WILD python NEED HELP

[euphorion]

okay so picked up a wild carpet outside my house yesterday, had a quick look over it and found it covered in lumps and bumps. vent scale is missing and there is rotting flesh around in about the size of a 10c piece, abcess close by half the size of a 5c coin. called around to find a reptile vet that would take him in, had to wait until today to take him out to manly vet near everything reptiles. the vets had no clue what to do but a local that they call in to take wild reptiles off their hands (for recuperation and release) came in to see what it needed. i would have thought it would need antibiotics for the infection at least... but the fellow just said to take him home, give him a warm enclosure, feed him up with some worming paste in the first two feeds and let him heal/shed/heal etc then release him in a month or so. fair enough i thought but now i've been turned out of the vet with a big old wild snake, who i dont THINK has mites (very thorough check but im paranoid), with no antibiotics or other advice.

so my question is thus: WHAT DO I DO!!>!>>!>!??!?!?? (stressed out!!)
does anyone know a vet that will give me any better care for this guy? i thought vets were obliged to treat protected native wildlife etc etc etc, they had possums there for crying out loud!

anyway, does there happen to be an ->->-> experienced <-<-<- keeper that may be willing to come and look at this animal and offer what advice they can? or point me in the direction of a vet that will help me? i know there are vet nurses on here that keep reps so please please help me!! i am also unsure of the legalities of me taking him in and trying to fix him up myself.

thus far we have bathed him with a dilution of betadine to soften the rotting flesh and removed the majority of that down to healthy pink flesh, and cleaned out the abcess, and now he is in an enclosure with heat. i will leave him for a few days, three?? and then offer him a small mouse with the worming in it. i am reluctant to use TOD on him (in case of mites) in his state, advice?

im rambling... signing off!

 

[KRONYK94]

offer him a mouse with worming stuff in it and take him to a vet.

and if the vet say keep him in a quiet place keep him in the tank get him all ship shape and let him go somewhere safe.

thats what i would be doing.

have a good one hope
things turn out good.
Chris

 

[JasonL]

Personally I would let it be... One thing for sure and certain is that I would not be taking it anywhere near my collection.... worming such critters can bring on their death as the parasite load may be huge and it may harbor more than just common pin worms...

 

[cement]

Hi Shooshoo,
Welcome to the world of wildlife rehabilitation!
What you have done sounds fine. Just keep it warm and don't go looking at it very often. I find a heat mat under a tub with frosted walls is good as they can't see out and feel more secure. Straight betadine on the wounds, TOD will be ok, another alternative is a bath in a f10 dilution. Give it a while before the worming, until the sores start to scab over, try a few small feeds in the meantime after a couple of days. Once the sores have good solid scabs on them and you've wormed it let it go where you found it or as close to.
Whatever you do DON'T keep it anywhere near your snakes and work with the wild animal on a day when you won't go near your collection and shower straight after and put your clothes straight in the wash. cheers

 

[mrmikk]

If you want a second opinion try Deborah Monks at http://www.bbevs.com.au/home.html

She's at Upper Mount Gravatt.

Definitely keep it quarantined from your other animals.

If you are going to try and rehabilitate it, warmth, hides, clean water, let it settle for a week and then try offering a feed.

Good luck.

 

[cris]

As mentioned make sure you have very good quarantine. You are allowed to keep wildlife in circumstances like this for 3 days, you can apply for a permit to keep it yourself or give to a licenced carer.

I would avoid any chemical treatment that isnt needed, this puts more stress on the snake.

Does it have good body condition? Pics would help.

I do agree with Jason, but do what ever you feel is right.

 

[gozz]

Sorry, just let it go its a wild carpet cheers

 

[AMY22]

In regards to finding a vet to help, there are certain critters that will not have as much help available because they are less common. Dogs and cats, I spent ages studying on them, but birds, reptiles and other native animals was all studied as one topic, dogs and cats were the main animals in focus. For animals such as fish, reptiles and birds you usually have to find a specialist vet which can be harder. So my advice is- go somewhere that sells reptiles and ask if they have the details of a vet that specialises in reptiles. My second bit of advice is go to Fauna Rescue (or whatever they are called in Brisbane) as they should have the details of a wildlife carer who specialises in reptiles.
You will need to get a licence to look after it yourself, and all you can do for now is just keep it in a warm place where there is as little stress as possible, a place to hide, etc.
Good Luck!

 

[euphorion]

alright, so for now we have decided upon:

feed in a few days, just a small mouse, this guy is a decent size (1.7m) so just feeding small to make it easy.

will use betadine on the wounds and use f10 baths until wounds scab over
have not decided yet whether to treat for parasites, the lumps are apparently large worms that are living under the skin and can be removed by lancing the lump and tweezers the critters out, deffinately not up for this but will see what happens if he goes back to the vet

and yes i take mine to deborah but they were closed until tuesday (tomorrow), he'll be going over her way if i feel he needs a proper look over.

thanks for the advice all. will take pics and give updates as needed.

 

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day shooshoo,

Sometimes nature is cruel, and can be difficult to watch, but it's important to always let it take its course. That Carpet Pythons role is most probably to be food for something else...

 

[RemoverAccount]

good on you shooshoo!! good luck


as for letting nature be - well if we were in a pristine environment then fine - but this is a city, and the natural environment is so far out of balance its not funny. So to help native wildlife where possible, and feasible is the way to go...

 

[Kitah]

I'd have to agree with the guys saying to just leave it be... I'm kind of of the opinion that if a human caused injury or illness to a wild animal, then we should intervene and help, however if it is a wild animal with natural injuries or disease, that it should be left alone... As others have mentioned, nature is quite often cruel, and its a case of survival of the fittest. If we went around rescuing every ailing animal, they would reproduce, spread weak genes and you'd end up with weaker offspring, causing further problems down the track. Natural selection/Darwins theory of evolution exists for a reason, to maintain strong, healthy populations of animals that can adapt and survive the best in a given environment. By interfering, you muck this up.

Just my strong opinion and 2c worth. I appreciate that you're trying to help, but this snake imo should be left alone and remain part of the natural food chain and cycle.

Edit: Chickenlover posted before me... it may well be in a city, but even still if it is helped and released, it still has a strong potential to weaken the wild populations (And who's to say that it wasn't found near a little patch of bush?). Obviously the wild populations are surving, but that is due to natural selection. It happens in wild animal populations across the globe, and it also happens in domestic situations as well. For example, the droughmaster (cattle breed) was developed using nautral selection- cattle weren't supplemented as much etc., and only those that could survive in the harsh Australian climate (QLD mostly) reproduced, producing stronger genetics and animals able to cope, survive and reproduce successfully in their given environment. That is NOT to say that a native australian reptile is like a steer though, I'm just using it as an example

just my opinion!

 

[Dipcdame]

G'day shooshoo,

Sometimes nature is cruel, and can be difficult to watch, but it's important to always let it take its course. That Carpet Pythons role is most probably to be food for something else...

One of my Dads old sayings was: - "Where there's life, there's hope"

 

[Serpentor]

I'd have to agree with the guys saying to just leave it be... I'm kind of of the opinion that if a human caused injury or illness to a wild animal, then we should intervene and help, however if it is a wild animal with natural injuries or disease, that it should be left alone... As others have mentioned, nature is quite often cruel, and its a case of survival of the fittest. If we went around rescuing every ailing animal, they would reproduce, spread weak genes and you'd end up with weaker offspring, causing further problems down the track. Natural selection/Darwins theory of evolution exists for a reason, to maintain strong, healthy populations of animals that can adapt and survive the best in a given environment. By interfering, you muck this up.

Just my strong opinion and 2c worth. I appreciate that you're trying to help, but this snake imo should be left alone and remain part of the natural food chain and cycle.

Edit: Chickenlover posted before me... it may well be in a city, but even still if it is helped and released, it still has a strong potential to weaken the wild populations. Obviously the wild populations are surving, but that is due to natural selection. It happens in wild animal populations across the globe, and it also happens in domestic situations as well. For example, the droughmaster (cattle breed) was developed using nautral selection- cattle weren't supplemented as much etc., and only those that could survive in the harsh Australian climate (QLD mostly) reproduced, producing stronger genetics and animals able to cope, survive and reproduce successfully in their given environment. That is NOT to say that a native australian reptile is like a steer though, I'm just using it as an example

just my opinion!

the bloke at the vet who came in from 'everything reptiles' seemed to reckon that it had re-absorbed a prolapse, which had possibly been caused by its tail being run over.

I see that as good reason to look after it until it has a good chance of surviving again.

 

[Acrochordus]

Let nature do it's course, thats all i have to say.
Thanks Tim.

 

[euphorion]

note - also that the tail was bent at the site of damage, looked like it had been run over by a car, still retained full use of the tail etc but IMO injury is by no means reason to just let it die. disease, illness, poor immune systems or reproductive capability? sure, not my problem. but the little dude needs a helping hand, especially in these days when they're having it rough enough as it is!

for those that have said to just leave it be, i understand your point of view completely, and did weigh it as such when making my decision. thank you for your advice and input, but what can i say, i'm a softie and felt like i could do something to help. (WEAK WEAK i know i know!!!!)

 

[Kitah]

At least you took the time to think about it, and the pro's and con's for each side, its better than a lot of others would do! I know its hard to just leave an animal, but sometimes its for the best, even though it may not seem like it. Everyone's going to think about it differently, as with every other topic you could ever think of

If you could definitely say that it had been hit by a car (causing possible prolapse and kinked tail) I'd be all for helping it too. As I said before- I rekon if it was caused directly by human actions or machinery etc. only then should we intervene

still just my old humble opinion, no offense meant to anyone

 

[euphorion]

thats what i thought too shadow. but from the size of the snake and the nature of the injury i cant think of what else would have caused it. not a cat or dog attack, the snakes too big to have been picked on by birds, etc. it could have slammed its tail in the door on leaving its digs last night...?

in all seriousness though i figure its only one snake, and we see plenty around our house to know that the local population is alive and well. but hey, its not much work for us to help him, and so we are

 

[ozianimals]

If we all thought let nature take its course then why are there so many threads that tell herpers to go to the vet.
I don't do rescues to let nature take its course with an injured animal.
Would you just sit back and watch your dog/Mongrel cat die and say its just nature, NO of course not but double standards seem to appear all over the place these days.
If we release an injured animal without trying to bring its health back from injury we are not very responsible in my view. If it is taken to a herp vet they will decide if it can be nursed back to health or to put it down as to release it to slowly die is not very humane is it people?

 

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day ozianimals,

There's a big difference between captive animals and wild animals. "Nature" has nothing to do with captive animals, and everything to do with wild ones.

If every animal in the wild survived, nature would quickly collapse. For every Carpet Python that makes it to maturity, hundreds fall prey to a whole host of predators.