Another New England "Puff Adder"!

[imported_Varanus]

Hi All,

Here's another "Puff Adder"I've had in rehab now for several months following a severe "spading", from which no one thought he would recover. So glad we didn't euth now!! Just waiting a warm morning for release.

Appologies for the thread title to any hot keepers.

 

[saximus]

Aww poor thing. Why did they not kill it? Did they realise after the first hit it was only a Bluey? Glad to hear you've rehabed it so well

 

[reptilife]

Geez! Looks like he copped the spade good and proper!

Great that he has made a good recovery. Well done!

 

[saratoga]

Sickening that people do this to animals...but really well done in nursing it back to health!!

 

[hugsta]

Was it done on purpose or by accident? I have a few resident bluies around my house that I see here and there and the other week I was doing some landscaping and took the toes of a bluey that I did not see under the mulch. He/she was only small, maybe 20cm TL, but brought it in for some betadine and a few days to rest and was promplty released back from where it came from. I have seen it a few times since then and he/she is powering along.

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

Well done, good to see you didnt just go for euthing the little guy.
As Huggy said, they cammo well in the grass,mulch ect and are easily accidently injured.
Im caring for one at the moment that was attacked by a dog, but Im not to hopeful.

 

[imported_Varanus]

The gardener from a local primary school was moving a large sheet of black plastic off the ground, saw a "puff adder" and sliced at it with a spade while it was moving around under the plastic, so I'd say deliberate. The really sad thing is that this isn't the only puff adder call I've had, even from people who have lived here all their lives and should have seen Bluies before. Some people will even tell you the animal was hit by a car, even though there's no crush injuries or degloving but there is a large slicing wound.

That's what never ceases to amaze me is that an animal in such a state, if given a little iodine, a warm place to stay and some food often can make a full recovery.

Yeah, I'll think twice about euthing anything in the future. When this guy(?) came in, the backend had little or no movement and the wound was so deep our local vet thought the spine had been severed.

Good luck with your little Bluie Baz, apparently infection is more of a problem with dog/ cat attacks, even when the wound seems minor.

 

[hugsta]

I had a call out to brown snake in a local school a few years ago. I spoke to the guy who called it in and asked him about the animal. Was definately a brown snake he said, as he had grown up on a farm and had seen plenty. He saw it come acroos the grass playing feild and into the maintainence shed at which point he shut the door and blocked it in. He confirmed it was a brown snake on many times as I tend to keep asking the similar questions to find out any more info. So with great caution I opened the door and started pulling all the bins and lawn mowers out etc etc. Taking my time and checking everything on the way out. Finally in the back of the room I found a blue tongue and when I showed him he said it must have eaten the brown snake. I really shouldn't have laughed so much, it was a great story. As I bagged up the bluey and headed back to the car he said I put all the stuff back, not likely, my job is to remove the venomous brown snakes, that's all and I left. The guys face was sooo red when I pulled out the bluey, really was a funny day.

 

[imported_Varanus]

Nothing suprises me anymore, most people are very reasonable, but it's the extreme cases that are easier to recall.

My first New England "puff adder" event happened when I was in a shop and an older fella came in telling his mate behind the counter that he had "just killed a nest of puff adders". I happened to overhear and said I would be interested to see them, so he takes me around the corner to an undeveloped residential block, lifts a piece of corro up and points to a mass of still writhing bodies. You guessed it, a large female Blue who, I assume, had just given birth to several young! "Can't you see the legs", I said, "Oh Yeah, I hadn't noticed" was the reply!! Very sad.

 

[saximus]

Wow that would have been so upsetting to see...

 

[benjamind2010]

Boy, that makes me angry to hear about this. I understand why people kill snakes, but bluetongues, c'mon what a joke!

 

[spongebob]

Few years back an English tourist out near Windsor on the Hawkesbury picked up a bluey and got bitten several times. Thing was it was an adder and he ended up in hospital! So I guess to the uninitiated they must look kind of similar.

 

[Spot_the_mac]

man death adders and blueys are hard to tell apart after 25 drinks, just ask that dood from del rio

 

[vampstorso]

welldone!

beyond people mistaking blueys for snakes...I can't believe how fearful city kids are of them in general.
A few times now that I live in the city I've picked them up to move them (roads/drive ways etc) and everyone freaks and says how vicious it is.


Happy to see this guy made it! and what a cutie he is!

 

[Elapidae1]

I had one recently where the husband said they had contained a small dugite but his wife had seen a much bigger one as well. Turns out she was just to afraid to dispose of the one she had killed and made the story of the larger one up. It wasn't even a Dugite and I was pretty pissed to find a little whip snake, a critter I'm still yet to see alive.
View attachment 190084

 

[Psilo]

poor lil fella, much respect yo you IV

 

[sarcastocrat]

We don't even have puff adders in Australia, do we? I thought they were from Africa. Do you get adders up in the New England area?

 

[vampstorso]

I had one recently where the husband said they had contained a small dugite but his wife had seen a much bigger one as well. Turns out she was just to afraid to dispose of the one she had killed and made the story of the larger one up. It wasn't even a Dugite and I was pretty pissed to find a little whip snake, a critter I'm still yet to see alive.
View attachment 190084

if people REALLY feel the need to kill wildlife...they could at least do it cleanly...looks like that poor fella took a fair few extremely nasty shots none of which would've killed it straight off the bat :\

 

[Elapidae1]

Yes I think she used a stiff bristled garden broom.

 

[robwilco76]

I've never head of the puff adder before... it makes me really angry that people are so naive... or are they really? Perhaps they are just banjo pluckin, straw chewing inbred red necks... "ayuh, this'n's a puff adder alright. Best get the axe, son".