Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, the cute brown snake I posted a pic of has died from it's lawn-rake-induced injuries- I was very optimistic when it started eating it would recover, but it obviously had some dents and lumps signalling internal injuries, and it died two days ago.

And yesterday I raked up another little snake... of the four I've found this winter, one is definitely a worm snake, the second, now deceased was definitely a brown snake...the other two are harder to pinpoint. the other one I found in December seems to me to be a brown snake at the grey end of the scale- subtle light stripe down the back, dark crescents just behind the jawbones, but it has an almost white, very neutral gray belly and is pretty gray. It likes to hide in leaf litter with it's head held an inch or two extended up like a periscope.

The one I caught yesterday is neutral gray, if anything has a dark stripe down it's back, has the light neutral grey belly, the habit of "periscoping", but has no head crescents, in fact has a paler band around it's head, 2/3rds of the way back (definitely around it's head, nowhere near it's neck). Is this a variation of the brown snake or something else?

I don't have a digital camera capable of getting a photo of such a small snake, am trying to borrow one... also so I can post pics of injuries/infections/infestations.

After the one snake died I went back and got some high magnification and carefully examined all these guys- they are a collective mess. I thought the rake had done most of the damage but the one I just found had a scrape all down it's side that was well-clotted when I found it, so I think they were pretty beat up even before I got to them...I have also found a tiny tick on the worm snake and some thick white scales, what the heck are those... one snake has a brownish mass lifting up one of it's belly plates, is this a scab?

I'm looking to become a fast expert here, vet care for these little guys really isn't feasible, options are to release and hope for the best, or attempt some treatment myself, so what advice does anyone have about over-the-counter meds- I don't want to break any rules about touting products, but I have available Repto-Heal for injuries, and Mite-Off from Zoo Med and Reptile Relief De-Flea from Natural Chemistries to treat for ticks/mites- anybody ever find any of those of any use in treating problems?

Thanks for the advice, I now really, really appreciate all the 100% perfectly healthy CB snakes I've got!

What state are you in?
Michael
Michael's Place

-----
Michael's Place has updated better caresheets
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

State of confusion... really North Carolina, Triangle Area...

We usually have a week of 70 degree weather in January, this has been it, so I offered a baby slug to the snake I have had awhile, no interest in that...but hardly surprising since the ?cut? under the snake's chin would probably be painful to try to eat with...I coated it with Repto-heal, will see if it seems to be improving, hard to tell if I should try to remove the brownish mass (?scab?) and then treat whatever actual injury still remains underneath...

Further research tells me that the lumps under the skin of the snake that expired may very well have been parasitic worms attempting to break free, yuck! It seems the life of a small terrestrial snake is full of horrors...none of the snakes I currently am nursing seem to have those, more a matter of injury, plus the more mundane parasites, I'm sure!

I have these guys in a quarantine area for now...

The one I caught yesterday is neutral gray, if anything has a dark stripe down it's back, has the light neutral grey belly, the habit of "periscoping", but has no head crescents, in fact has a paler band around it's head, 2/3rds of the way back (definitely around it's head, nowhere near it's neck). Is this a variation of the brown snake or something else?

Possibly a brown snake, does it look anything like the brown snakes you find!? Got a pic?
Michael
Michael's Place

-----
Michael's Place has updated better caresheets
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

These turn out be earth snakes, either rough or smooth, maybe Virginia striatuala. I will have to examine them more closely tonight ot see if the scales are rough or smooth- I found the reference by accident researching snakes in another state...

They are doing much better with Herpto-heal on their cuts- still have not directly observed them eating but have had the one now over 4 weeks with no discernable loss of body weight, so out of the slugs, worms, waxworms, and crickets I've put in there, they've eaten something! I will continue to monitor their condition closely for health...

Still trying to take pics...