Injury query need advice!!!

[nazanova]

So my Ball Python Rocky has shed tonight and I decided to get him out and check he's ok. I noticed there was abit of stuck shed on the tip of his tail, now when I first got him I noticed the tip looked a bit "odd" but I didn't pay any attention to it. So I helped him get the stuck shed off the tip of his tail and I believe he was also shedding suspecting old old skin that must've been constricting his tail or something because when we got it off the tip of his tail is now really raw! He was even bleeding a little bit! Now I've wiped it abit just stop it bleeding and clean it but I was wondering whether I should keep him in his current substrate (Coco Fibre) or swap to something like paper towel, Orchid Bark, Newspaper etc to avoid getting dirt into it or will he be fine as it's only a very minor injury? It doesn't seem to bother him and it's not a bad injury by any means I thought I'd ask just incase.

[Minkness]

Paper towels. My geckos get that with toes sometimes. I also use a bit of neosporin (however it's spelled)

[nazanova]

Originally Posted by Minkness

Paper towels. My geckos get that with toes sometimes. I also use a bit of neosporin (however it's spelled)

Thanks for the quick reply , I think you may be right, I'll wait for a few more people to respond before I change anything though. I've just cleaned the lil buggers enclosure the other day as well so I'll be throwing away fresh substrate haha ah well

[Albert Clark]

Be careful with that condition bc it can spread up the tail. I would definitely switch to paper towels and keep a very close eye on the tail. Sometimes it can be so bad that it will require a amputation of part of the tail. Very serious condition.

[HollyG]

I would suggest putting him on paper towel as mentioned above. Atm it is just a minor injury BUT reptiles can get infected easily if not kept clean and it can turn septic and kill him. Not trying to scare u or anything. Just keep the enclosure clean and be sure to clean the wound at least twice a day with an anti bacterial wash. As long as he's kept clean, it'll heal fine

[nazanova]

Thanks guys I moved him onto paper towel the day after I made this post and his tail seems to be healing slowly but surely with the help of putting some antiseptic cream on it. It's a little hard to keep up humidity but I'm going to make a humid hide along with spraying down the enclosure a few times a day.

[wendy]

Definitely keep it clean and dry. And paper towels are great when snakes have injuries. They are easy to tell when soiled. Apply Neosporin daily (i find Neosporin heals faster than off brands) and change your paper towels at least every other day unless they use the restroom then change immediately. To another note that you might not know or realize is their water bowl needs to be cleaned well daily so they are not soaking in water with bacteria from the wound. His hide should also be cleaned often. I find it easier to by cheap disposable bowls like the ziplock brand, they are a lot easier surface to keep clean than a lot of others like stone. I hope this helps.

[nazanova]

Originally Posted by wendy

Definitely keep it clean and dry. And paper towels are great when snakes have injuries. They are easy to tell when soiled. Apply Neosporin daily (i find Neosporin heals faster than off brands) and change your paper towels at least every other day unless they use the restroom then change immediately. To another note that you might not know or realize is their water bowl needs to be cleaned well daily so they are not soaking in water with bacteria from the wound. His hide should also be cleaned often. I find it easier to by cheap disposable bowls like the ziplock brand, they are a lot easier surface to keep clean than a lot of others like stone. I hope this helps.

Thanks Wendy . I've only been applying Neosporin twice a week so I don't stress him out too much or aggravate the wound in anyway but if doing it daily causes no harm and is actually quite beneficial then I'll do that. Also I'm finding it quite hard to keep up humidity with paper towel substrate, do you have any tips? I'm currently spraying down the enclosure a few times a day but it just doesn't seem to be having much affect.

[Rattlehead]

Maybe a bigger water container (or one more). If the enclosure has a mesh lid, could you put something over it to retain humidity?

[Albert Clark]

What type of enclosure is it? What capacity is it?