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Help! He's stuck !

S

san

New member
Help ! My son's corn snake has gotten himself jammed in the hole in his snake log ! He is definately having a tough time trying to extract himself. I would break the log ... but I don't think I can without hurting him! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I'm really Worried! Please help! :(
 
how did he get in?

If he went forward in the first place, can you gently pull him back out? grasping close to where he is stuck? If the snake doesn't look too worried, he may not actually be very stuck.
 
getting stuck

snakes will often appear to get stuck...one of mine does all the time. sometimes I think he is just stupid. but he always seems to get himself free. Their bodies are very flexible and they seem to manage.

I hope everything comes out ok.
 
I had a kingsnake once that stuck his head in a knot hole in a tree that I was standing next to and tried to circle back out. That was an interesting time getting him out, but he was ok afterwards. Don't know if you have any experienced herp people at your local pet shop like I do, but that might be worth a shot to see if they can help free him.
 
Thank you

To all who replied,

Thank you so very much for your suggestions as to how to extract Oaky from his/her log (San says she's a "he"... I think she's a she!) Anyway.... here's what happened in case anyone ever finds themselves in a similiar situation.

Oaky was most definitely STUCK! She was crammed in the "out" hole of her snake log... apparently that last "two mouse dinner" beefed he up just enough... She was actually trashing her habitat trying to free herself! She was pretty pathetic looking... suck half in and half out... (she's about 4 1/2 feet long) somewhat swollen just above and just below the "hole trap". I called every 24 hour clinic in the tristate area. No one had a vet on hand that would/could handle snakes.

I ded end up using vegetable oil.... but carefully and sparingly, as the one clinician I did speak with said that you had to be careful about accidenly getting oil around her head area. (had to keep our eyes open for "mouth breathing" to indicate a possible breathing problem).

The Clinician advise to cut her out, if at all possible with a pair of needle nose pliers. Said that she could do some real damage to her insides if she continued to thrash around for much longer (approximately 45 minutes to an hour by this time!)

Since it appeared that Oaky was really stuck and wouldn't be able to extricate her own self, we tried to assist her by suspending the log, thus adding the aid of gravity. We tried to coax her by hanging the less swollen area down... she would have had to wiggle out backwards... that's why we applied gravity. After some more gentle stroking and coaxing, he determinged that she was really, really jammed up in there! No need to pull any harder... we were afraid of hurting her any more than she might have already been.

Woke hubby up at approximately 3am and between he, me and the gardening shears, we chipped Oaky free. She had lost quite a few scales... but the good news was that there was no blood clotting or pooling in the affected area (something we were told to watch for). And the swelling began subsiding as soon as we had cut her free.

We gave her (body only) a distilled water bath in our "speghetti pot" and patted her dry with clean bath towels therefore removing as much of the excess oil as possible.

Next we cleaned her home thoroughly> by replacing her rug and romoving anything that may have had oil dripped on it. We unplugged the heating rock (I know, I know) just incase and turned the heat light on for what was left of the night hours.

(that was Sunday night... the heating rock is still off....any suggestions as to when we should turn it back on again?)

We are keeping a close eye on her, she seems active enough, though not as active as she would normally be for "almost feeding time". Will keep you posted.

Well, thank you again. It was very kind of you all to respond so quickly. Oaky is such a sweet little snake, I would have hated to lose her... especially in this way!

Signed,
San's Mom
 
My goodness! I think I'll always make sure the holes in hides are at least 2x as wide as the snake. You convinced me! I'm glad Oaky is ok. Do snakes regrow scales does anyone know?
 
Pleased to hear Oakey is allright, maybe she is a bit stressed from it all, that's possibly why she is quiet or maybe a bit sore. At least you managed to get her out. Just keep a close eye on her to make sure everything is ok.
 
I read on a forum just yesterday...

that snakes regrow scales underneath the skin they have now. So each shed from now on, the scales should look better and better. 2-3 sheds (I think) should do it and she'll be back to normal. I'm sure this is what I read but if it's not accurate feel free to correct me. Not an expert!
 
First I wouldn't turn your heat rock back on again. They are too hot for snakes. Especially Cornsnakes. Heat rocks are for Rhyno Iguana's. things that like it 130 degree's.

Unless your house is like 65 degree's don't bother with heating a corn snake. As long as your house is about 75-80 degree's he's perfect.

She'll probably do a forced shed here soon with her losing so many scales. Basically it's no big deal. Even though she's not ready to shed she strips off that first layer to try and begin re[pairing the damage caused by the snake log.

also what in the world in a snake log?
 
What is a snake log ???

Hello everyone,

Will sign this msg board over to my son, San, after this reply. He is Oaky's basic caregiver (tho we all are very fond of Oaky.)

Just a quick reply to the "snake log" question. A snake log is a plastic replica of an actual tree branch. We have drift wood too... but up until last Sunday... Oaky just LOVED sleeping under it and weaving her way in and around the various hole in it. Now... she is content to sleep under one of San's t-shirts.

Also, Oaky seems to love to sleep on the heat rock... this particular one does not heat to 130 degrees.... the fella's at the pet shop are really really into snakes.... very informative. They have owned them all of their lives. They recommended this one and only this one. I will ask San to dig out the box (we kept it) to re-check the temperature setting. I do know that i can pick it up and hold it in my hand without any discomfort at all. San is aware that the nerve endings on the snake's belly are not very sensitive and there is a danger of the snake lying there and burning their undersides (to the extent that they end up dying from the burn) without even realizing it!

But... rest assured... we will double check the box and rethink the matter for Oaky's sake.

It does get very cool in our house... especially during the winter months.... sometimes the thermostat upstairs reads 60 to 62 degrees... downstairs it gets much cooler. This is why we have the snake heating rock.

Thanks again everyone. For everything.

San's Mom
 
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