Rescued Kingsnake advice

[ellie mae]

I live in SoCal and my friend found a mid-sized kingsnake basking in the road. It had what looked like a bite or puncture wound, and it didn't move for 10 minutes until I got there. I first thought it was dead because it was so sluggish, but it did liven up when I picked it up. I cleaned and dressed the wound (saline, betadine and neosporin) and have kept it warm in a terrarium for 3 days. The wound appears to be healing well. My question is, should I release it now even though it has awoken from its brumation or keep it until March when I read they would normally emerge? Can it go back into brumation at this point? I plan to give it a mouse tomorrow regardless of whether I turn it loose or keep it for a while. Any advice welcome, first time snake keeper!

[Minkness]

Not sire about your weather, but ours is all iver the place, so if it her me, I'd habg into for a while. Just don't contaminate it if uou have ither reptiles. Treat it like it's got the plauge and vice versa. Rwason is, is that captive animals actually carry bacteria and diseases that wilds might not be able to handle. So just be mindful. Also, if it's wild, it may not take a mouse. Try it, but don't be surlrised if he doesn't eat. You'd be better off feeding it a lizard like an anole or something.

Good luck!

[regi375]

A few days after he's completely healed I'd turn him loose, as long as you have decent weather. Also take Minkess' advice about treating him as if he had the plague if you have other reptiles. Since he's wild caught, he might not take a dead mouse. A live mouse or small lizard he might take. If he doesn't eat though, that's fine. The stress of being in captivity will probably affect his eating. Not sure if you should feed him until he's completely healed though... But hey, it's your call. And good luck :)

[ellie mae]

Oh, thanks for the warning about the handling, I do have a 50 lb. Sulcata tortoise... Am just still on the fence if it is in his best interest to stay with me for another month or so until the kings normally emerge from brumation or turn him loose in a few days and let him make his own decisions. There is a theory that with all the rains we had he got washed out of his burrow, was found in a section of the road that had been washed away....

[TRD]

Just let him stay until temps rise again. Just keep him solitary and don't disturb him. Do not keep him on heat as that will start his metabolism and if he doesn't take food since he's been WC and may be stressed out, he will only turn hungry as a result. You can try and feed, and if he takes it, offer some better temps... if he refuses keep him cooler so he doesn't turn hungry.

However, healing snakes do need heat to heal, so, it's a bit tricky there. A body low on metabolism is a body not able to fend for itself properly.

Tough call here :p

[ellie mae]

Well, the problem is I have him on heat, as was told that it would help him heal, so now am concerned about taking him off heat, whether in captivity or in nature. Been warm during days here but obviously winter isn't over yet. The reptile store advised releasing him soon and that they can easily go in and out of brumation, which is what I didn't know, so am inclined to do that unless I hear a more authoritave reason not to. Thanks for the help.

[Andy_G]

If you're going to release him or turn off the heat, make sure you're doing so when he has an empty stomach.

[ellie mae]

Why would you recommend not feeding him if I plan to release him? I did catch a lizard for him but so far he's not interested. His wound looks to be closing and I'm hopeful that it will be closed in a few more days or a week, as soon as is I will release him.

[Andy_G]

I didn't recommend that. All I mean is that the snake will be fine at lower temps on an empty stomach and the complications happen when temps drop with something in their digestive system.

[ellie mae]

I think I will let him loose today. The wound is closing, but it looks like it will be some time before it's completely closed. I had a lizard in with him for 3 days but he was not interested. He's not very active (depressed in captivity?) so I'm not sure I'm doing him any good by keeping him. It's been 8 days, and its warm today but rain coming in Monday. Think I'm doing the right thing? Thanks for your responses.

[Andy_G]

Snakes don't have emotion like that so it won't be depressed. It may certainly be unsettled and probably wouldn't acclimate that quickly. Perhaps try a young live rodent that won't harm it such as a fuzzie mouse since the rodent didn't work, and don't worry if that doesn't do the trick either.

[ellie mae]

I made the decision to turn him loose. I didn't take him back to where I got him (about a mile away) but instead let him loose in a big lizard inhabited wood pile on my property, close to my chicken coop with many many mice and rats. Hope I made the right decision, it seemed like a better/safer environment than his original. Plus I hope to see him/her again!