I dropped my retic and he landed pretty hard, should I be concerned

[KyleKennedy]

I was outside with my retic and all of the sudden he fell off my shoulders and landed on the concrete driveway. He layed there momentarily stunned, but I quickly picked him up and brought him back to his enclosure. Should I be concerned? He fell about 6 feet and I heard a big thud when he landed. I am very pissed at myself for letting this happen. It was an accident, but I should have been more cautious. Kicking myself hard for this. This happened earlier today, so it may still be early to tell if any damage was done. But I would like to know if this has happened to anyone else, and if so was there any bad consequences from it?

P.S. he landed on his back. I'm starting to worry big time.

[jjhill001]

Should be fine. Don't let it happen again.

[millertime89]

He should be ok, just keep a close eye on him for a few days. You can always take him to the very for an xray. He probably has a few broken ribs but that's not that uncommon with snakes anyways.

[Albert Clark]

Wow, 6 ft. is a long way down! It would be different if he landed on dirt or leaves you know what I mean? Concrete is very unforgiving. I would palpate his whole body to see if I can feel any deformities. Definitely look and feel for any bruising or swellings. Watch his behavior bc you said he laid there stunned after the fall. That makes me think he may have suffered a concussion or loss of consciousness! For your own peace of mind and his well being consider a vet visit. Stay in peace and not pieces. Good luck.

[KyleKennedy]

@millertime89 - If he does have a couple broken ribs (god forbid) is a vet visit really important or will he eventually heal on his own?

[Albert Clark]

Well, I would just say with the kinematics of injuries if there is something broken then there might be something else underneath the fracture. One is bleeding that could be slow from a vein or injury to other tissues and /or organs. We don't have xray vision to just suppose it is something but we can look at the animal and do a little basic physical exam and make a determination on how to treat it. Just keep a eye and a hand on him until you are sure. Hope he remains ok. :blink:

[metalcopper]

How big is the snake? The heavier the snake, the more likely it is to get injured in a fall.

[Aaron_S]

@millertime89 - If he does have a couple broken ribs (god forbid) is a vet visit really important or will he eventually heal on his own?

Snakes break ribs on a regular basis. It's not uncommon. However, how these broke may cause internal damage as mentioned. A vet visit wouldn't hurt.

[PatrickT]

Pne question...why did you carry this animal on your shoulders? Why even take it out of its enclosure? Its a snake. Snake aren´t cats. I avoid handling my reptiles whenever i can. They are for looking.

Keep an eye on it. I dont think he is seriously injured but you can never know.

[KyleKennedy]

@ metalcopper - Around 4 foot

@PatrickT - Why did I carry him on my shoulders? Because it's my pet and I try to interract with him whenever I can. I'm not going to neglect him and ignore him. Why did I take him out his enclosure? Because it was 80 degrees outside and I wanted him to get some fresh air and explore outside for a little bit. Yes, I know snakes aren't cats. But I never seen someone carry a cat on their shoulders.

[PatrickT]

@ metalcopper - Around 4 foot

@PatrickT - Why did I carry him on my shoulders? Because it's my pet and I try to interract with him whenever I can. I'm not going to neglect him and ignore him. Why did I take him out his enclosure? Because it was 80 degrees outside and I wanted him to get some fresh air and explore outside for a little bit. Yes, I know snakes aren't cats. But I never seen someone carry a cat on their shoulders.


Its not a pet, its a wild animal. Its a python. He will never bond with you in any way. He does not enjoy to be brought outside. Its stress.

[PatrickT]

Euros often also keep their snakes in naturalistic terrariums as opposed to shoe boxes.

yup. Its not common here to have a reptile in racks. The approach over here is unity and to build the natural habitat as close as possible.

[KyleKennedy]

@PatrickT - The difference between me and you is that I am not afraid of my pet snakes. You avoid holding him because you fear he can hurt you. I know my python can do damage to me, too. But I don't let that stop me from picking him up. I trust him not to do anything to me. That's what it all comes down to is trust. If you never interract with your snake, he will see you as a threat and yes he will probably strike at you. I interract with my python and he knows the difference between a rat and my hand. Never once had he bitten me out of fear. The only times I got bitten by a snake was during feeding time, and it was an accident. Believe it or not, snakes (especially reticulated pythons) are very curious and love to explore outdoors.

[MDT]

KK....two things....1) those of us who prefer a hands off approach aren't afraid of our snakes...we just see them for what they are...awesome amazing animals that prob shouldn't be draped over our shoulders.. Just a thought. All you're doing is increasing the odds that something will happen them (I dunno, like drop them on concrete?). And I also have retics. I do take them outside, but usually in a shoe box (wait...what??? A shoebox???)...actually sterilite😂....if I'm carrying them, I do it very carefully. Just sayin'....you dropped your snake dude.

And 2) yeah, we do keep snakes in shoeboxes (plastic ones anyway)...that is probably just semantics....

[PatrickT]

No, the difference is not "fear". It is responsibility. I have no problem with handling a 4m long yellow anaconda and know how to avoid to get bitten. Our hobby is under attack in germany. Evry single "event" is celebrated with bad publicity in the media. Animal right groups lobbying to ban reptile keeping completly. Several federal german laws already ban large pythons completly. You don´t have such a snake under control. It could strike bystanders, children or yourself. There is no trust, it simply acts by instinct.

Sorry but i have zero tolerance for such behavior and i see i as irresponsible.

That you dropped the snake on the concrete floor makes things worse.

[KyleKennedy]

Everyone handles their snakes in a different way. I have a 7 foot boa that is docile as a kitten. I can have her draped over my shoulders all day and she will not even make an attempt to constrict because she knows I am her owner. If I respect them, they respect me. I'm not an idiot. I know snakes can't be domesticated. But that doesn't mean I won't handle them. As for the retic goes, when I got him he had a bad attitude. Constantly striking whenever I walked past his cage, but since I have been handling him he has calmed down alot. I like showing my snakes off to people. I don't hide them. My neighbor has a 12 foot anaconda and he always has it in the yard. Even with kids around. We are not afraid. We are very cautious and know the risks. I dropped my retic, it was an accident. Accidents happen. Big deal. He is doing fine. And I'll probably let him out in the yard again, but I will be more careful next time.

[PatrickT]

You carried a python on your shoulder and dropped it on concrete. The amount of fail is breathtaking. i dont even know how one would drop a python, since they usually get a hold somehow.

Sorry but you failed in a way...i dont even know how to replicate that even if i wanted.

[prairiepanda]

For your retic, I really think you should see a vet. If you wait until bad signs appear, it could be too late. He might be perfectly fine, but if he's not he could be in danger and you might not see any changes until it becomes critical.

[KyleKennedy]

Having my snake in cold weather? Do you even know what part of Indiana I live in? It sure as hell isn't Indianapolis. 80 degrees on the day I took him out. It's not like I took him out in the dead of winter.

[Aaron_S]

I told you guys to quit it.

This is why we can't have nice things.

[Aaron_S]

Alright, I've reinstated this thread and the topic is fine in of itself. I took out all the cultural discussion so if your post got deleted that's why. It simply causes too much of a stir to leave any of it.

Message me if you have an issue.

[lady_bug87]

Every party has a pooper....

[Aaron_S]

Every party has a pooper....

Tread lightly. One person was banned already.

[lady_bug87]

Only the lightest for you ♡

[RAD House]

I did not realize pet snakes were viewed so differently in Europe. I wonder if that has any effect on the popularity of such pets. I for one am not much for display pet, and probably would not have gotten into the hobby if I could not interact with them.
EDIT*
Sorry Aaron I just saw your post, feel free to delete this post. My mistake even though it is an interesting topic, but I can see where it is a sensitive subject.

[jjhill001]

I did not realize pet snakes were viewed so differently in Europe. I wonder if that has any effect on the popularity of such pets. I for one am not much for display pet, and probably would not have gotten into the hobby if I could not interact with them.
EDIT*
Sorry Aaron I just saw your post, feel free to delete this post. My mistake even though it is an interesting topic, but I can see where it is a sensitive subject.

The difference in American to European style reptile care is an interesting subject. I'm sure the "cultural" aspects of the discussion Aaron was talking about not wanting to see are not reptile related.

The biggest difference as far as I can tell just judging by a few books is that in Europe they design habitats for reptiles to mimic nature and offer as much space as possible. Whereas American style is in a tub with paper towel substrate two hides and a water bowl.

There is no right way, just different philosophies.

My personal opinion is to find a middle ground. If you have a crap load of reptiles it can be quite difficult to maintain say 20-25 large naturalistic vivariums. But for me if you've got one or two snakes and then set up the tanks in the living room with paper towels then you are really just creating an eye sore and missing out on one of the more fun aspects of reptile husbandry.

[lady_bug87]

I have a combination of both bins and large enclosures. To be honest, once set up they take the same amount of work

[jjhill001]

I have a combination of both bins and large enclosures. To be honest, once set up they take the same amount of work

I guess. But a naturalistic set up can be as complicated as you want it to be too which can effect cleaning times and such.

[sophiedufort]

@ metalcopper - Around 4 foot

@PatrickT - Why did I carry him on my shoulders? Because it's my pet and I try to interract with him whenever I can. I'm not going to neglect him and ignore him. Why did I take him out his enclosure? Because it was 80 degrees outside and I wanted him to get some fresh air and explore outside for a little bit. Yes, I know snakes aren't cats. But I never seen someone carry a cat on their shoulders.

I fully agree with you, Patrick. I handle my snakes constantly. They love the attention, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I coped many comments from forum members, all outraged that I take my snakes out of their enclosure and supposedly cause them stress, because they are anti-social.
I don't pretend to be able to read a snake's mind, but I know from experience that when a snake is unhappy with what I do, it will frantically try to move away from me, it will become agitated and potentially aggressive. That's not what my snakes do when I remove them from the enclosure. They seek my presence and that of my husband, they actually climb on us and wrap themselves around our necks without us doing anything. We too, take them outside, and they don't bite our ears off because of it. They are curious and inquisitive, remain calm and display all signs that they are fine with the little excursion. All I read in this forum is that we shouldn't handle our snakes, we shouldn't take them out of their controlled environment, we shouldn't do a million things, as they are, in most people's opinion, more fragile than eggs and will break if we even dare to breathe too hard around them.
Don't feel bad about your snake falling. It is unfortunate, true, but it was an accident, and I am certain that you didn't mean it to happen.
I really hope that your snake is doing well. I am yet to read to the end of this thread to see the updates, if any.
Cheers.

[Shann]

I would never say a snake loves the attention. Tolerates it, perhaps. Maybe I'd go as far as saying it doesn't object to the opportunity to stretch out and get some fresh air, but that's about as far as I would push it.

That being said, I do handle my reptiles. Not frequently, but it always surprises me when people are so opposed to it. I would agree that many people overdo it, but I see no issue with responsibly handling them. It's why I keep reptiles and not fish. I enjoy interacting with them, but I don't do it nearly as often as I would with most pets (say my ferrets for example, which get hours of attention and do in fact love every minute of it). But occasionally.

[Aaron_S]

This conversation has already been done. We will not be reopening it at this time. So let's stay away from the whole affection thing.