Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Posting for a friend- her kingsnake has been biten (nearly mutilated) in some areas from it's feed.

What can she do for him? I'm waiting for more details

As you made it sound..............VET!!!!!

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www.Wood-N-Snakes.com
http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/index.php?photo=239417&si=tobyeking

She should take the snake to a vet and learn from this expensive lesson. Never feed snakes live rodents. I have kept many dozens of snakes and over the last 10 years I have never offered a snake a live mouse any larger than a pinkie.
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Chris Harrison
Central Texas

Year after year I see the same exact post on every forum. Doesn't anybody listen to the people that have been in this hobby for decades? Many of the caresheets stress the fact that you should never feed live rodents, unless under strict supervision, or if your getting a hatchling started on rodents by feeding live pinkies. I understand that sometimes, especially with wild caught, that some herps will start out eating only live rodents, but use some common sense. Absolutely DO NOT leave a live rodent in with a herp over night! Some people use the excuse that they want to see the snake kill it's prey, rent a National Goegraphic documentary! COME ON PEOPLE IF YOU GOING TO BE A HERP OWNER BE A LITTLE MORE RESPONSIBLE!!!!!!
-Phil

Funny how you posted this on the cornsnake forum as well... Either that or the Ballpython forum (I switch back and forth). I could have sworn I saw this message. And people over there told you the exact same thing.

I saw it in the cornsnake forum as well, its funny jayson me and you go in the same forums.

Listen to the experts people,dont ignore them.
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1.0 Albino Corn "Lucky"
1.0 Snow Corn "Snow"
0.0.4 Southern Ringneck "Collar", "Bc", "Lazy", "Biggie"
1.0 Green Amevia "Gizard"

A lot of folks may be mad at you right now, but I'm sure most of us made mistakes too when we were younger (I know I have)
Sorry about your experience, but hopefully "she's" learned about this experience and does her homework before keeping ANY pets!!!

Meanwhile: If you can't afford to take pet to vet; Reduce stress and keep it warm & clean:
1. Don't handle snake unless you HAVE to & isolate snake away from people for abaout the first week (put in a room or area where snake can't see you or cover cage but keep it ventilated)
2. raise room/cage temperature (to about 84 degrees) to speed healing and fight off bacteria
3. Clean cage (but only when needed) and keep it VERY clean to keep bacteria at a minimum. Check cage EVERY day for stools, spilled water or a snake that has been soaking in it's water dish.
4. Provide extra hide materials to reduce further stress (put in several folded sheets of newspaper on top of snake).
5. Ensure snake drinks clean water every few days (if you're not sure if snake has been drinking water: Gently pick snake up and set it's head in the water dish every three days or so to see if it's thirsty. Then back away and let it drink)
6. Any doubt. . .ASK anything - No question is a dumb one if you honestly don't know. . .
Hope this helps. . .

I know I learned from my mistakes when I was MUCH younger. . .
Biggest lesson learned: Know everything you can about the pet
B-E-F-O-R-E taking it home (wether it's a snake OR a dog) . . .

Zee

Zee's advice is good and Toby's is also good and don't be bummed at getting yelled at. Learn from this mistake and if you must feed live, learn how to stun the prey item and stay there to make sure it doesn't wake back up before your snake dispatches it. Or better yet, prekill the mouse and stay until eaten. Feed only when you have time to see the job through. Always check to make sure your snake has eaten the item, if not, freeze mouse and rethaw at a later date. I feed live stunned or freshly killed rodents and stay to make sure I am there to offer "help" should the prey item become a problem for the snake. Hope this helps.
Todd Hughes

You know guys...we can chastize all we want to but in the defense of those who have had and are having problems with snakes/herps being attacked by their food...We have learned over the years that buying from a breeder is the best thing to do whatever the pet species. But, almost everyone buys their first pet anything from a pet shop...they get their feeding advice from that pet shop...still with me ? The information is bad and the lesson learned stays with MOST of us...give constructive advice...don't attack...that's what turns people off, AND it's not like most of us haven't made mistakes in the past and will make them in the future...that's my nickle's worth...Helane

I don't want to start a flame war, as I know only a fraction of the information that others (dont wanna name names) have on this forum. But serriously....I got my first corn from a pet shop and WELL before that I was on these kingsnake forums lurking, asking questions and such BEFORE I brought my baby home. I dont mean to be stuck up or anything but should ALL people do that before bringing home a new pet? Maybe some of the replies were brutal and maybe we should be more understanding but if you just brush it off and say "its ok its ok but dont feed live anymore"... Then this info will get BRUSHED off, believe me Ive done it and made mistakes because people didnt explain consequences to me (maybe I should have thought them up myself) about the snake hobby. So IMO actually if you explain to the person that its not ok or that its ok under certain guidelines and rules then this person will probably say to him/her self "wow these guys talk a lot and are making sense maybe I should do what they say". And thats all it takes....