Caring‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌Lamp‌ ‌Burn‌ ‌on‌ ‌a‌ ‌Snake‌

Snakes are incredible creatures and awesome pets—but they may not be the smartest animals in the kingdom (sorry). Sometimes, they slither right up to their heat lamps and singe their scaly skin without even realizing it.

These lamps are essential, but they also pose a risk to your scaly companion. So what do you do?

Keep reading to learn all about lamp burns, including how to treat and prevent them.

Burns are one of the most common snake injuries. The science isn’t 100% clear on why, but there are a few leading theories:

• Lack of reason and understanding – Reptiles don’t have the same reasoning skills that we humans, or even other mammals, do. They may feel the pain of the heat source, but they don’t necessarily associate this pain with the object, so they don’t immediately move away from it.
• No evolutionary significance to heat-pain receptors – For millions of years, reptiles lived in the wild, developing reflexes and physical characteristics that would help them survive. But heat lamps were never part of that environment. Now they are, and domesticated snakes may not have the ingrained reflex to pull away from them.

It’s common for reptile burns to show up slowly over several days. Keep an eye out for any indications of a burn in your serpentine friend:

• First degree – These painful, surface-level burns affect the skin’s outer layer (epidermis). You might notice dark discoloration underneath the scales, red skin, singed scales, and sometimes blisters. 
• Second degree – These are very painful, deeper burns that destroy the top layer of the skin and may be deeper. Look for swelling, blistering, discharge, tissue discoloration, or scabs. 
• Third degree – These intense injuries destroy the animal’s pain receptors, making them painless. The skin may look completely blackened, the scales may be white, and the wound will be very deep. Third-degree burns are four times worse than the same size second-degree burn.

Signs of pain in reptiles include abnormal behavior, less movement, hunching, guarding sore areas, loss of appetite, and squinting.

Reptiles have a superpower: an incredible capacity for self-healing. 

Maybe it’s because of their thick, scaly exteriors, or the fact that they can shed their outer layer and regenerate new, healthy skin underneath. No matter the reason, it helps significantly in their healing process.

First-degree burns, as long as they’re relatively small and manageable, can be treated at home. More severe burns should receive prompt veterinary attention.

The burns show up slowly, and they heal slowly, so keep treating them, and don’t give up. Here’s how you can treat first-degree burns at home:

• Immediately run cold water over the injury or apply a cold compress for 15-20 minutes. Do NOT use ice, as it can cause frostbite and tissue damage.
• Do NOT intentionally break blisters, as this eliminates the body’s natural defense against infection. 
• Gently clean the wound with antibacterial soap and remove any potential contaminants.
• Apply a topical reptile skin treatment to soothe the damaged skin and speed up the healing.
• Cover the burn wound with a non-stick, waterproof bandage to avoid infection.
• Repeat until healed.
• OPTIONAL: Move them to a temporary glass enclosure, free from natural terrain and substrate (bedding). This sterilized, easy-to-clean environment will reduce infections while the burn heals. 

If it’s not getting better or seems to be getting worse, or if your pet develops other problems, call your veterinarian. Second and third-degree burns require veterinary care. 

How can you prevent a burn when heat lamps and other accessories are necessary for a proper reptilian environment?

Here are a few easy ways:

• Distance between the heat source and the snake – Heat lamps should be outside the enclosure. 
• Proper reptile heating bulbs – Use bulbs with the proper wattage and keep them at the right distance from your pet. Other heat sources - under-tank heating pads and hot rocks are available, but not ideal. Hot rocks are extremely dangerous and account for most reptile burns. Under-tank heating pads may be good for reptiles that don’t climb. However, there must be a barrier between the pad and the bottom of the cage.