Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. I have an injured Common or maybe Eastern Garter that needs help. I got him a week ago when a kid dragged a log on it without knowing. The snakes head was deformed and had blood gushing out. I rinsed the snake off and I sent it home with my dad along with another garter I had caught. Luckily I had set up a terrarium the day before. I just got back last night and the garter is doing okay. I have the cage set up in a natural way, with dirt, rocks, and plants. The two snakes are living together. I also have a large bowl with live guppies in it. My dad put in crickets additionally. I think he is eating but I haven’t had the time to check yet. My dad said he saw it eat a guppy. Now, here is my question. He has an eye that is closed up somehow. It looks how snakes eyes look when they are about to shed. But it is only in one eye. What do you think this could be, and how should I deal with it? Will the eye go back to normal eventually? Also, the snake’s head is not shaped normally. I can't afford to take it to a vet. Thanks.
-----
James

If the snake is eating, that is the most important sign that it is going to be OK. I found an injured garter last year and it had a somewhat similar injury....a huge gash from the side of her face up to the top of her head....it even lifted up the big scale that she had at the top of her head. I rinsed her head off and got her into a tall bucket, where she stayed pretty still for 3 days. Then , I put together a nice terrarium for her. After that, she started moving around more and more and her injury started to heal. But her eye had obviously been slashed...it healed over, but remained cloudy. She could not see out of it. Unfortunately, she would not eat for over 3 weeks....and then she gave birth to 9 babies! I thought she would eat after that, but she would not. She became very restless after she gave birth and would crawl back and forth in the tank constantly. After another 2 weeks of not eating, I rleased her back into the wild. I had no choice. I hope she made it. I put her right back where I had found her, so I know she knew the area. Anyway, I think these snakes are pretty tough and if yours is eating, the snake should be OK. Good luck!