Injured wild-caught Pale-head- plz help.

[redbellybite]

well its still practised and thats the way I have been told by a very experienced herp, he did explain to me like I said not to place straight into freezer for obvious reasons,but the refrigerator brings the body temp down slow enough as to not endure shock and by the time it is placed into the freezer its almost cactus ...I know I could never do the bashing on the head as with alot of other people, and in situations of the decision being left up to the carer you do what you need to do ...not to say your wrong either true ..

 

[TrueBlue]

It was always thought to be the best method for years i agree, but it has now been found that it indeed is not the best method at all even if it has been put in the fridge first, which was always done, quite a horrific painfull way to kill a reptile infact.
If you do really want to care for the reptiles best interest you would definitely not carry on with this barbaric inhumane practice. No offence intended but it is fact.
Gas the animal would be a better option if you cant crush its skull.

 

[Colletts]

Taking the photos will be a stressfull exertion on the animal. If you won't let it go then do nothing but give a shot of antibiotics and leave alone. Don't worry about the photos.
Good luck.

I was only going to take the photo's becaues i am going to have a look at it anyway, and because i cannot get to a vet with herp experience i could send the photo's to my vet who could send them onto a herp vet. And i thought it wouldn't hurt to put the photo's up on here too to see what people think.

I was told that smaller herps are meant to go into the fridge for only one hour and larger ones for two, and then into the freezer?? And i was also told that after a snake is beheaded, their brain is still active for a few hours. That's how the myth "a snake only dies after sunset" came about. Is that why you have to bash their skull in after removing the head?

 

[salebrosus]

Yes i know it sounds very stressed, but i still want to give it a chance. I would rather it be euthed than release it and have it die slowly from infection, predators, heat/sun exposure etc. It would probably only be a cat or fox that would eat it anyway. And even if it were a native animal, i'm sure they're prefer a nice fresh juicy road kill to a measly half rotten venomous snake.

I do understand that the vet will most likely want to euthanise it but at least i've tried. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if i decided to kill it when i knew it could have had a chance. I do think though that the wounds are too bad for it to be released.

My opinion of the food chain: the food chain became non-existant when white man settled here. All the animals killed on roads, habitat loss, pollution and rubbish, crops and livestock, hunting/sport(yes fishing included!) etc etc- all of this is not natural so the food chain is unbalanced anyway. So, compared to all of that, this one little snakey means squat.

I totally agree and this has always been my argument. I worked as a vet nurse and i saw so much euthanasia. When i did WIRES work if something was missing a leg the attitude was "oh lets euthanse it cos it can't survive in the wild". I now work as a Town Planner and i turn up on site inspections and regularly see illegal clearing, people who move into rural and rural res proeprties then clear the lot - its bullshit. Unless your furry like a koala, it doesn't mean squat.

Three days ago a woman at work turned up asking me to ID a snake which she killed. She said it was a king brown and it chased her. So she whacked it with a shovel so by the time i saw it, it was in pieces. I kindly advised her we don't get king browns in this area and asked why she would ask me to ID it it if she was sure what it was. What a shame i didn't find that stunning caramel coloured hyp coastal before her shovel had.

I would hold onto the pale headed, allow it some quiet time without people continually checking on it etc and if its still good then release it.

I think too many people are in too much of a hurry to euthanse things. I'd release him before i would euthanse him.

 

[Colletts]

Here are some more photos. Yes, yes- i know i should be leaving him alone but last night while putting him away, blood smeared throughout the enclosure so i just cleaned it to keep it hygienic and prevent further problems. I didn't have to touch him, i just worked around him and he seemed fine with that, but watched my every move! I had my camera there and he was positioned nicely so snuck a few piccies in. When the bf comes home i will administer his first lot of anitibiotics and continue that daily for about 7 days.

The swealling has gone down a lot, and it appears to be quite clean however i will take the vet's advice still and not touch it for a couple of days. In the close up pic, see the black blob? I think it's his gum? What do you think?

 

[salebrosus]

Possibly, or it could be a blood clot. They can be pretty resilient at times. He doesn't look like he's on deaths door to me. Rest and quiet time and he will be fine i am sure.

 

[Colletts]

Yeah that too, i guess we wont know until i check him in a few days. I think he's doing GREAT for a snake that had his head squished!! I honestly thought i'd have to euth him and was so surprised that he was alert and acting normally when i tipped him out of the bag. He's probably lucky he's a smaller snake with a smaller head- any bigger and i'd say there would've been more damage.

 

[salebrosus]

Some animals don;t actually get squished they just seem to bump off the tyre etc..who knows there may have been a groove in the road that stoppped it from being minced. Either way its alive - lets hope he stays that way.

 

[waruikazi]

Yeah that too, i guess we wont know until i check him in a few days. I think he's doing GREAT for a snake that had his head squished!! I honestly thought i'd have to euth him and was so surprised that he was alert and acting normally when i tipped him out of the bag. He's probably lucky he's a smaller snake with a smaller head- any bigger and i'd say there would've been more damage.

It's great that it seems to be doing good. PLease let us know of any updates and also remember no matter how good the care you give them they can die even when they seem to be coming good.

On that happy note Good luck. :lol:

 

[Colletts]

Thanks. Yeah i'm not getting my hopes up too much.

He didn't like this needle, but he'll just have to grin and bear it if he wants to get better hehe.

 

[redbellybite]

It was always thought to be the best method for years i agree, but it has now been found that it indeed is not the best method at all even if it has been put in the fridge first, which was always done, quite a horrific painfull way to kill a reptile infact.
If you do really want to care for the reptiles best interest you would definitely not carry on with this barbaric inhumane practice. No offence intended but it is fact.
Gas the animal would be a better option if you cant crush its skull.

sounds like a better option then ...with gassing are you able to place the body of the snake into a creek bed as food without effecting the water life ? cause I always give dead snakes water buriels ,that way its useless death caused by humans doesnt go to waste...leaving them on the road is bad as it only encourages other wildlife to become the next victim...

 

[smacdonald]

If you use carbon dioxide to gas the animal, it's perfectly safe to put back into the wild. Carbon monoxide should be safe as well, but if you get your carbon monoxide from a car's exhaust there will be pollutants in the dead animal's body that may render it unsafe.

Beheading has been mentioned as a method of killing. Beheading a snake won't kill it instantly. Crushing the brain will. Beheading and then crushing the brain will obviously kill the animal, but the beheading step is unnecessary and will only cause the animal pain. Crushing the brain instantly is the best way of killing any wild animal. It's quick (if done correctly) and it means the dead animal can be safely returned to the bush.

Freezing an animal is certainly easy, as is just leaving it to let nature take its course. But they're not the best methods for the animal. If you're serious about relieving an animal's suffering, grab a hammer (or a rock, your boot, a shovel, whatever).

Of course, if you're dealing with a venomous/dangerous species you need to use whichever method will keep you safe.


Stewart

 

[smacdonald]

Back to the injured pale-headed snake. You need to determine if the jaw is broken. I've never heard of anyone rehabilitating a snake with a broken jaw, so you might have to kill it.

Has anyone had any success with snakes with broken jaws?


Stewart

 

[Colletts]

Back to the injured pale-headed snake. You need to determine if the jaw is broken. I've never heard of anyone rehabilitating a snake with a broken jaw, so you might have to kill it.

Has anyone had any success with snakes with broken jaws?


Stewart

Well when i pinned it the night i found it he had no trouble opening his mouth at me. And when i checked it the day after he did the same however it opens up a little less on that side. I'm hoping this is just because it's very sore and not because it's broken. Tomorrow i will attempt to have a good look at it and if i notice he can't open that side at all or only slightly, i will ring the vet and see if she will at least do an x-ray for me. And if she wont i guess im sort of stuck. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it though, no use worrying now.

If i do have to kill it, could i place it in the fridge long enough to slow it right down so that when i attempt to crush it's skull, it wont move. That's the only thing i'm worried about- not doing the job properly and causing him more pain. At least with chopping it's head off you've got a bit of room to work with. But if it's going to prolong his suffering, would the fridge first and then hammer method work?

 

[smacdonald]

The snake will probably have to be anaesthetised for an x-ray. I guess you'll need an x-ray of the side of the animal's head. That will be hard to do on an alert animal. If the animal's in a tube you could give it an injectable sedative/anaesthetic if the vet has anything that will work in that manner.

Putting the animal in the fridge should slow it down, but it will also stress it. You'll need to do whatever you think is necessary to ensure your safety and the welfare of the animal. You might be able to simply pin the animal on the neck and then use the hammer. Obviously the hammer technique is most effective when the animal is on a solid surface. Don't try it on grass.


Stewart

 

[Colletts]

The snake will probably have to be anaesthetised for an x-ray. I guess you'll need an x-ray of the side of the animal's head. That will be hard to do on an alert animal. If the animal's in a tube you could give it an injectable sedative/anaesthetic if the vet has anything that will work in that manner.

Putting the animal in the fridge should slow it down, but it will also stress it. You'll need to do whatever you think is necessary to ensure your safety and the welfare of the animal. You might be able to simply pin the animal on the neck and then use the hammer. Obviously the hammer technique is most effective when the animal is on a solid surface. Don't try it on grass.


Stewart

Yeah no i wouldn't do it on grass. I might have a few practice goes on something non living first to get my hammer skills up to scratch coz i'd really hate to stuff up. I've done it on a few birds before, didn't use enough strength (clonking or de-capitating) and it made me feel SOO bad for days! It's the worst feeling ever. Since those few bad shots i've gone a bit soft and usually get someone else to do it for me.

 

[smacdonald]

When clonking, I always deliver several blows in rapid succession. I completely pulverise the head/brain within a few seconds.

Siblings are good to practise on.


Stewart

 

[salebrosus]

Why are you still even considering euthanasia. People on this site are far too quick to recommend euthanasing an animal. Animals learn to survive in the wild with horrendous injuries. Release it.

A keeper on this site has an Olive that had a badly broken jaw. Some quiet time and no food for a while and the animal recovered. It has a permanent smile on tis face but it is a live and well.

W T F is all this "if i have to euthanse" stuff? I'm also surprised the vet hadn't recommended cortisone to reduce any swelling in the animal.

 

[zulu]

re Injured

Load of stuffing around actually doing the snake more harm than good,they heal faster in the wild in most cases,ive had an adult waterpython for eg that had massive scarring around its body and a crocodiles tooth ended up festering out,it had all healed up when it had escaped the crocodile in the wild,until the NT goverment issued a takers permit :lol: You onley have to see the amount of reptiles in the wild with one eye or a leg missing,big scars etc they are hardy and recouperate when left in the wild.
Gassing and beheading,sounds like dubai entertainment :lol:

 

[smacdonald]

they heal faster in the wild in most cases

What evidence do you have to back up that statement?


Stewart