monkeyboy
Not so new Member
Greetings and Merry Christmas everyone, its Steve here from Pimpama on the Gold Coast. I live on 12 acres and if I listed all the reptiles I come across here you think I was lying, keeps you on your toes lets just say.
The other day I found this Yellow Faced Whip Snake very close to dead at home, I gave it some water and shelter and tried to save it but it was all over. It had a huge lump which I thought might have been a tree frog cause there was heaps of the little buggers hopping around my place during the recent rains here on the Gold Coast.
When it was dead I thought I might as well have a look, turns out the lump was a mass of worms. It had eaten a skink recently but that wasnt the lump, I think the worms were its downfall.
I guess this is one reason you rarely see wild stuff that reaches the size and health of captive bred reptiles.
I have a wild carpet that pops in from to my place from time to time and he is a monster, bigger than any of my captive snakes, he is most likely packed with worms, hope I dont get to see them one day too soon.
There is also an Eastern Brown that Ive seen for months now on my property, he is hell bent on getting to my rats and he looks very healthy to say the least. (Im almost certain if we were to bite each other it would be brown 1, me nill)
Was just wondering, from the guys that come across wild stuff frequently, are these big, healthy looking snakes usually packed with worms, mites, whatever? Is it usual for them to die from it? I am assuming a little whip snake could be knocked around easier than a big python, but they have to make it to that size somehow.
Anyway, good reason to ensure your snakes are parasite free.
some pics:
The other day I found this Yellow Faced Whip Snake very close to dead at home, I gave it some water and shelter and tried to save it but it was all over. It had a huge lump which I thought might have been a tree frog cause there was heaps of the little buggers hopping around my place during the recent rains here on the Gold Coast.
When it was dead I thought I might as well have a look, turns out the lump was a mass of worms. It had eaten a skink recently but that wasnt the lump, I think the worms were its downfall.
I guess this is one reason you rarely see wild stuff that reaches the size and health of captive bred reptiles.
I have a wild carpet that pops in from to my place from time to time and he is a monster, bigger than any of my captive snakes, he is most likely packed with worms, hope I dont get to see them one day too soon.
There is also an Eastern Brown that Ive seen for months now on my property, he is hell bent on getting to my rats and he looks very healthy to say the least. (Im almost certain if we were to bite each other it would be brown 1, me nill)
Was just wondering, from the guys that come across wild stuff frequently, are these big, healthy looking snakes usually packed with worms, mites, whatever? Is it usual for them to die from it? I am assuming a little whip snake could be knocked around easier than a big python, but they have to make it to that size somehow.
Anyway, good reason to ensure your snakes are parasite free.
some pics:
