cirice
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- Jan 16, 2016
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My current enclosure had (not has, HAD) duct tape on the back in little segments, to keep the thermometer attached.
I got up around 2 this morning, checked on my snake (Coastal Carpet Python), and saw he had a tiny bit on his back. No big deal, I thought. A bit concerning but it was barely attached. I got him out and that's when I saw that he had what was practically a ring of tape around his belly!
I was absolutely frantic. I didn't think to check online, mainly as I currently was holding a 2m long snake and was afraid it would die. I sat down, let him wrap his back half around my arm, held his neck gently so he wouldn't try escaping, and then tried gently pulling at the tape. I gave up in seconds, as I was afraid to hurt him. So, I doused the tape area in water. The small bit on his back practically fell off, with no scales or anything, as it was like 1x2cm. The other bit however was more tough. I used scissors to carefully cut at the excess so he wouldn't get stuck again, and after half an hour of me sobbing and shaking and gently pulling, the other bit of tape came off with only a few scales. After checking him over to make sure there was no damage, I immediately rushed to the enclosure and took out all the tape.
He's back in his enclosure now, and was thankfully still using his back half with as much muscle as usual, but I'm still scared!
Will he be okay? I've filled my mind with horror stories of people I've just read who had to euthanise snakes after they got caught too bad :cry:
I'm going to let him de-stress in his enclosure for a few days, feed him as usual, and then slowly try handling him again. I'm scared he's going to associate me with pain.
What I'm most scared about, is he in pain? He's acting very spooked, understandably so, but I can't see any signs of external injury.
Anyway, lesson learned, no more tape, and I'll keep some mineral oil and q-tips nearby.
I got up around 2 this morning, checked on my snake (Coastal Carpet Python), and saw he had a tiny bit on his back. No big deal, I thought. A bit concerning but it was barely attached. I got him out and that's when I saw that he had what was practically a ring of tape around his belly!
I was absolutely frantic. I didn't think to check online, mainly as I currently was holding a 2m long snake and was afraid it would die. I sat down, let him wrap his back half around my arm, held his neck gently so he wouldn't try escaping, and then tried gently pulling at the tape. I gave up in seconds, as I was afraid to hurt him. So, I doused the tape area in water. The small bit on his back practically fell off, with no scales or anything, as it was like 1x2cm. The other bit however was more tough. I used scissors to carefully cut at the excess so he wouldn't get stuck again, and after half an hour of me sobbing and shaking and gently pulling, the other bit of tape came off with only a few scales. After checking him over to make sure there was no damage, I immediately rushed to the enclosure and took out all the tape.
He's back in his enclosure now, and was thankfully still using his back half with as much muscle as usual, but I'm still scared!
Will he be okay? I've filled my mind with horror stories of people I've just read who had to euthanise snakes after they got caught too bad :cry:
I'm going to let him de-stress in his enclosure for a few days, feed him as usual, and then slowly try handling him again. I'm scared he's going to associate me with pain.
What I'm most scared about, is he in pain? He's acting very spooked, understandably so, but I can't see any signs of external injury.
Anyway, lesson learned, no more tape, and I'll keep some mineral oil and q-tips nearby.