Specimen: Ball Python female 1,025 grams. The previous owners got the bright idea of leaving a large live rat in with it then leaving for 3 days. Yes, you guessed it the rat started eating the ball python. This is one of the worst cases i've seen where the specimen survived the initial attack. My first concern was shock. The specimen had a portion of the tail vertabrate exposed for the last 1/14" no tissue. It had two wounds to the rear on the back, one was 1 1/2" long and 3/8" deep by 5/8" wide. The other was major, 3 5/8" long and 1 1/8" deep by 1 7/8" wide!!! The complete vertabrate was exposed and had massive bleeding and tissue loss. If anyone needs detail on treatment you can e-mail me. Lets just say it's been nearly 3 months of daily treatment and daily tacking of soft tissue to get the backbone covered. She's doing much better now and I hate to use the term but, has the sweetest temperment about everything she's been through! (I'd hate the world if I were her!) Just thought people here would appreciate this. Thanks Ray G. HBR www.herpbreedingresearch.com
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This is now....
Holy cow.....that poor baby!!! I'll admit, the pictures were graphic and disturbing, but you know what? They need to be sometimes, to show people why you SHOULDN'T leave a live rat (or any feeder animal) alone in the same habitat as the animal you are trying to feed, unsupervised. I'm stunned at the amount of progress she's made. It's all due to your care. You did an awesome job with her. Thanks for sharing the pics. I think the next BP publication should contain these pics for education purposes...have you submitted them to Reptile Magazine?
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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas
As of yet it has not been sumitted. You'd be surprised how many specimens we save each year that suffer just due to neglect by the owners. I have a whole file of specimens with major infections and injuries. I agree that these pics are graphic. It serves another purpose though.... It proves they can be saved!!
...i'd be in jail.
thanks for doing what you do and having more tolerance and self-control than i can imagine.
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mike
I agree with Mike!
I'd be in a jail cell right next to him!!
Thanks for all you do 
Dove
