Please help... I want to understand.

[Will0W783]

What compels them? I do not know...I think some people like the idea of having animals, especially exotics like snakes, but lack the basic intelligence and the finances to give them proper care. It boils down to this: don't have more animals than you can properly care for. If that means you have 2, or 20, or 200....whatever the limit of YOUR personal time and finances are should be it. But unfortunately this isn't often the case....and you end up with snakes like your water snake, or Miss Buzztail, or the new rattler I took in last night...it breaks my heart to see.

I am glad the betadine/peroxide/water soaks are working well...they're great! It was my old childhood doctor who actually gave me the idea. I had an infection under a fingernail once, and I didn't want to take oral antibiotics, so he told me to soak my finger in that mixture 2-3 times a day for 2 weeks. It cleared it right up! Snakes have a slower metabolic rate, so I dialed it down to once every day or two, and voila...it seems to work.

As for food...give him time to heal. It would not surprise me if he is feeling too miserable to eat yet. You can try putting a few live feeder fish (Rosies are the best, as goldfish can have toxins in them), and see if he goes for the live food. Otherwise, try rodents. Water snakes eat a variety of foods- amphibians, fish, rodents, in the wild. Good luck!