Ball python laceration

I’m looking for recommendations not negative comments I’m a first time ball python owner and I just recently seen my snake have a laceration on her and not sure What to do to sure how it happened but it wasn’t from a feeding but Im wondering if I should bring her to the vet in the morning or if it will naturally heal I’ve seen a lot of different videos on YouTube but figured the community would have better answers she literally is my world any advice will help!

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Doesnt look too bad to me. For myself i would not bring to a vet unless it showed signs of infection. To prevent infection, i would treat daily with vetericyn, and if any substraight gets attached to it, i would put her in a warm betadine bath (1 part betadine to 10 parts water) and VERY lightly brush it clean of debris (you are not trying to remove scabbing, only debris, you should not need to use any pressure at all, when the warm water has loosened things enough, the foreign debris should come right out.

Aside from that preventative care to avoid infection, it should heal up fast by the looks of it (within the month).

A quick note: This is my personal opinion and what i would do for my own animals, it is not to be used as expert advice or in place of a true diagnosis from a vet. You may take my advice, but please note getting professional advice from a vet is always the safest course of action. :slight_smile:

And lastly, if you havent already, find what caused the laceration and have it removed. Im sure you took care of this already, but just incase, it is worth mentioning :slight_smile:

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I think I possibly might have taken care of it I was so stumped on how it happened everything in the enclosure has been the same for months I’m guessing it was her log but I really appreciate the advice I literally probably wouldn’t of slept to nigh it’s hard to explain she’s like my kid

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I can understand that, im the same way with my dogs, but but having 5 dogs and 28 snakes, i have to pick and choose my battles of what i can treat myself, and what needs vet attention. I have some basic medical knowledge, so stuff like burns and minor cuts i treat myself (thankfully only had the 1 burn, but boy was that a doozy) once i learn how to ID and treat something, i just handle it myself unless the condition worsens.

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We have 2 snakes 4 dogs and a 2 year old lol so we are the same way that’s why I came here for advice

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Honestly if you have any worry, I’d say vet. From the photo, it looks like there’s a chunk of skin missing and a bit of lifting, which could trap infection. Yeah, it’s entirely possible it may heal on its own, without issue, with soaks, but I find it’s better to err on the side of caution than end up having to play catch up if things get infected.

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Because it’s on the neck area, on top of moving her to a more sterile enclosure ( paper towel bedding and such) I would also feed her smaller meals to keep the neck from stretching and pulling on the wound too much.
For example, it she was eating small rats once a week, feed her a weanling 4-5 days apart.
Wounds will heal slowly on a reptile, so don’t be surprised if this hangs around for a couple of shed cycles.

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Clean it with dawn dish soap and water, triple a without pain killer, paper towel bedding ( to keep substrate out of wound and clean) should be fine in a few days. A shed or 2 and you wouldn’t even know it happened

I wouldn’t put Dawn anywhere near a wound like that, unless you want to irritate it.

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Thanks for informing me. I am not sure of other soaps that are safe. So just triple a and sterile enclosure?

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Honestly I wouldn’t use any sort of soap on a wound, but you can use dilute povidone iodine solution or a dilute chlorhexidine solution as a flush to reduce the chance of infection. Then gently pat dry. Triple a without pain relief I’ve heard but not tried, sterile enclosure cleaned when soiled, and time will do wonders.

I’ve got a corn snake that I’m currently healing surgical incisions on, so I’m still learning at this point as well. If anyone needs to correct my info, please do.

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Yeah I wouldn’t take it to a vet unless it was getting infected. So I’d clean it with mild soap and water. Also you’ll wanna keep the enclosure as clean as possible and keep an eye on it. It should be fine and heal with a shed or two. Good luck.

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I agree with the above, I would not use soap. there is raw skin there. But I am not an expert.
I think this needs clarifying by some one who knows better than me, or tell me I am wrong. @t_h_wyman @saleengrinch
But I agree with hyper sterile, and no substrate that could get in the wound, I would move to paper substrate.

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Smaller food and sterile bedding (such as paper towel or reptizorb) is a good shout!

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I believe this is referencing the 1 : 10 betadine : water solution. Which i definitely agree with, has never done me wrong.

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Yep, Betadine is just a brand name.

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Indeed, it states the chemical name in the bottle too, i only comment because not everyone reads past the big letters when looking for things haha.

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True, true. I usually use the common name because in many places it’s easier to find than the name brand stuff. Can be picked up at any pharmacy.

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Soap is okay to use, just be gentle with it the same way you would with your own skin was scratched up.

Diluted iodine is also good as is chlorohexadine.

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Like a lot of the other people that have responded, the decision to take it to the vet is usually a personal choice based on your confidence in your vet and the severity of the injury. I don’t have nearly the experience a lot of these guys have but I have had small lacerations from sharp basking rocks or a sharp piece of screen and I have typically treated all these types of wounds with non-medicated Neosporin applied lightly to the wound and keep the snake or animal on paper towels and keep their enclosure clean. Usually after one or two sheds minor lacerations heal pretty quickly. If it was me, I would not take it to the vet unless I saw signs of infection and I would treat with cleaning the wound in warm water and applying a non-medicated Neosporin very lightly. I would steer away from any soaps or cleansers because in my opinion they can irritate the wound and cause pain . Also I steer away from Betadine unless I feel like it’s absolutely necessary. I feel it’s getting slightly overused.