Corn Snake Wound Care Plan

Auth: Joe Foss Super Scales Reptiles

Corn Snake Wound Care Plan A friend of mine had a corn snake escape its enclosure (sneaky bugger). He found the snake about a week later with a large wound along its back. The wound was filled with puss and maggots and euthanasia was recommended. As I have rescued a couple reptiles and have a friend who is a wound care nurse (for humans, but still…), we decided I would attempt to treat the wound and hold off euthanasia unless there was a further decline in the snake’s condition. I drew up this care plan after research and consultation with the wound care nurse and followed it to the letter. The snake showed massive improvement very quickly and made a full recovery after treatment with a gnarly scar and a story to tell the ladies. After only a few days of treatment, the puss was under control, implying the infection was under control. Infection is the biggest threat to a wound after bleeding. Once both bleeding and infection are under control, it’s just a question of time and keeping out infection. On day 5, the snake accepted a mouse fuzzy and ate. The snake ate every time it was offered food after that day. The snake shed on day 10 and the shed was fairly smooth. All the scabbing came loose/off with the shed, but the skin underneath was still showing signs of improvement. After shedding, the snake became very active and acted like its old self. After seeing the success of this treatment and noticing a lack of care-plans for serious wounds in snakes, I decided to write up the experience and share it (plan and pictorial progress below). I am not a trained professional, just a hobbyist, but I am confident in the care plan outlined here. “Clean room” enclosure (since a snake won’t hold a bandage): -

No substrate or kitchen roll (paper towel) as substrate. Clean, wet towel formed into hiding cave. Large water dish with distilled water for soaking. All feces and urate cleaned asap. Clean tub with 1 part Hydrogen Peroxide and 2 parts water. Wear disposable latex gloves to avoid adding bacteria to tank.

Interaction: -

Offer small meals every other day (much smaller than normal to avoid pressure on the wound). Clean meals with warm water. Wear disposable latex gloves to avoid adding bacteria to food. Do not handle unless cleaning, then, handle as little as possible. In the event of bleeding, apply pressure with kitchen roll until it stops. Do not peel any residue of kitchen roll from the wound or bleeding may resume.

Wound cleaning: -

Wear disposable latex gloves to avoid adding bacteria to wound. Soak in warm water 10 minutes (about 85 degrees to avoid overheating). 1

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Corn Snake Wound Care Plan -

Auth: Joe Foss Super Scales Reptiles

Rinse wound with Saline solution. Dab (not rub) wound with unscented anti-bacterial soap on wet kitchen roll. Soak in warm water 5 minutes. Dab (not rub) wound dry with kitchen roll. Apply thin layer of honey to serve as non-toxic antiseptic and form a protective layer. Clean and replace towel and water in “clean room” before replacing back in enclosure. Clean wound once per day until new tissue forms under the scab, then reduce cleaning to every 2-3 days.

Signs of infection: -

White/beige puss around wound. Localized swelling. Snake acting lethargic (less movement than usual, weak movements, clumsy movement, ect).

Progress photos Day 1 (of treatment, estimated 2-3 days after injury):

Day 4 (infection under control):

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Corn Snake Wound Care Plan

Auth: Joe Foss Super Scales Reptiles

Day 6:

Day 7: (early stages of shed)

Day 10 (after shedding/before cleaning):

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Corn Snake Wound Care Plan

Auth: Joe Foss Super Scales Reptiles

Day 10: (after cleaning w/honey applied):

Day 11: (good signs of skin forming)

Day 13 (during cleaning):

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Corn Snake Wound Care Plan

Auth: Joe Foss Super Scales Reptiles

Day 16: pre-cleaning

Day 21: (after shed; little bit of scabbing left, but swelling is gone and the new layer of skin is healthy)

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