wound found (while taking these)

[Smulkin]

I've had Kali now for a few weeks - she still hasn't eaten but I chalk that up to acclimation. At first she would go after ANY AND ALL movement in her cage, frequently bursting out from under bark and sphagnum for a strike. She has since calmed nicely - suspicious to say the least but no striking in the past 5 days or so. I had her out to change out water and moss and do some spot cleaning so I was snapping a few pics. She let me move her tail and I saw THIS:

http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/brammer/reptiles/Kali_cut.jpg

Looks like a cut or wound - though oddly placed in the middle of a series of bifurcated belly scales. Now I am kinda panicked. Laid down a piece of clean plastic pegboard on top of her bedding and placed down some damp paer towels, cleaned her hides and added a few fresh clumps of moss. Don't want anything getting infected and her humidity is still good.

Can I get a second opinion on that wound? It's not swollen or open or anything of the sort so I am sure I am just being overconcerned - but there's nothing she's come into contact with since coming into my care which could have done that.

Breathing again I now return you to the series of pics of this pretty little Gal.

http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/brammer/reptiles/Kali_close2.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/brammer/reptiles/Kali_close3.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/brammer/reptiles/Kali_close4.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/brammer/reptiles/Kali_close5.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/brammer/reptiles/Kali_close6.jpg

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Beardonicus]

Well, its obvious thats its not a fresh wound, so thats not a concern. I have no clue how or what caused the injury......where did you get Kali from? Is she WC or CBB?

[Smulkin]

Sup David! No didn't look fresh or infected - swear I am more stressed than she is, heh. She's supposed to be CBB. Am I being overcautious in putting her on paper towels, you think, given the state of the wound?

[Beardonicus]

I would just keep an eye on her.....since she isn't feeding for you yet if this continues I may consider a vet visit just to make sure all is right with her once you can get a fecal sample out of her.

Also, is the wound near the cloaca?

[Borneoblood151]

Hey,
I am not one hundred percent sure, but it looks to me like this area was part of where she or he, was connected to the yolk sac. It might have been cut after hatching by the original breeder if c.b.b., as sometimes snakes in general, can hatchout with excessive amounts of yolk still retained in the yolk sac that has not been absorbed and the yolk sac is sometimes cut-off at the stalk proximal to the belly suture and tied-off with a ligature to keep it from bleeding out. If this is the case, it might have gotten infected and has only just now started to heal. I would just keep the area clean, by keeping it on clean news paper, or paper towel, and applying hydrogen peroxide with a clean cotton ball, followed by an application of an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin to the area.

- Angel

[Smulkin]

Thanks for the info, Angel - the way her scales looked in either direction from it had me wondering if it wasn't something along those lines. Shortly after posting my wife told me her baby liasis had a similar "line" in about the same place but that it didn't look at all black or discolored. Think she might even have referrred to it as a "belly button" hehe.

[Beardonicus]

If you use Neosporin, be sure NOT to use the kind with pain reliever....just the regular kind. Sylvadene (sp?) is also a great topical ointment to use.

[Stockwell]

Thats the umbilicus...(belly button), the spot where the yolk sack was attached. Its perfectly normal. every hatchling snake has one. It will disappear with time,and multiple sheds, as the scales close in .
That looks like it will end up a nice Red blood.
Hopefully it will eat for you.
Sometimes they need quail for first feed.

[Borneoblood151]

Hey,
If you are having trouble feeding your new blood, you might want to consider keeping a frozen chick in the freezer, and plucking off a few down feathers from it at feeding time, and applying it to a thawed/warmed mouse. It works for me with my bloods, when they are a pain in the arse. Get them feeding and then wean them off later,but first the appetite has to be built up. later - Angel

[Smulkin]

Sweet info - always appreciate good constructive help. She is quite fetching ain't she?

[axwielding1]

Hey. Again, beautiful blood!
That is definitely a "belly button". I bought a Ball and a Blood python last august and september respsectively, and both had them, they were both 16" and pretty young and slender, as yours is. On Lapar, my blood, the mark has only recently disappeared, so give it time. (she's 34" now)
She also was a slow starter with feeding, but handled well.She didn't eat for 5 weekswhile acclimating, and I tried every trick in the book. She was in a glass tank, so to ease her acclimation, a surrounded her tank with a dark sheet, and put her tank in my bedroom so there was less activity to bother her, and only handled her for an hour or so a day, laying her on my chest and partailly covering her with my hand. She would eventually crawl around some as she calmed down.
I also found, after thawing the mouse, run really hot water over it for about a minute, to get the temp up. I then get a little bacon fat which I keep in the refrigerator, on a spoon and melt it till it's hot, and drip it on the mouses head. I then placed it outside her hide, at night, and peek in to watch her eat. They don't like to be watched, so don't let her see you as she eats, and don't mess with her after she eats... Very shy, and easily stressed..
Also, don't handle her and then try to feed her. Let her have a good 2-3 hours of quiet time in her enclosure. Make sure she has fresh water long before she eats because they drink quite a bit after eating....
Give it time and she'll do great. And temp out the enclosure well, I even put a temp guage down on the floor in the coolest part to ensure it's not too cold, and another on the warm side to ensure it's not too hot. I find a gradient of 79-86 works for me, and a temp guage in the middle/top, should read an ambient temp of around 82 degrees.I also keep the waterdish under the heat bulb(if used) to keep the humidity up around 70-80%..
Good luck and keep us posted...
ax.

[Smulkin]

Apprediate ALL the help. Been doing the betadine/antibiotic ointment and keeping her on paper towels over a heat baffle - the rest of the setup is pretty much as yours temp-wise, Ax. She has not seemed to be disturbed or stressed (flattening out, heavy breathing etc) when I treat her belly, just kind of turns around and regards me before finding something else to absorb her attention. Hasn't even seemed to mind the transfer to and from her enclosure by hand before and after.

I left her alone with a plodding rat pup and lo' and behold she said ALL YOUR RAT PUP ARE BELONG TO US. It has ceased to be.