Symptoms
- Scaleless or even bloody areas on snout/top of head
Cause
The first thing you need to do is ask yourself: “Why is my snake trying to escape?” The most common reason for rubbing is that the enclosure is too small or doesn’t have enough hides or enrichment to make the snake happy in its environment. If that’s not the case, check your temps and humidity in case your boa is trying to escape an uncomfortable situation. If that seems normal as well, and your boa is male, it could simply be due to breeding season-related restlessness.
Treatment
Treat the wounds with silver sulfadiazine cream or a triple antibiotic like Neosporin to prevent infection and promote healing.
If you’re using a glass or clear enclosure, cover three sides of it so the only side you can see in through is the front. This may be inconvenient, but it helps the snake feel more secure and may resolve the issue.
If the screen on top of the enclosure seems to be the problem, you may wish to switch your snake to a screenless enclosure. While this may help, keep in mind that if the boa continues rubbing behavior, removing screen only prevents further damage — it doesn’t solve the root problem.