Injured Cape York Python

[s_bennets]

My adult Cape York Python has rubbed some scales off - while I was at the VHS expo today (!!!) my flatmate took her outside and somehow managed to lose her under the house (he is now banned from handling my animals!). Apparently, about a third of her was sticking out and he had to pull her very hard to get her out. She must have been wrapped around something as she's torn some scales off. There are no open wounds, the scales are still there but the top layer has gone leaving them grey-looking. Each scale has a raised red lump on it like a little abrasion. It covers an area around 20cm squared max, so it's only a small proportion of her body and could have been a lot worse. The worse area is quite sensitive and she flinches if I touch it, otherwise she's her normal self.

She's been rather problem-free most of her life so I'm not sure what the best course of action is: I was thinking a warm bath with betadine solution? Is it worth popping her down to the vet for some antibiotics? Any advice appreciated

 

[crikey]

try the vet and it should heal up after a few sheds and you wont even notice it

 

[Darlyn]

Are you sure you don't mean 20mm squared?

 

[s_bennets]

Are you sure you don't mean 20mm squared?

Nah, I meant 20cm squared, but it's probably closer to 10. It's hard to guesstimate as there's 5 or 6 scales affected here, and 5 or 6 scales affected there, in a few different patches around her mid-section.

 

[sara_sabian]

Hard to say without knowing how hard your mate yanked on the snake and what sort of gap she'd squeezed into but she's probably just a bit bruised.
First thing I'd do is:
1) strangle flat mate
2) just as a precaution to guard against infection you can apply some betadine to the affected area.
Keep an eye on it and watch for any swelling or infection, I wouldn't go to the vet unless there's an indication that there's something more severe going on.

 

[Fantazmic]

lock your enclosures and make sure you take the keys with you
this way you know nobody can touch your snakes unless they break into the enclosures.
I would take your snake to a good herp vet for a checkup and make your flatmate pay....this way you will know your flat mate wont touch your snakes again....you are so lucky it was just brusing...you can really hurt a snake forcing it like that !!!!!!

 

[s_bennets]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Fantazmic, my flatmate is normally so good with my animals, and looks after them perfectly whenever I'm on holidays. So whilst I'm angry he took his eyes off her, it's most unlike him.

Anyway, I've given her a warm betadine solution bath and popped on antiseptic cream (that stung, the poor thing flipped out when I put it on). Off to the herp vet on Tues to check if there's any damage to her insides (by his accounts he had to grab her very hard and I'm worried he's done some damage....I'm hopeful he hasn't though as apart from being a little angry she's her normal self.

We'll see how it goes!

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Leave the external injury as dry as possible - NO baths in anything - water + wounds = 10x the chance of infection. Snakes are very good at healing themselves because they suffer superficial injury fairly commonly in their daily lives in the bush. There seems to be a big tendency to rush animals into water whenever they suffer skin injuries, but unless the wound is actually dirty, you'll be doing more harm than good. Topical application of an antiseptic may be useful, but in a case like this, it is far more likely to cause dirt and debris to stick to the animal. Skin injuries should, in most cases, be allowed to dry out and scab over, and then the snake will do the rest through a number of sheds. They are designed to heal quickly of their own accord - a snake with a scab is seriously disadvantaged in the mobility stakes.

I might consider taking the animal to a vet to ensure there has been no internal injury, although if there is nothing evident to you, there is probably nothing to worry about, and probably not much more the vet can tell you than your eyes are already.

If it was my animal, I'd clean it up, remove any excess antiseptic product by wiping with clean, dry cloths, put the animal into a cleaned enclosure, and just monitor behaviour. If it is behaving normally - alertness, coiling, responding to stimulus, then just leave it to do what snakes do when they've been traumatised physically (and mentally) - heal themselves.

Jamie