Rescuing snakes..who's done it?

jaleely · 12-12-11, 04:05 AM

Just wanting to find a Good sample of people and their experiences
I'm finding it really rewarding. What ate some stand out experiences you've had.
underweight snakes
Blindness
Overweight snakes
Dehydrated
Eye issues
Etc. Fill me in!!!

ZARADOZIA · 12-12-11, 04:17 AM

I have rescued more wild ones than anything- and all from my cats (Bad babies!).

Miss Princess was the worst offender. The first snake she brought home was a baby rattler. There wasn't much left of him except the rattle. How she managed to NOT get bit or get sick from eating him is beyond me. A few years after that I was watching her play with something in the back yard at night. She kept bouncing on her hind legs and tossing something in the air with her front legs. I didn't have the slightest idea of what she was doing so I went to investigate. I reached down to take away what she had (I couldn't see it yet) and before I even knew it was a snake, it had bit me 4 times on the web of my hand. Thankfully it was a rat snake and harmless. I learned to take a flash light with me after that. There wasn't any visible damage to it so I just released it in the nature trail. She caught a lot of snakes but the rattler was the only one she actually hurt & killed. None of the others were ever damaged, I think she just enjoyed playing with them. She did the same thing to mice, caught them, played with them, released them into the house...wtf... The only things she caught, killed, & ate were squirrels and birds.

I rescued a garter that my husband's cat Spike brought in. He had to be rehab'ed because Spike had removed about 2x2 inches of skin from it and it was only 7 inches long (max). I bought 2 aquariums, heat mats, substrate, & fish. Fed it live fish daily until it shed twice and then we released it by the river behind our house.

Then my Sasha is a rescue, but I kept her.

red ink · 12-12-11, 04:21 AM

never done it... never will either sorry to say.

infernalis · 12-12-11, 05:15 AM

I seized my BP from a crack head....

I know a woman who does rescues, and it's heartbreaking.

People drop off animals near death, and many in need of urgent care, her bank accounts are constantly drained, and the only thing anyone ever wants to donate is sick, neglected or dying animals.

Norm66 · 12-12-11, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

I seized my BP from a crack head....

I know a woman who does rescues, and it's heartbreaking.

People drop off animals near death, and many in need of urgent care, her bank accounts are constantly drained, and the only thing anyone ever wants to donate is sick, neglected or dying animals.

This is all too true in any species rescue. My wife and I were involved in ferret rescue for a few years. At one point we had 11. It's very rewarding and heart-wrenching all at once. The trick is to stay involved only so long as you don't get burnt out or too calloused to the animals' plight.

The thing with rescuing snakes would be that they live so long. The oldest ferret we had was about 9 but most only made it 5-7 years while a lot of snakes live 20-30 years easily. Much more of a commitment IMO.

My friend who got me back into reptiles has a few rescues in her collection. Two BPs and her Burm Malakai (mentioned in a thread in the Giant Python section). We took in the 3rd BP and she's offered us Malakai, but we just don't have the room for such a big snake.

CDN_Blood · 12-12-11, 07:22 AM

I'd have to say the worst case I've dealt with was my Burmese Python. She was 9 feet long, was so weak from improper conditions that she couldn't even lift her head off the floor for more than about 5 seconds, she was so cold to the touch when I went to see her that she couldn't move on her own, she had lost an eye in a fight with a rabbit and had developed mouth rot from that same fight.

Apparently the rabbit was a pet, and since she wasn't being fed, she had broken out of her enclosure (which they would not let me see), tracked down the rabbit and attacked it. The owner head to commotion and he and his wife fought the snake for the rabbit, uncoiling her from it and ripping it from her mouth, which caused extensive tearing.

Her left eye was a lost cause - it was lost in the struggle. Her mouth was a mess by the time I saw her - the bottom lip had receded about 1/3 it's length, revealing the purple and festering gums which literally had puss oozing in a couple of places. She was pneumatic from improper heating and all-in-all was very close to death and I wasn't sure I'd be able to save her, but...

With lots of TLC and antibiotics (applied to her gums, the festering holes created by the mouth rot and intramuscular injections for a couple of weeks to help fight the pneumonia) she did rapidly show signs of improvement. It was a number of months before I could feed her anything, but once she was well enough to eat small items without causing further damage to her still healing mouth, she pace of her recovery increased and within about 6 months she was on her way to wellness.

By the time a year had passed, this snake was in exceptional condition. The eye condition didn't seem to bother her, and I think it actually made her even more docile than your average Burmese (if that's possible). Of course there was permanent damage from the extreme case of pneumonia so I did have to be ultra careful with her temperatures and such for the rest of her life, but she led a very happy and content life with me for another 12 years before passing away.

She was a touch over 17.5 feet before she died, her last known weight was 168 pounds and I still miss her every day almost 13 years later. I can't say this is a heart-breaking story like other rescues can be, though. This was a success story and I'm as proud of how she pulled herself together as I was to be her Pop when she was alive. The most unfortunate thing is that I didn't own a camera way back then, so don't have images to document the near-death sate she was in, and the progress she made, but here's one from 5 or 6 years into our relationship. Of course, I only ever tried to capture her good side - the one with the eye

Will0W783 · 12-12-11, 07:51 AM

Awww, poor Burm! I've rescued two Burms myself...one was a mess. He had been fed live chickens, so he was covered with scars and peck marks, he was underweight, covered in mites, stuck shed all over, and had buggy eyes from a huge scar on his head. I named him Silas and slowly nursed him back to health. My other Burm was in great shape when I got him- he had been smuggled in by a kid who thought he could hide the snake under his bed.

I'm right now nursing a Crotalus atrox with very bad scale rot on her belly. When I first got her she had red sores all over her scutes, and wrinkled, nasty-looking scales. She shed and there was blood everywhere from the sores opening up. Soaks in betadine, water and peroxide every 2-3 days for a month have caused the sores to heal up and seal. She she again two days ago with no blood!

infernalis · 12-12-11, 07:57 AM

Kudos Kim... really.

How many people would be willing to nurse maid a hot. I have so much respect for that.

Rogue628 · 12-12-11, 08:23 AM

Back when I used to keep snakes in the 90's, I rescued several WC ball pythons. Mite infestation, unhealed bites from unsupervised live feedings, and some scale rot were the most common issues I had with them. I had a couple of RI's and one mouth rot case. Honestly I was surprised that I didn't have more issues with RI's with these animals. I know there was probably a case or two of stuck shed among other things, but these were the main issues. Most of them I managed to acclimate and make decent pets out of before rehoming them. I had a couple that didn't make it, one had RI and was one of the youngest.

I can't save them all but I can try and that's what matters.

Will0W783 · 12-12-11, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Kudos Kim... really.

How many people would be willing to nurse maid a hot. I have so much respect for that.

I couldn't let her suffer. My idiot cousin (he's more than a few fries short of a Happy Meal) was trying to sell her and I took a look at her, and told him that she was not going to be going home with him. It's been a long road for her, and she'd love to repay me by sinking those fangs into me, but it's really rewarding to see her eating and relaxed...well, as relaxed as a WDB gets...again. She's a beautiful snake and I'm very glad to have her. I've also gotten quite used to a background rattle symphony in my snake room, lol

Will0W783 · 12-12-11, 08:33 AM

Quote:

I can't save them all but I can try and that's what matters.

I completely agree...that's my attitude too!

EasternGirl · 12-12-11, 08:38 AM

I plan to have a snake rescue someday. I rescued my Seeley from my basement last November...although he was in pretty good shape when I found him. I attempted a rescue on a garter I found in my basement last month, but he died while I was trying to nurse him back to health. In the next ten years or so I hope to have the money to remodel my basement and use it for a rescue. I think we need a good rescue around here...the closest snake rescue we have is an hour away. We have a wild animal rescue and the lady is pretty good though...I have taken some animals to her. I know it will be tough running a rescue...but I really think we need it around here.

youngster · 12-12-11, 09:12 AM

I've rehabilitated 3 garters before. Never kept any though, wish I did now

Most recently was an idiot woman that threw the snake out of my hands into the road. I think they all turned out fine but who knows.

KORBIN5895 · 12-12-11, 10:27 AM

Well I don't quit rescue them but I tend to take care of the snakes.at my local pet store. They have a baby atb that has mites that everyone is afraid of so I was doing treatment when it was first found. I also do most of the feeds when I go in cause they are feed on Fridays and the regular reptile guy doesn't work on Fridays. The reason for this is I went in on a Friday and went to the reptile section and noticed no employees were there but 3 tanks had live mice and rats in them. The manager had given me the lock combo ages ago cause I always have my kids there. So I just took a box and removed all the live feeders. So I mentioned what a bad idea it was to be feeding live during prime store hours and how bad it was for the snake and the guy just looked at me funny. I started educating him on the reptiles ( he normally works rodents) and he got a little cranky. That little atb had not eaten for a month and was mid shed yet he put a live mouse in there. I thumped the mouse and dangled it for the atb. It didn't even wait 2 seconds to strike and miss. After the third try he took it but just held it so we put a piece of paper towel over it and it was gone in about 3 minutes. So I have put larger water dishes and done the feeding for the last few weeks.

SnakeyJay · 12-12-11, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Well I don't quit rescue them but I tend to take care of the snakes.at my local pet store. They have a baby atb that has mites that everyone is afraid of so I was doing treatment when it was first found. I also do most of the feeds when I go in cause they are feed on Fridays and the regular reptile guy doesn't work on Fridays. The reason for this is I went in on a Friday and went to the reptile section and noticed no employees were there but 3 tanks had live mice and rats in them. The manager had given me the lock combo ages ago cause I always have my kids there. So I just took a box and removed all the live feeders. So I mentioned what a bad idea it was to be feeding live during prime store hours and how bad it was for the snake and the guy just looked at me funny. I started educating him on the reptiles ( he normally works rodents) and he got a little cranky. That little atb had not eaten for a month and was mid shed yet he put a live mouse in there. I thumped the mouse and dangled it for the atb. It didn't even wait 2 seconds to strike and miss. After the third try he took it but just held it so we put a piece of paper towel over it and it was gone in about 3 minutes. So I have put larger water dishes and done the feeding for the last few weeks.

It's awesome that your prepared to go and do that for them. But it's bad that so many shops could do with an actual reptile keeper on staff.. Pet shops move into reptiles and a lot of the time don't hire staff with the knowledge needed.