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Dermatitis is a broad term that just means a "skin infection or irritation" It can be caused by many different things but usually is bacterial. It can also be caused by thermal burns. A topical antibiotic ointment applied daily and keeping the animal on a very clean substrate such as newspaper or even a plastic tote with no substrate for a while will usually clear it up. You won't usually see any marked improvment until the next shed...but since the skin is irritated, he will go into an immediate shed cycle anyway so the wait is short for that. IF there is oozing puss coming out of the wounds, the infection could require some injected antibiotic. Baytril given at 10mg/kg for the first dose followed every 48 hours for 4 more doses at half the original dose (5mg/kg) has a fairly high success rate at clearing it up. If the infection is severe and left untreated with antibiotics, it can turn into septicimia and wipe out pretty much any or all of the major organs and kill the snake. If it's a mild infection, often it will clear it's self up at the next shed but still a good idea to rub a little neosporin..or other antibiotic creams. The best is silvadine if you happen to have any. It requires a Rx though so it's not something you can just go pick up. Good Luck.
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