open wound after shedding.

[hex a holik]

ok this is a first for us. one of our new girls, Wednesday, shed last night. when i checkd on her she had a big open wound on her nose. it pretty much covers her whole snout. no blood or anything, just raw and pink. there is nothing in her tub that she can rub her nose on or cut her self on. when i first saw it it looked like a burn but we dont have the heat pads hooked up on that rack yet. its heated by the room. i couldnt check her shed to see if there was a chunck that came off, because she covered it in poo, and i wasnt gonna dig through poo.

if anyone has had a simalar problem, i would really appreciate some info.

i put her in a different tub w/ some warm water to soak in for a little while to wash her off cuz she was poo covered and i dont want it to get infected.

should i put anything on it, antibacterial? all i have is hydorgen peroxide and neosporin. scott said maybe bagbaum, but id have to go out and get some of that.

any help would be awesome.

[Lorelei]

Keep neosporin on it daily and it should heal up in a few sheds. We have had a couple do that - from rubbing. You'd be surprised the damage they can do to themselves even on a smooth surface.

[hex a holik]

thank you much lorelei. i wasnt sure if neosporin was too strong an ointment for them.

[lorenmps]

neosporin is fine. I would use a paper bedding and clean it with peroxide every day before putting on the neosporin

[hex a holik]

thanks for the info loren. if she will let me use peroxide. i put neosporin on her earlier after talkin to lorelei, and i almost lost fingers. lol. she's very sensitive w/ her nose right now.lol.

[The Snake Guru]

Peroxide can be a little harsh for reptiles....especially in the area which the cut is at (around the face) you definitely would not want to get that stuff in around the nose or heat pits has it drys out the mucus membranes. I would stick to the Neosporin or 100% Aloe....it'll clear up in no time.

Sound pretty superficial like when she was shedding she just rubbed a little hard...

~B~

[SnakeGirl]

All these guys have covered the correction issues of the wound. ;) Something you might want to check for next time is the humidity level in the cage. If it was rather low, it's possible the reason she rubbed so hard was because she was having trouble getting the shed started. I generally increase humidity around the time of shed to about 70%. Hope this helps!

[Pugz]

thanks everyone !!!!
snake girl our humidity in the room is between 65 and 75%

[Lorelei]

what kind of enclosure is it? (I know rack - but what type)

[Pugz]

she is in a wooden frame rack here is a pic
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k169/krookedklown/newracks3.jpg

I think she might have rubbed her nose on the shelf she is one of the snake we just got from someone she might have not had the right humidity then

[Lorelei]

Yeah, I bet you are right. You can also line the bottom of each shelf (part that is the top of the tub) with contact paper. That should minimize her hurting herself when rubbing.

[SnakeGirl]

I think she might have rubbed her nose on the shelf she is one of the snake we just got from someone she might have not had the right humidity then

That is a good possibility. You never know for certain what conditions someone else has kept their animals in. Most exerienced people know the ins and outs of their care, but the first-timers may or may not. But if her enclosure is holding 65-75% humidity, then she is good to go with you! :thumb: Good luck with her. Hopefully she won't have this problem again with her next shed now that her humidity is good! ;)

[hex a holik]

thank you everyone for your help and info. as scott said she is one of our new girls and it is hard to tell how her last owner took care of her. this is the first time we have ever had this happen and it can be a little concerning, but live and learn.