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Some problems...

CodeRed

CodeRed

Critter Creeper
So, yesterday I woke up to a nearly dead snake. I'd re-arranged the tank with some fake plants I got from my dads, and I guess one had some electrical tape that I missed, and my amel, Aris, got caught up in it. I don't know when he got stuck, but I found him at about nine-ish. He was flipped upside down and I thought he was dead at first. The tape had gotten stuck around his middle, neck, and on his head. It took an hour to finally peel off the tape, and some of the skin around his neck got torn enough that you could see the muscle underneath. The tape bound him mouth together, with only a tiny bit of space for his tongue to flicker out. It was also on his eyes, which worries me because his eyes have been a little bit weird looking since.
Anyways, now that the badly written background info is up, I have to ask what I should do for feeding (I wasn't sure where the heck to place this thread, but it's got a mix of everything, so I placed it here). He was supposed to get fed yesterday, but the obvious stress and injuries from the tape made me reconsider, and I'm wondering when I should feed him. Next week (starting on the 3rd) I'm going on vacation for spring break, so I can't feed him then... should I feed him this Friday, allowing him some time to heal up and get over the stress, or should I wait until I get back (April 10th)? Would he be okay going for two weeks without eating?
Any help would be appreciated. I'm at a loss here.
 
I'm so sorry that happened to you. I'll leave the feeding advice to those more expert, but I'm sure it must have been horrible finding your snake like that and dealing with the consequences.
 
The injury where you mention being able to see muscle is a bit concerning, and i would probably be taking my snake to the vet.

But to answer your question about feeding...yes, he can easily go two weeks without eating.
 
Unfortunately, there are NO vets near me that will look at snakes. We looked for one yesterday, but came up with squat. There's a pet store near me with a fairly knowledgeable ball python breeder, but he wasn't in. We just had to hope and wait.
I'm glad he'll be okay for a bit, as I don't want to risk him re-opening the wound when he eats.
And yes, it was pretty hard. I was shaking so bad that I nearly dropped the screen cover. Thankfully, the minute I touched him he tried to constrict me, so I knew he wasn't gone yet. The boy put up a heck of a fight, but he never bit me. I bet he tried to while his head was still covered, but by the time we got that off he had no fight left. It was pretty heartbreaking.
 
try putting neosporin (nonmedicated) on the part without scales everday till you leave to help with healing and its fine for him to go without food for 2 weeks if your concerned about opening wounds.
 
I'm sorry this happened :(.

As soon as you found him stuck in tape you probably should have tried to reach out to us before attempting to remove the tape yourself. There are methods we could have given you to take it off a lot easier than just pulling on it.

I don't recall the methods myself (was it baby oil??), but the experts on here could have helped out.

As for feeding, yes you should probably wait awhile. You don't want to stress that tear in his skin any more than necessary. Apply non-medicated neosporin, keep him on paper towels for awhile, and make sure there is always fresh water present.
 
Along with doing what everyone is saying, try feeding him something small if you can, that way he doesn't have to stretch his body much to swallow it.
 
Right, and just to clarify, the 'non-medicated' is the neosporin WITHOUT the painkiller. You do want antibiotic ointment, but not the painkiller. I'm not exactly sure why, but its been told to me by a few different very smart snake keepers. I dont know what the substrate is, but put him on paper towel. This way, you wont get crud in the wound. Change the paper towel often, so that the viv stays VERY clean. Also, a water dish that it wouldn't be able to soak in is probably a good idea for a little while...you need water available at all times for the snake, but you dont want it to keep the wounds damp. It will take a while longer than it takes us to heal, so just be patient. Also, I know you were searching for a herp vet, but sometimes if you just call around and ask vet clinics they sometimes will help you out even if they're not specially herp vets. I have to drive for an hour and a half to to get to mine but its worth it!
Good luck. I hope there are others who might have more advice.
Also, wait to feed and feed a smaller item like suggested above.
 
I am so sorry this happened! If it ever happens again, you can use vegatable oil or baby oil to disolve the glue and get your baby free.
 
After reading a few post definitely get some neosporin on that bad part and yes you should have did something to get tape off not just pulling I one time had to get a 4 foot kingsnake from a glue mouse trap.
 
starsevol said:
I am so sorry this happened! If it ever happens again, you can use vegatable oil or baby oil to disolve the glue and get your baby free.
Click to expand...

Yes, this does work. We lost a baby Nelson's milk snake who escaped from her viv and got stuck on the glue on a sticky mouse trap. :( That was the end of those... I hate the things anyway.

I hope your snake heals up... reptiles have amazing regenerative powers, so don't count him out yet!
 
Eww, mouse traps. :puke01:

I prefer the mobile, furry kind:

250px-Collage_of_Six_Cats-01.jpg
 
Hypancistrus said:
a sticky mouse trap. I hate the things anyway.

QUOTE]

Yeah...me too.we had thoes at work, but I found one stuck by its tongue but still alive...very grusome. I went around the building personally and replaced ALL the sticky traps with kill traps that day. At least that way they dont suffer first, and work is NOT going to stop trapping the mice.
Click to expand...
 
Try more time between handing them kibble. I try to only feed kibble once a day, and sometimes if I can bare it, I'd like to wait more than a day between feedings. It's not cruel, and they're still fat and sassy on mice and rats, lol. We have a couple older cats that get fed every day, but ideally I like the fresher, spry ones have to try to fend for themselves sometimes. Although, I'm a big pushover and when they're pouting near the cat food box sometimes :rolleyes:

It's quite the triumph when they come trotting up with a big rodent of some breed or another in their mouths. They're quite proud of themselves. My cat gave me his gopher the other day and I had to dangle it in front of him and tease him with it so he'd eat it instead of waiting for me to, lol.
 
To those telling me that I should have come on here first, yes, I agree, but his mouth was taped shut and I wasn't sure if he could breathe, so I panicked and thought that getting it off sooner would be better. I DID look up "tape trap" in the search, but the only thing I could find in the five minutes I looked was "warm water", which is what we used.
I rechecked my math (worst subject) and came up that it'll actually be closer to three weeks without eating...does this change anything? I was thinking a very small pinkie might be something I could give him on the Friday before I leave, just to give him a bit of energy until I get back.
Thanks for all of the help. I'll get some of the neosporin ASAP. We only have the kind with the pain meds, so we need to go get some.
 
CodeRed said:
To those telling me that I should have come on here first, yes, I agree, but his mouth was taped shut and I wasn't sure if he could breathe, so I panicked and thought that getting it off sooner would be better. I DID look up "tape trap" in the search, but the only thing I could find in the five minutes I looked was "warm water", which is what we used.
I rechecked my math (worst subject) and came up that it'll actually be closer to three weeks without eating...does this change anything? I was thinking a very small pinkie might be something I could give him on the Friday before I leave, just to give him a bit of energy until I get back.
Thanks for all of the help. I'll get some of the neosporin ASAP. We only have the kind with the pain meds, so we need to go get some.
Click to expand...

Do you have to change anything to put him on paper towel? The whole ordeal of changing him onto paper towel, putting something on his cuts, and such and such is kind of upsetting. I would still give it a few days to feed to give him time to calm down, but you know your snake best. It would probably be fine to feed the small pink you were talking about friday. Is the snake losing weight, or condition that you see? Unless its obviously losing weight then its still fine for a few days.
 
Whew, he's out and exploring right now, the first time since the incident. I think this a clear sign of recovery, no?
@Rosie. While he's not losing weight or anything that I can see, he's a very small snake, and I'd say he's grown less than an inch since I got him back in November. While yes, I know snakes grow differently, I don't like the thought of him going for too long without food, especially while his body is trying to heal itself. I'll see how he's doing in the next few days and then make a decision.
Once again, thanks for all of the help. It's been a stressful couple of days, for him and me both.
 
CodeRed said:
Whew, he's out and exploring right now, the first time since the incident. I think this a clear sign of recovery, no?
@Rosie. While he's not losing weight or anything that I can see, he's a very small snake, and I'd say he's grown less than an inch since I got him back in November. While yes, I know snakes grow differently, I don't like the thought of him going for too long without food, especially while his body is trying to heal itself. I'll see how he's doing in the next few days and then make a decision.
Once again, thanks for all of the help. It's been a stressful couple of days, for him and me both.
Click to expand...

Always good to see an animal acting normally! Your doing a great job. I hope your little one makes a full recovery.:cheers:
 
If it helps, at lease us noobs can learn from your sad misfortune. I was going to use tape to anchor down my thermometer probe and couldn't understand why not to. I was directed to your post and now I know!!! I hope your snake is thriving when you return from your spring break vacation.
 
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