Is there an antibiotic ointment that's safe for snakes? I may need to use some on poor Jack, but I'm not sure...

I am so incredibly stupid. I was so worried after Ky-Lin's great escape that I wanted to fix it so that none of the snakes could climb the thermometer cords. Having read somewhere (I don't remember where) that electrical tape would do the trick, I taped the cords to the glass. This morning when I checked temps, everyone was fine and in their hides, but a couple of hours later we found Jack all wrapped up and stuck to the tape. For two hours we worked with him in a bowl of slightly warm water, applying extremely gentle pressure to work his body (mostly belly from mid-body to his jaw ) away from the tape. He gradually came free, a little at a time, but of course we couldn't soak his head to get his jaw loose, so I dipped a Q-tip in a little olive oil which worked well to free the last of his neck and his lower jaw. He starting tongue-flicking immediately upon getting his jaw free, and I'm praying that he'll be ok. I held him up and can't really see anything in the way of damage to his scales and skin, even his lower jaw looks ok as far as I can tell...but I'm sure he must have lost some scales somewhere. Should I put antibiotic ointment on him just in case he lost scales? Do you think his skin might get infected?

After I put him back in his warm hide, where he stayed for about 15 minutes, I guess it all finally hit me, and I almost passed out. What an awful day. When I peeked in at Jack after I recovered, it looked like he was getting a drink of water, and then he slithered up under his paper towels on the warm side. He was moving very slowly...I'm sure his muscles and skin must be sore, and I know he must be exhausted. I feel so awful...if I wasn't such an idiot it never wouldn't have happened. It should have occurred to me that the snakes might be able to work the tape loose, but it never crossed my mind. I thought it was sticky enough to stay firmly on the glass. I should change my username to Stupid.

__________________
~Juliane~

I'm so sorry Juliane, Awww poor jack, it wasnt intentional so dont beat yourself up about it, it was a unfortunate accident, hope hes feeling better soon, you where only trying to do the right thing, and keep them safe, if you are really worried I would see a vet, just keep a close eye on him and watch for any changes, hope he is ok, keep us updated....

Did you check the tape to see if any scales were attached ?

__________________
Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

When I first put him in the warm water before we got any of the tape off of him, I think I saw a couple float to the surface (maybe he pulled a few loose when he was struggling before we found him?), but when I checked the tape after I put him back into his enclosure, I didn't see anything on it. Does that mean most of his scales are still on him? What does a snake's skin look like if scales are missing? Should I put any Neosporin on him or anything as a precaution? I feel like I'm in such a horrible nightmare...

__________________
~Juliane~

Juliane if you can't see anything on the tape and you can't see anything on his skin I think you can relax. If you had damaged the skin to any extent you would see blood or some damage . Just keep an eye on him for a few days and watch out for any fluid seepage or crustiness.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

((((((((HUGS))))))))
I hope you both feel better soon!

__________________
Some think they can. Some wish they could. Some do.

I think I was the one with the tape suggestion: In another thread I was talking about putting duct tape around the top of the lamp cage to protect the rim. It didn't occur to me that with the humidity and higher temps it might come loose and stick to the snakes!
I'm SOOOOO sorry this happened!! You're not the one who should change her name to stupid!

As Merlin said, you'd have seen it if some real scale damage was done. Polysporin was mentioned in my boa book for use on small wounds. Keep us posted on how he's getting along.

__________________
Andrea

It wasn't from your post, Andrea. I'm sure the post I saw specifically mentioned electrical tape rather than duct tape. I've looked but I can't find the thread that I saw it in. In any case, it doesn't matter where I saw it or who posted it. The only fault is mine....I'm the idiot who put the tape in there. If I wasn't such a stupid worry-wart, I wouldn't have thought that Ky-Lin's escape would be repeated by anyone climbing a thermometer cord, and I wouldn't have taped them.

I didn't bother Jack this morning because I'll be cleaning the enclosure this evening, and I don't want to stress him out too many times. He hates being uncovered. He looked ok from what I could see this morning, which wasn't really a lot as he was in one of his favorite places....under the paper towel. I'll post tonight with an update. Please send a few prayers in Jack's direction that he didn't seriously hurt himself trying to get unstuck yesterday.

__________________
~Juliane~

Thanks Juliane,
All the same, I now think tape anywhere inside the terrarium is probably not a good idea. Anytime I catch myself saying: "Oh the snakes won't go there." I stop and try to think of what could happen WHEN (not if!) they do. They will ALWAYS go where it is least safe!!
I've taken out the tape I used on Monty's lamp cage and filed down the sharp metal edges. I will try to make it safer with some type of rubber, like what they use to seal windows, if I can find it.
Jack is in my thoughts... I hope he's OK. What I've found out from Talyn is that these animals are EXTREMELY resilient and can handle more than we can imagine!
Still I hope he's not too uncomfortable.

__________________
Andrea

awww don't worry i'm sure he'll be just fine.

__________________

yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear