Monty got bark stuck in his throat.

[Aelodrea]

Hello lovely herpsters.

Of course, its pretty obvious what to do in these situations but..

It was feeding day just over a week ago, got a lovely rat for my Jungle Carpet Python called Monty (yeah i know, not really original ). Like usual, the powerful constricting show took place. However in some way or another Monty managed to tear open the stomach of the rat.
Montys substrate was the same the breeder had him in, bark. I chose it because it looked natural, and would do well with absorbing and such.
Well the bugger ingested bark that got stuck on the guts (which he was trying to eat first) and low, bark got stuck in his throat.

Yeah, normally it could go down but the bark was bulging and was nearly tearing through his skin.

This week has been horrifying, i live really far from the vets i knew in Adelaide that deals with reptiles, but after walking around my area (Paradise) and coming across the local vet i got recommended one a little closer to home (Glenside).

I was in tears at the consultation, but now Im so relieved, Monty ended up needing surgery, which went well and he is now in the vets care recovering and he will be in my mine tomorrow.

Only have one friend who owns reptiles, most my friends don't quiet understand the horror its been, ive needed to get it off my chest and you guys are the best place to go to of course

Ive gotten completely rid of the bark, now just deciding hat substrate i should use now? Im trying to toss between dirt, Kritters Crumble, aspen, sand or synth grass.

Thank you all for taking the time to read, Monty is my first and only python, i love him to bits and im sure you can all understand that, any useful tips are also welcome (wont be making the mistake of feeding him in his cage again, you can be sure of that, i just didnt have a tub at the time)

Oh, if Paralowie or Salisbury is too far, i recommend Glenside Vet, they are wonderful people, very friendly.

Thank you all again, friends

 

[NickGeee]

I would go synthetic grass or sand.
Lucky your snake got through!

 

[Shotta]

that must've been stressful hope your snake has a full speedy recovery
maybe you could take him out of his enclosure and put him in a tub when feeding him? won't have to worry about him ingesting substrate , or you could use that breeders choice kitty litter the one made from paper

 

[Aelodrea]

Nilesh, I didnt have a tub at the time, i admit was a bit careless, but now i have one , montys a bit of a jerk and doesn't like to be handled, but i think ill withstand bites from him now haha

 

[oOLaurenOo]

You can still have the bark if you feed in a tub. That way you enclosure will remain ascetically pleasing. Safest substrate for snakes In my opinion. Newspaper or butchers paper. Fake grass is also ok, Kritters crumble swells when wet so if he ingests it that can also cause problems, Dirt and sand can irritate she scales and block the cloaca, not ideal for jungles. I have no experience in aspen so can't advise you on that one. Glad to hear your little mate made it through this scary ordeal though. Good on you for tracking down a good vet! Well done.

 

[Rob]

Nilesh, I didnt have a tub at the time, i admit was a bit careless, but now i have one , montys a bit of a jerk and doesn't like to be handled, but i think ill withstand bites from him now haha

The choice is yours, but there is really no need to transfer him into a tub just for feeding. Patting the prey item dry will help eliminate any substrate sticking to it, but also lay some sheets of newspaper down first. When he is done feeding, just remove the paper - simple.

I've used Repti-Bark for years with no issues, and I've always fed in their enclosures. I've also used Kritters Krumble as well as Aspen Bedding, PuraChips too and they all work well.

 

[Aelodrea]

thanks everyone for the help and support it means a lot

Agh, choices and choices with bedding

 

[Tobe404]

If you end up going for Kritters Crumble just use the Coir Peat Bricks from Bunnigns. Basically the same thing. Just a hell of a lot cheaper.

Never had a problem with it when feeding. Even when some has been stuck to the prey item. Has always been passed without an issue.

My new Coastals are on Astroturf (just haven't been bothered changing to Coir Peat yet. It's what came with them in their double enclosure) and also haven't had an issue after three feeding sessions.

Either would work fine.

 

[Bart70]

Be very careful with the coir peat from Bunnings (or any garden store) as the greater majority now have fertilizer added. You can usually tell by reading the fine print. Some people have stated that particular brands with particular color labels are safe - I have found this to be misleading as I have found some 'safe' coloured packs that contain fertilizer. Make sure you read the packs yourself and make your own choice. It is similar to Kritter Krumble but about one third the price.

I have used both the fine and the coarse coir blocks from Bunnings and found both of them good....probably prefer the fine one - has a consistency more like coffee grinds whilst the coarse is more like chunks of bark. As suggested above I put a couple of sheets of newspaper down when feeding but most times my pythons take their good whilst hanging from a log - it has been effective on the couple of occasions when they have dropped down to the floor to finish eating.

 

[Tobe404]

Brunnings EasyWetta Coir Peat Brick
I have used the above with no issues. Does not contain fertilizer (at least as far as I know and I've never had a problem with it as I said in an earlier post).

The below is one to be wary about as it does contain fertilizer.
Brunnings Coir Peat Brick Plus Slow Release Fertilizer

Pretty easy to tell the difference.

 

[Trimeresurus]

Newspaper.

 

[Jacknife]

I would go synthetic grass or sand.
Lucky your snake got through!

Bad advice, sand is a big no no, unless you have a woma or similar burrowing snake.

 

[Tobe404]

Newspaper.

I used to use newspaper until one day when I was cleaning. I noticed that it was pretty wet and the Ink started to smudge my hands. So I don't think it would of been good for my Snakes if I continued to use it.

 

[Luvbuz]

Some coloured newsprint can be messy if it gets wet as Tobe404 said above, that's why I go to our local artificial grass store and get any largish offcuts for about five bucks. I make up custom mats to suit the size of the enclosure and make up two spares. Then if I don't get around to getting the critters out for their constitutionals and they mess in the enclosure, I simply swap dirty mats for clean (after cleaning and disinfecting the enclosure floor). Then I hose off the dirty one, disinfect it and let it dry and repeat the process as required. Heat mats go well under the fake grass too. The enclosures look nice and professional and the texture of the grass gives the critters a good belly rub/scratch as they crawl over it. I feed in my enclosures and there is NOTHING to stick to the food item. The occasional quail feather sticks to the grass but they hose off easily. My hatchies and yearlings in click clicks just have paper towel in their house. Easy to clean and replace too. Thankfully you found a good vet and were able to save your precious Monty. Hope he's home with you safe and sound by now! Cheers, Buzzy

 

[ronhalling]

Sorry to hear your Jungle needed surgery it is always an emotional time when that happens and they are not in your care, as for the substrate i use the recycled paper pellet type substrate and have done for the last 5 years without any problems and i always feed our big Coastal girl in her enclosure. every product has it's good points and bad points and the only bad point i have found with the stuff i use is the fact it is a dull grey in color, but a m8 of mine in Kempsey uses different colored food dyes on his to give an interesting color variant, he lays it out on a big metal tray (from the bottom of an old Galah cage) and lightly sprays the food coloring onto the pellets then shakes them around and sprays again, he leaves it out in the sun for a day to dry properly and "Wollah" colored substrate, looks good with his colored lights on it as well ...........................Ron

 

[hunterschamps]

Glad to hear your snake is ok! I use hemp substrate which came from one of our sponsors (Reptile Direct) and my MD has no troubles, i dont put her food directly into water, just in a ziplock bag and leave in hot water for a hour or so, which makes it the correct temp and saves substrate sticking to the rat..

Good luck with your Jungle!

 

[Trimeresurus]

I used to use newspaper until one day when I was cleaning. I noticed that it was pretty wet and the Ink started to smudge my hands. So I don't think it would of been good for my Snakes if I continued to use it.

Only the low quality newspapers do that, but yeah I wouldn't keep using it if it came off that easy.

 

[Trimeresurus]

Sorry to hear your Jungle needed surgery it is always an emotional time when that happens and they are not in your care, as for the substrate i use the recycled paper pellet type substrate and have done for the last 5 years without any problems and i always feed our big Coastal girl in her enclosure. every product has it's good points and bad points and the only bad point i have found with the stuff i use is the fact it is a dull grey in color, but a m8 of mine in Kempsey uses different colored food dyes on his to give an interesting color variant, he lays it out on a big metal tray (from the bottom of an old Galah cage) and lightly sprays the food coloring onto the pellets then shakes them around and sprays again, he leaves it out in the sun for a day to dry properly and "Wollah" colored substrate, looks good with his colored lights on it as well ...........................Ron

That's interesting... Do you you if the dye leaks when wet at all?

 

[Ramsayi]

Most newspaper inks are vegetable based and totally harmless.If you are really worried though you could always use butchers paper.Using paper is much better than anything else as you are forced to do a thorough clean once it is soiled and no chance of ingestion.

 

[ronhalling]

I have never tried dying the pellets myself but my m8 never mentioned what happened when it got wet ...........................Ron