Might have hurt my cornie

[Adem2660]

Hi y'all.

I was playing with one of my cornies and he was just exploring my room while I was sitting right next to him.

I thought he was crawling into my closet (it was slightly open) and I thought no big deal of it. When he was almost all the way in (he's 130 cm), I thought it had to stop. So I opened the closet and quickly noticed he wasn't entering the closet at all! I then saw a small hole leading behind the closet so I tried to pull him out! He was very strong and I didn't want to cause any damage to him - but I had to get him out so I kind of pulled very hard. I think he was hurt and also very scared 'cause he kept trying to get inside it.

I managed to pull him out a few centimeter every 30 seconds or so, but I just can't help but feel he was hurt doing so.

Finally he became all loose and he actually fell out of the hole.

I then grabbed him but he was quickly trying to escape under my bed. I caught him and put him back into his terrarium (tank).

I didn't see any blood or anything ... but how can I make sure he wasn't hurt?

Also, will he remember this? As in, has he lost his trust in me?

[JellyBean]

Your poor baby! I'm so sorry.
Hopefully someone will have some advise for you.

[chairman]

I had something similar happen with my first cornsnake when I was a kid. I had a habit of wearing my snake and one day, while I was reading with her, she starting crawling into a wall where it met the carpet. I gently removed her, a cm at a time, until she was out. She didn't suffer any ill effects.

The key to these situations is 1)don't let them happen and 2)remain calm. Gentle pressure is key. Snakes have very flexible bodies that expand and contract well but you don't want to test their limits.

I'd monitor the snake for bleeding and watch for swelling. If you see any then take the snake to a vet for xrays. I'd also skip the next feeding or two just in case. A snake with internal injuries may hurt itself by trying to constrict or eat when it shouldn't.

[RAD House]

Does he seem swollen or is he having trouble moving? As long as you weren't yanking on him or pulling too hard, in all likelihood he will be alright.

[macandchz]

i'm real sorry this happened. hope everything is ok.

[Adem2660]

He seems alright now.

He doesn't look hurt or anything and he's still pretty active. I guess we were lucky this time :)

[JellyBean]

So happy to hear, thanks for the update!

[Tsubaki]

Glad he seems alright!