Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Forgive me if this is the incorrect forum for this type of question, but other sites I have visited have yet to respond and I kind of need to know what to do with this poor little snake. My cat brought me a garter snake this morning and it has several puncture wounds, and corresponding blood loss. The bleeding had stopped, so I put it in a clean 5 gallon bucket and brought it inside to warm it up and it became pretty active, so I thought - gee, this guy might be ok. I thought maybe I should just let it go in a safe place (we live in the country), but since it is supposed to get down to freezing the next few nights, and I'm not sure how injured he is, I thought maybe I should keep it a few days instead. Right now he is in the bucket with some grass and a shallow dish of water. Should I try to put anything on his wounds or will that stress him out too much? I read that they eat earthworms - should I try to feed him? Thanks for your help. sillyygoose@aol.com

Rebecca:

It would be okay to put some neosporin, or povidone iodine (Betadine) on the snake's wounds. I would also suggest releasing it in a safe location as soon as possible. Garter snakes return to the same communal den sites every year, and I will venture to say that this one was going there. I think the temperatures are suppose to get back in to the 60's in the next couple of days, so that would be a good time to release it.

I do advise against keeping it- in Ohio, it is illegal to possess native reptiles or amphibians without a permit. If you are uncomfortable with releasing it, you may drop it off at All Creatures Animal Hospital (Dr. Meakin), and they will treat and release it. Make sure you explain the circumstances to them.

I hope that helps you.

Todd