Rescued a pair of albino burms - eye/skin infection?

maitre · 03-13-11, 03:19 PM

So a friend contacted me last week saying his buddy has a pair of albino burmese pythons he can't care for anymore, and asked if I wanted them. Of course, I say yes. Anyways, I went to pick them up today and they looked like a mess. The owner said they just had mites but he treated them (don't know how). He said if I wanted them, I could have them for free. I couldn't stand leaving them under his care so I brought them home, treated them with Nix, and put them in quarantine.

They look pretty rough. I'm pretty sure they both have fungal infections around their eyes; as well as some type of scale condition.

This is what their eyes look like:

Yeah.. looks pretty bad.

That's not the end of it. Their scales are discoloured as well. Upon close inspection, many of the scales have gone black at the tips/edges and some look 'eaten away.' I'm not sure if this is caused by the mites but here's a photo of the scales:

The curious thing is they aren't underweight nor do they seem dehydrated. It's really just the scales around the eyes and the discoloured scales all over the body.

Can anyone provide some tips on how to treat these guys? I plan on using polysporin (triple antibiotic) and lamasil (anti-fungal) on the scales surrounding their eyes. I haven't decided how to treat the scales on their body yet.

I can't really afford a vet at the moment because I didn't even plan on taking in a couple burms.. however, I will if I absolutely have to. Has anyone been able to treat these symptoms on their own before?

Lankyrob · 03-13-11, 03:23 PM

Well done for rescuing them, never seen eyes like that before so cant really help but will be interested to see how you deal with it and how they get on, please keep us upidated.

lukelightwalker · 03-13-11, 03:38 PM

Sorry I know nothing about snakes so can't help with treating them however I did want to say good for you for taking on what looks like a bit of a tough rescue. People like you don't get enough praise and credit for the love you spread.

My roomate however does know quite a bit about snakes and thinks it is a serious mite problem that should be taken care of by a Vet soon. It is too hard to tell by the pictures. If you use lamasil around the eyes she says to water it down by 50%. If it is mites there is a chance of stargazers which will be a death sentence.

Walker and Charlene

Jendee · 03-13-11, 05:01 PM

Good for you for getting them out of there!! Im not sure what the eye thing is..i might say stuck eye caps?? or it could be just from the mites. Would like to keep updated though, very pretty

presspirate · 03-13-11, 06:32 PM

It does look like the eye caps could be stuck, they look a little cloudy. As for the scales, it almost looks as if there are still mites on the poor critters. I'd put them on newspaper for awhile, and try the polysporin around the eyes. Maybe give each a good long soak, and treat them as if they still had mites. After the next shed, I suspect they may look better. Good luck with them, I hope it goes well.

mykee · 03-13-11, 08:15 PM

So you just adopted two large snakes and you "really can't afford a vet at the moment"?!
Nice work.....

lukelightwalker · 03-13-11, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykee

So you just adopted two large snakes and you "really can't afford a vet at the moment"?!
Nice work.....

Thats rude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This person is rescuing 2 abused snakes and doing her best to care for them obviously by posting to the site for help and advise and has said she would take them to the vet if needed. She should be called a hero.

Do you have the intestinal fortitude to rescue a couple of snakes in such bad condition??????????

By your cowardly rude remark I think not.

Walker

jonwhittington · 03-13-11, 09:55 PM

They are a hell of a lot better off now.It is progress not perfection Deadly Weapon

maitre · 03-13-11, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykee

So you just adopted two large snakes and you "really can't afford a vet at the moment"?!
Nice work.....

They aren't large yet. They are approximately 2.5ft and ~1.5" thick. They are very managable (for now) so I will decide what to do in a few months time. I said "I can't really", not "I really can't." I don't want to spend money on a vet (yet) but I will if absolutely necessary - I'll just give up on other things like going out, new clothes, etc.

Thanks for the support guys! I'm a guy, btw.. not a girl : P

maitre · 03-13-11, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by presspirate

It does look like the eye caps could be stuck, they look a little cloudy. As for the scales, it almost looks as if there are still mites on the poor critters. I'd put them on newspaper for awhile, and try the polysporin around the eyes. Maybe give each a good long soak, and treat them as if they still had mites. After the next shed, I suspect they may look better. Good luck with them, I hope it goes well.

I applied polysporin ~8 hours ago and treated them with diluted lamasil just now. My plan is to give them polysporin in the mornings and diluted lamasil at night. I am hoping this helps. I don't know if I will be able to see results right away or if I will have to wait for a shed. Maybe a combination of both?

Both burms received a Nix treatment when I brought them home approximately 12 hours ago. I will give them another Nix treatment next sunday, and another a week after. I don't see any mites on them at all - just the discolouration of scales. I am hoping it is just superficial damage from the original infestation and am hoping it will heal over the next few sheds.

The male is definitely a little underweight. The female is a little better but could definitely use some extra food. I am going to start them on a 5-day feeding schedule.

I am hoping that polysporin/lamasil, Nix treatment, proper environment, and extra food will get them back to 100% heath soon!!

Isaac's Ark · 03-14-11, 12:04 AM

WOW is all I can really say. Good save actually GREAT save. Yes I have seen this it is easy to correct just time consuming. as far as the eyes are concerned it looks very much like retained eye caps I would almost go as far as saying more the 1 or 2 overlapped no big deal though very correctable I will get into that later in the post. My concern is the alleged mite problem that is the real problem. Aside from the very real immediate problem mites can give a snake some people with a little less knowledge on the subject are not fully aware that mites can and most often do transmit viral diseases such as RI, blood born parasites, even the devil himself IBD. Try not to freak out to much just because it can happen does not mean it did, I am just trying to illustrate just how bad it can get and how quick and can get there.
Now for the good news you rescued 2 Burmese Pythons BURMESE PYTHONS. You want to know what I love about this majestic creature. You can't kill them (Figure of speech) unless you know how and fully intend for it to die. The Burmese Python is by far one of the most resilient pythons out there that is why it was #1 pet snake so may years ago not to mention limited availability of more suitable specimens.
Now time to tell you how you can bounce them back like you were a pro lol. I must first and for most must ask you to be careful a large disgruntled sick snake is absolutely a force to be recon with especially while on the road to recovery you will need 2 large bins big enough to hold each animal separately. Place them in add water & nix and a rock so you cover the entire body of the snake the rock is there so they can rest their heads on it. Soak them for about 30-45 min while they are soaking clean the quarantine enclosure really well. Jack the heat 82F ambient room temperature 89F cold side 92-95F hot side. Now this may sound weird at first but bear with me I am going to making a point for you, you will need to sacrifice the humidity aspect in the beginning when I say sacrifice I don't mean provide none I just mean accept a lower than average humidity for a short while. There is a reason for this remember when I was talking about mites transmitting a bunch of nasties well there road to recovery sux you see high heat will boost their immune system slightly this is why you are raising your temps but it can also act as an incubator for viral problems if that does happen to you and an RI takes place high humidity will aggravate the problem even further. If this happens to you do not worry you will just need a shot of Amicasin only a vet can do this for you it is highly toxic and easy to overdose an animal on but can be a very effective tool in this fight. Now in the great world of no internal parasites blood born or otherwise you will be ready for the fun and extremely dangerous part. Remember you jacked the heat at this point, high heat does more than just help the immune system it also stimulates appetite so let’s say no pet store visits any time soon LOL. Last thing you need is a burm thinking parrot is on the menu today. Once you see high energy behaviour lower your temps ever so slightly 85F cold side 89F-92F hot side and feed the living snot out of them again you are doing this for a reason when do snakes shed? When they grow. How do they grow? FEED THEM. You will be purposely feeding solely to drive your animal into shed once you see them become milky white drive the humidity to them like there is no tomorrow you goal is to ensure a healthy shed all one piece preferably. If you have the kind of luck I had so many years ago the eye caps will come off on their own and you will be able to have your vet examine the socket extremities to see if in fact if some sort of fungal infection has set in.

I hope something I said here helps you or any others that may read this. My words are not law I just know what worked for me always keep your vet on speed dial, your best friend with in ear shot when you are working with these guys a sick Burmese Python can put the nastiest Reticulated Python to shame, by all means remember things do die in this world you are doing the best you can with what you have make sure to have fun with this because if you don't will miss the lesson your animals are trying to teach you 10 million breeders cannot teach you what one serious snake bite can teach you the same applies to rescuing and rehabilitating animals.

Good Luck
Isaac's Ark

Isaac's Ark · 03-14-11, 12:05 AM

sorry I was typing while you responded to this thread

maitre · 03-14-11, 07:38 AM

Wow, thanks for the excellent response! I am really hoping it is just retained eye caps. It's weird, though, because I don't see retained caps over their eyes. It's really just the scales surrounding the eyes that are crusty and unhealthy-looking. I am really hoping the polysporin/lamasil treatment will resolve the issue. I will definitely boost humidity when they go into the blue. At the moment, I am keeping their humidity lower to decrease the risk of a mite re-infestation. They do have a small water dish with fresh drinking water though.

The pair was very, very snappy/hissy when I first saw them and when I brought them home. They have since calmed down significantly to the point where they act like completely different snakes. I was able to handle them with no problems this morning (did not observe any aggressive/defensive behaviour) and was able to apply the polysporin by holding their neck/head without any trouble. I will give them a diluted lamasil treatment tonight in the evening.

I will boost their temps as recommended and attempt feeding in a few days. I do want to give them some time to settle in. I will try to accelerate the time to their next shed. Hopefully a shed will fully resolve the eye-scales and damage to their body. If the shed doesn't help or if their eyes/scales get worse in the following weeks, I will bring them to a reptile vet.

I have started to make plans to keep these snakes for the long run. I am buying a new house in the next year and will designate space for 10' cages. I've also began searching for a reliable source of rabbits/pigs for their future feeding purposes.

**Aaron_S** · 03-14-11, 09:18 AM

I think your heart is in the right place but WHY oh WHY did you apply triple antibiotic polysporin and an anti-fungal to something without a proper diagnosis first? You came here asking for help on what it might be but you already set a course. What if you do more damage now?

I guess not many people can pass up free snakes in any condition. No matter their experience.

maitre · 03-14-11, 11:32 AM

I weighed the benefits/risks before starting the treatment. I researched the potential illnesses that snakes could suffer from before choosing which treatment to use. For the snakes scales surrounding the eyes, it boiled down to either a fungal infection, physical damage from mites, or retained eyecaps. I chose to use two drugs which are considered safe for reptilian use.

Polysporin has been recommended countless times to treat and/or prevent infection in reptilian wounds (open) with high success. If it has been demonstrated to be safe-for-use on open wounds, it should be safe on non-open wounds - like the snakes' eyes. However, if there are, in fact, open wounds in the lining surrounding the eye, I would prefer to apply an antibiotic before infection sets in. If there is a bacterial infection, the polysporin will help combat that and to promote healing.

Lamasil has been shown to be effective in treating fungal infections in amphibians. Considering how highly absorptive amphibian skin is and how amphibians do not exhibit adverse reactions from the treatment, lamasil should be relatively safe on reptilian skin that is not highly absorptive.

I adopted these snakes because I wanted to get them back into good health. I have the funds to care for them, to provide them with a good home, and to pay for a veterinarian if necessary. I don't need "free snakes." I can always buy a healthy snake if I wanted. In fact, it's costing me more money in the long run to house, feed, and care for sick snakes so I am not seeing this as a 'free lunch.'

Oh and btw, I guess not many people can pass up on ripping on others on the internet. No matter how experienced they think they are. Thanks for the lack of advice.