Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was out hiking with my girlfriend and we came across a northern ringneck. He is totally jacked up. It looks like a bird might have gotten him. We decided to bring him home and try to nurse him back to health. The last 2 inches or so of his tail are destroyed. It looks like nothing but bone. no scales, no meat, nothing but a spiney mangled stick. He's got scars all over him. He does seem pretty active though. He's also in a shed cycle. So I need suggestions on what to do here. It's my first rescue and I've never had to treat any of my snakes for trauma. I don't even know what these things eat. He's way too small for even a pinky. Somebody please tell me something!

The main foods for northern ringnecks are worms, salamanders, snakes, and other small insects. You will most likely have to try to feed it a frozen thawed nightcrawler or small worm(depending on the size of the snake). I think you should help the snake shed, as much as possible. Maybe other people can tell you how to help the snake, does it move around or anything? How was it found?
Michael
Michael's Place

-----

http://www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Helmz614@aol.com

If anyone can tell me how to put a picture on this stupid thing I would glady show what this things tail looks like.

ok,

click "Photo Gallery" at the top of the page

click "Upload Photos"

Login

Fill out the thingy that comes up next

Click "Upload/Submit"

Come back to this forum, start a message, type in what you need to say, go to the bottom of the form of your new message and SELECT IMAGE from "Select Image from Photo Gallery"

If you can't figure out how to do that, email the picture to me and I'll post it.
Michael

Michael's Place

-----

http://www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Helmz614@aol.com

Thanks. Here's a picture. Look good, he's messed up. It's gonna be tough getting him back in shape to be released.

That's a ringneck snake(Diadophis punctatus), it looks like a Northern ringneck(edwardsii), but I'm pretty sure you are in the rannge of the Mississippi ringneck(stictogenys) as well. It probably will be difficult to nurse it back to health, you should probably just let it go now, ringnecks are known to be difficult captives, and one that is injured will likely be more shy than they usually would be. You will waste alot of time attempting to get it to eat.
Michael
Michael's Place

-----

http://www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Helmz614@aol.com

THANKS FOR THE HELP. I ALREADY GOT HIM SO I FIGURE I'LL GIVE IT A SHOT HELPING HIM. THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS MAKE ANYTHING WORSE, I MEAN, I BROUGHT HIM HOME TO TRY TO HELP HIM. SO AT THE FIRST SIGN OF A PROBLEM I'LL TAKE HIM BACK WHERE I FOUND HIM AND RELEASE HIM. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE ADVISE, THIS LITTLE GUY IS NOTHINFG LIKE THE BOIDS I'M USED TO KEEPING.

WELL...AT LEAST I TRIED