My snake got bit :'(

[albinoscooby]

Well I fed my Amel a small Rat on Monday, and he was constricting and doing everything like he normally would. I saw a pool of blood and thought it was from the Rat. (there was blood coming out of the Rats nose. After he was done swallowing it, I tried wiping the blood off of his head, and he didn't let me. He hid under his substrate. So I thought the rats blood would wipe away in it. I looked at him yesterday to spray him because he is going to shed soon, and I noticed that the blood stain was still on his head, only this time it was a scab. (I thought it was dried blood at first). He got punctured directly in the middle of his head. I hope he will be ok =/. I'm feeding him F/T or stunned Rats from now on. This won't happen again! I've fed him for almost 7 years live too. This is the first occasion that this has happened. Besides going to the Vet, does anybody have any suggestions?

[MooreSnakes]

Was this the first time you fed him a rat?

It says in Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide to use Hydrogen peroxide unless it is a deep wound. For deeper wounds it says to use Chlorhexidene diacetate that is diluted until it is barely blue-tinged (I think you get it from a vet) and to apply neosporin afterword.
If you don't already have The Corn Snake Manual you should really get it.

Good luck!

[albinoscooby]

Was this the first time you fed him a rat?

It says in Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide to use Hydrogen peroxide unless it is a deep wound. For deeper wounds it says to use Chlorhexidene diacetate that is diluted until it is barely blue-tinged (I think you get it from a vet) and to apply neosporin afterword.
If you don't already have The Corn Snake Manual you should really get it.

Good luck!

No actually this wasn't the first time I've fed him a rat. I've fed him rats countless amounts of times. I've lost count by now! Peroxide? I thought about that, but then I thought it would harm it.

[SevierSerpents]

Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but do you think there might be any validity to the reasons why everyone tells you not to ever feed live prey?

:rolleyes:

That's a lesson no cb snake should ever have to learn.

Hope he pulls through.

[scottsquatch]

Scoob, sorry to hear about the bite to your snakes head. I really hope he is ok and heals up well. I mean no sarcasm or nastiness, but that is why it is so commonly said that live prey should be avoided "if possible". Anyway, I hope it all works out.

[albinoscooby]

Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but do you think there might be any validity to the reasons why everyone tells you not to ever feed live prey?

:rolleyes:

That's a lesson no cb snake should ever have to learn.

Hope he pulls through.

yeah thats why. I hope he pulls through too. I will be so sad if he dies. I have had him since I was going into 9th grade. Thats my lil buddy =(. I'm only going to feed him F/T from now on. If I do live again, I'm going to stun it first!!

[albinoscooby]

Scoob, sorry to hear about the bite to your snakes head. I really hope he is ok and heals up well. I mean no sarcasm or nastiness, but that is why it is so commonly said that live prey should be avoided "if possible". Anyway, I hope it all works out.

yep I know why now. Its ok to do when they are small on pinks, but not after that. I have to train my snow to eat F/T. She has a taste for live flesh.

[SevierSerpents]

If it's scabbing over, and you keep it clean, odds are he'll recover. He may not be pretty, but he should make it. At least the rat didn't take out an eye.

[albinoscooby]

If it's scabbing over, and you keep it clean, odds are he'll recover. He may not be pretty, but he should make it. At least the rat didn't take out an eye.


Yeah it is scabbing over now. I've been keeping it clean. So he will have a permanent scar then huh? Yeah luckily it didn't. That wouldn't have been good. You ever had one of yours bitten?

[SevierSerpents]

The scab may lessen in severity over time (with more sheds), but if he makes it, you will likely see a noticeable mark where scales used to be.

We've never had any of our snakes bitten. But an inanimate object doesn't tend to bite very often. ;)

[BeckyG]

No actually this wasn't the first time I've fed him a rat. I've fed him rats countless amounts of times. I've lost count by now! Peroxide? I thought about that, but then I thought it would harm it.

Peroxide won't harm him, but if it's already scabbed over, it likely won't benefit him either. You might use a little neosporin or something similar to help prevent infection.

[albinoscooby]

here is a picture from his last feeding on the thread below which I thought was the Rats blood. Man I hope he makes it. I think he will be fine though. He is actually in the process of a shed too.

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36849&page=2&pp=10

[Roy Munson]

here is a picture from his last feeding on the thread below which I thought was the Rats blood. Man I hope he makes it. I think he will be fine though. He is actually in the process of a shed too.

http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36849&page=2&pp=10

Hmmm. I missed most of that post you linked. The injury doesn't look that bad. I'd expect a couple of accelerated shed cycles, but I'm sure the snake will be ok (it wasn't so injured that it didn't finish its head-stretching meal). I read a couple of other posts in that thread, and I have to agree with Joejr, and others: some snakes will only accept live, and you're obligated to serve them live for as long as the snakes demand it. But I would never offer a live weaned rat to a corn snake. I use only mice. If I had a snake that demanded live AND rat, I'd have to give them multiple rat-fuzzy prey items. Rats are vicious and intelligent beasts. I don't like them, but I respect their survival instinct.

[Pat GC]

It only takes one missing eye or a good case of mouth rot from a live food item's survival instinct bite to make one a believer in f/t food items. I've seen rats do it and I've seen mice do it. I have had very stubborn eaters that I've fed live to, but I have yet to have one I couldn't get to take f/t or at the very least dead food items. Sometimes it has taken a great deal of time and effort but I go after it with patience and an expectation that they will eventually do what they are programmed to do: eat and survive. Never had one starve to death nor have I ever had to force feed.
Maybe I'm just lucky.

Pat Glazener-Cooney

[MegF.]

I have a biomedical and surgical book that has a whole section on burns from heat lamps and rocks and bites from rodents (not just rats) Severe injuries are not uncommon. They had a whole other section on surgery to repair the damage, especially to eyes and noses. The bite yours got appears minor. I'd stay away from straight peroxide as it tends to damage tissue if used in full strength. Dilute it to clean the injury and use some antibiotic cream like neosporin. Most corns will eat f/t readily. I've never had one refuse. I've never had any snake refuse, even rescues that have only eaten live their whole lives. The only thing you really need to do is make sure the mouse is very warm. Body temp on a live rodent is about 100-101 degrees F.

[CMatt2157]

If switching to f/t after live for so long doesn't work, I would continue with live but have a sure-fire plan for no bites. Although it may sound horrible, when I feed my snakes live and they constrict the mice, I always make sure the head/mouth cannot do any damage to the snake. If the head is free-moving or capable of biting, I simply pinch/break the neck with tweezer type utensils. I've never had a problem so I thought maybe you can just continue to feed live but just be more careful.

[MegF.]

Try stunned if yours won't take f/t and then use the live held as described above as a last resort. I'd give my next paycheck if yours doesn't take a well-warmed f/t. (Well not really, but I'll bet you that it will take it.) Use tongs and jiggle it as if it's alive and they most likely will constrict as usual.

[Pat GC]

This product mentioned above is used as a cage disinfectant and in more diluted form as a wound disinfectant. Its generic name is Nolvasan. Vets use it extensively within there facilities. I get mine by the gallon from Herpsupplies.com. It goes for about $50 a Gallon but after dilution it lasts for a good long time. An important point: a Vet familiar with it told me to mix a new batch every two weeks or so as it looses its punch if left longer. Even with 60+ enclosures a Gallon lasts better than 6 months. I use it on the cages, water bowls, and any surface I need to disinfect. There is a cheaper formulation sold and seems to work fine, but I'm a pinhead for the real stuff. Hope this helps.

Pat Glazener-Cooney

[albinoscooby]

Just to keep you guys posted about Scooby, he shed early this morning and now he has a scar on his head. it looks more stretched out now. it was a little circular scab, and now its narrow and longer.

[Sisuitl]

He sounds like he should do fine. If the scab is on a area that bends or stretches it may be beneficial to put neosporin or some other triple antibiotic ointment on it every day to help keep it from drying out and breaking/flaking off before the tissue underneath has had a chance to heal up.