Lawn mower vs. Snake help!

[Akuma223]

I found a garter snake a short while ago and need instructions on how to help him. Should I remove the dead skin that hangs off of him? I assume water is fine for gently cleaning the wounds? What medication can I buy to help ward of infection? It appears there are fly eggs on him, should I let them hatch and let the maggots clean the dead flesh? Any advice will help please!

[desipooh.12]

Horrid :suspicious: :hmm:

[Akuma223]

Yeah, I really really want to do something now but don't want to do it wrong. I know a few people here have done similar things in the past and want their advice.

[wrecker45]

Call a reptile vet. They will tell you how to treat it. We have one in Parry Sound that takes wild injured reptiles and treats them.

[formica]

I think the best thing you can do is put him out of his pain to be honest, thats a pretty serious trauma wound he has, I can see large area of muscle tissue has been destroyed, he is only going to go down hill from this point, the kindest thing you can do for him is euthanasia - in the freezer perhaps, his metabolism will slow and send him into hibernation, nature will do the rest as his body cools

[Akuma223]

I think the best thing you can do is put him out of his pain to be honest, thats a pretty serious trauma wound he has, I can see large area of muscle tissue has been destroyed, he is only going to go down hill from this point, the kindest thing you can do for him is euthanasia - in the freezer perhaps, his metabolism will slow and send him into hibernation, nature will do the rest as his body cools

I'll consider euthanasia once I get more input.

[smy_749]

Smash him on the head with a rock. Lights out, painless, and he won't have to live a miserable life with those injuries. THey look pretty horrendous.

[formica]

Smash him on the head with a rock. Lights out, painless, and he won't have to live a miserable life with those injuries. THey look pretty horrendous.

yes this would be the quickest way - be aware that his body will probably writhe/wriggle/twitch after doing this, this is just nerves firing along his spinal chord, it is not a reaction to pain, the snake will have no awareness once the brain is destroyed

[Mikoh4792]

I would take it out of it's misery. smash it's head against something for a quick painless death...

[Akuma223]

The person who ran him over didn't even care that she did. I hate people so much. I'm not sure I can crush him with a rock he is just a baby:no:

[Starbuck]

If no vet will treat him, they may euthanize him for you. If you want to.try, I would use tepid water (dilute betadine solution would be best) to flush the wounds. I would not recommend leaving the fly eggs- maggot therapy only works like that in a 'clean' wound where necrotic tissue is only due to the wound itself, not bacteria. Tbh, the fact that there are fly eggs is a poor indicator. Otherwise, minimal contact and disturbance, and follow other garter snake threads advice for feeding. I'm on my phone so can't see the pictures very well, can't tw ll how bad it is.

[StudentoReptile]

As others said, do NOT put in the freezer. This is actually inhumane for a reptile because of their physiology. As crude as it sounds, total brain destruction is really the humane way [unless you take him to a vet to for lethal injection = $$].

My suggestion is to lay him out on concrete and drop a cinder block on the head. Walk away and come back later to clean up once you have composed yourself and your nerves.

[Akuma223]

Cinder blocks a good idea, I just wish I could do more. This is heart breaking.

[Mikoh4792]

Cinder blocks a good idea, I just wish I could do more. This is heart breaking.

It happens, the sooner you end him the less he suffers. You need to put emotions aside for now.

[wrecker45]

Hold him on the cinder block. Hit him on the head with a hammer. I had to do that to a water snake that got run over by a car.

[Terranaut]

I also agree. I would use a hammer and smash it's head hard. It could be messy but IMHO the snake will be better off. Kudos for trying to save it but I think it's a lost cause :(

[drumcrush]

Black Rat Snake Rescue (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/garter-snake-lounge/12757-black-rat-snake-rescue.html). I think can save it, I saw something like this on the Thamnophis site. But it wasn't a mower in this case

[Derek Roddy]

Don't kill the damn snake. I've seen and nursed back to perfect health... snakes that were way off than the one you posted.
If it is tongue flicking and it's moving fairly normal....it will be just fine. Just clean wound with Peroxide and use some medical tape to keep the wounds clean and release him in a week. It will be fine.

I took a 6 foot black rat snake in one time that had been hit by a car and was split down the side about 10 inches and it's intestines were hanging out. I Gently push is innards back in and cleaned thoroughly...taped it up and he was fine in a matter of 7 weeks.

Cheers,
'D

[infernalis]

I know it's hard. Been there myself.

If you have the ability, a gunshot to the head would end it quickly.

I have a friend who does it for me.

[drumcrush]

Don't kill the damn snake. I've seen and nursed back to perfect health... snakes that were way off than the one you posted.
If it is tongue flicking and it's moving fairly normal....it will be just fine. Just clean wound with Peroxide and use some medical tape to keep the wounds clean and release him in a week. It will be fine.

I took a 6 foot black rat snake in one time that had been hit by a car and was split down the side about 10 inches and it's intestines were hanging out. I Gently push is innards back in and cleaned thoroughly...taped it up and he was fine in a matter of 7 weeks.

Cheers,
'D
I agree 100% it still has a chance of life. If it isn't dead yet, then I believe it can still make it.

[Terranaut]

I agree 100% it still has a chance of life. If it isn't dead yet, then I believe it can still make it.

I would agree if it didn't have fly eggs on it. Dead flesh still attached.....the risk of blood infection is very high. The suffering must be horrible. Poor thing.

[ErikBush97]

I think suffering for a few weeks while the snake recovers is better than just killing it. People suffer when they're injured but we don't just automatically think to give them a lethal injection. For some reason that's always peoples first answer when it comes to injured animals. You have two choices, you just have to pick which one you want to go with.

[Mikoh4792]

I think suffering for a few weeks while the snake recovers is better than just killing it. People suffer when they're injured but we don't just automatically think to give them a lethal injection. For some reason that's always peoples first answer when it comes to injured animals. You have two choices, you just have to pick which one you want to go with.

But it depends on the extent of the injury. Terranaut makes a good point about the maggots.

[ErikBush97]

But it depends on the extent of the injury. Terranaut makes a good point about the maggots.

Yes, this animal is injured very badly but I think that with proper care, it could be saved.
I don't see any maggots. I, personally would try to save it. OP: Your decision is your decision. Do whatever you feel is right.

[formica]

I think suffering for a few weeks while the snake recovers is better than just killing it. People suffer when they're injured but we don't just automatically think to give them a lethal injection. For some reason that's always peoples first answer when it comes to injured animals. You have two choices, you just have to pick which one you want to go with.


I hope he can recover, experience tells me its unlikley, but I hope I am wrong


as for people suffering - i am a proponent of personal choice when it comes to euthanasia, but i doubt we'l be allowed to go into that on this forum! ;) and probly a good thing to, its a highly emotive subject

[Terranaut]

I just hope both points of view can respect the op's decision without any drama. Do as you see fit. Our opinions are based from afar and not from being there first hand.
Either way it is gong to be tough so good luck.

[smy_749]

Reptiles do a good job of surviving crazy injuries. Whether the snake could survive or not, none can say for certain. But the reason that I personally said to kill it, was that based on the pics, I'm convinced the little guy is suffering greatly, and not convinced that he will live without issues if he does survive.

[Akuma223]

He is flipped over kinda weird now, tongue flickering but it seems theres nerve damage :/ I will have to end him sometime soon I think....

[RandyRhoads]

End him. Not ending him is cruel from my perspective. Even if he recovers (unlikely) he will be at a disadvantage and probably picked off by a predator. Unless you are going to spend a ton on antibiotics and other meds to prolong his suffering, well you are just prolonging his suffering.

Maybe a miracle happened and someone did save a rat snake hit by a car. But after total evisceration and no mention of antibiotics I'm pretty skeptical of it actually living even if it appeared better.

[marvelfreak]

End him. Not ending him is cruel from my perspective. Even if he recovers (unlikely) he will be at a disadvantage and probably picked off by a predator. Unless you are going to spend a ton on antibiotics and other meds to prolong his suffering, well you are just prolonging his suffering.

Maybe a miracle happened and someone did save a rat snake hit by a car. But after total evisceration and no mention of antibiotics I'm pretty skeptical of it actually living even if it appeared better.
My thought to i agree 100%.

[Terranaut]

Yup. I concur. Sorry :(

[Akuma223]

He has died on his own, he went down-hill fast :( I wish I could have helped...

[guidofatherof5]

Sorry to hear that but considering the injuries it was for the best. That's for being concerned.

[StudentoReptile]

At least you showed more concern for it than those two jackasses in Louisiana who made that ratsnake look like hellraiser.

[alessia55]

At least you cared... thanks for trying.

[guidofatherof5]

Sorry to hear that but considering the injuries it was for the best. That's for being concerned.

Let's try that again,

Thanks for being concerned.

[Terranaut]

Yeah, I wasn't about to start an argument over it but I didn't think it had a chance considering the dead flesh.

[sharthun]

A for effort!

[drumcrush]

Trying is better than not trying at all. Decision to end the life of a helpless animal sucks:/

[Derek Roddy]

Maybe a miracle happened and someone did save a rat snake hit by a car. But after total evisceration and no mention of antibiotics I'm pretty skeptical of it actually living even if it appeared better.

Not a miracle at all. Most snakes "trauma stress" is very high and, I've nursed many snakes in worse off shape than the one posted above plenty of times.

In fact, the one Black Rat I mentioned lived on our property for years to come afterward. Saw him every season.
Only thing used on any of these snakes was neo.

Now, that doesn't mean that the person caring for this animal had the experience necessary to nurse this one back to health. Obviously he didn't...and that's OK.
At least, they asked questions and whatnot but, for next time....you should get right to work on the animal and use your best judgment.
And of course, take note of his actual condition. Does he tongue flick, does he move normally, etc?....if all that is in check (despite what the wounds look like) they will do just fine under the right conditions.

Cheers,
D

[Derek Roddy]

Case in point.

Here are some pictures of a "surgery" a friend and I had to perform on a hatchling BHP.

It was born with what is commonly called "hard belly" in which the egg yolk hardens inside the gut of the animal, making it impossible to digest food. They die with 100% certainty.

I didn't catch it until almost 2 weeks after he had hatched and, his "belly button" (umbilicus opening) had already closed almost completely.
We had to cut this animals umbilicus open about 2 inches and, using a probe and tweezers....pulled this mass out of the gut of this animal. He didn't even flinch though the entire ordeal. I mean no stress whatsoever as we dug this mass out of his gut.
Incredible.

He's doing just fine and is going to stay here with me. Eating and defecating just fine.

Here's the pictures.
The first is the mass
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/derekroddy/HD%20BHPs/IMG_0883.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/derekroddy/media/HD%20BHPs/IMG_0883.jpg.html)
the second is the mass (above) and the remaining undigested yolk (bottom) that fell out of his gut after we got that yolk plug out. gross! Haha.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/derekroddy/HD%20BHPs/IMG_0999.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/derekroddy/media/HD%20BHPs/IMG_0999.jpg.html)
The last is the snake and the mass....you can see the cut we made (far right) to get the mass out.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/derekroddy/HD%20BHPs/IMG_0884.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/derekroddy/media/HD%20BHPs/IMG_0884.jpg.html)

We used neo and medical tape to get him back together and has been fine ever since.

Just a little patience and loving care will take care of anything.... As long as the spine is ok.

D