity at the moment? How low is it by the way?

Also have you considered using a humid hide? I use them with some of mine with good results.

dr del