bad mouse bite.

[Animal_gal]

hi. sorry, i don't have time to search the forums for this issue so i'm just going to post and hope i can get some answers from you guys.

i don't know how bad this really is but i figured it seems bad to me and it might get some attention. haha.

my snake just shed about two days ago and ate two mice today. the second mouse bit him just above the eye and a little bit of the scale is missing and the eyecap is torn halfway off. i keep holding him still and it looks like the eye itself is fine. granted, i could be wrong. it's a bit hard to tell with the eyecap torn the way it is.

i need to know asap if i need to get him to a vet because as far as i know there aren't any reptile vets in town so i'd have to make a trip and i'd like to do it this weekend, as i won't be here next weekend.

i don't want to wait for his next shed to come. if that's your answer, i'd appreciate any alternatives or suggestions for pulling the rest of the skin off of his eye so that he can at least see clearly.
he enjoys digging through his substrate and i know if the cap remains the way it is, the substrate will get stuck between the cap and his eye very easily and won't come out, which may cause not only impaired vision but possibly pain. should i remove him from his cage and find a makeshift one with newspaper instead?

or.. something? anything? ... help?

any kind of help or feedback would mean the world to me right now. thank you.

 

[airenlow]

Anything involving the eyes would get a vet visit out of me. Others will be along soon with more advice. My only other thought is to get him on f/t asap. This is exactly why a bunch of people on this forum suggest not feeding live prey.:shrugs:

 

[LBoz]

I don't have any advice about the eye itself, but I do think I'd remove the aspen and keep him on paper towels for a while to avoid further irritation. Good luck with him.

 

[Animal_gal]

I don't have any advice about the eye itself, but I do think I'd remove the aspen and keep him on paper towels for a while to avoid further irritation. Good luck with him.

Thanks for the reply. That's kinda what I was thinking, but I definitely don't use aspen so you may have a different idea of what would happen if I left him in his cage than I do.

 

[starsevol]

I would go to the vet as well. Eye injuries can be nasty.

And please convert your snake to thawed.
This is exactly the reason that most of us use thawed.
Thawed is also cheaper (in most cases) and more convienient.
It's also a more humane death for the mouse.

 

[wade]

Wow You guy are fast and a lot nicer than I.

I’m sorry to hear you are so busy that you can’t search the forums. There is a wealth of knowledge there at your fingertip if only you had the time.

One of the things you would have learned had you taken the time to do any research at all is that nobody recommends feeding live mice to their snakes. It seems that those in the know feel there is too high of a likelihood that the mouse may bite the snake and do it harm. Imagine.

If it were I, I would put your snake in a vivarium with no wood shavings. I would use maybe newspaper or paper towels. Make sure he has a good hide and that one end of the viv is at around 86*. Make sure it has a water bowl big enough to soak in if he chooses to do so.

Then I guess I’d sit down and have some good one on one with myself. I give some thought to how important this animal is to me and weather I can be bothered with the time and expense of a Veterinarian. Either way, once the animal was healthy, I’d start looking for a buyer.

 

[Animal_gal]

Alright, I'd like to get the record straight:
I am not switching to f/t mice.

Smeagol is seven years old now and has been eating live mice literally his entire life. He knows what he's doing to say the least and he hasn't had any problems until right now. One instance after a clean record of seven years sounds pretty good to me.

I'd also like to note that killing mice by freezing them is not a more humane way to kill mice. It's actualy a lot more painful and frightening, and it's obviously an extremely long, drawn out process.
I don't have the money or resources to access frozen mice. It's not within the question. F/t mice is not an option.

I am not asking for people to preach to me. Let me repeat. Do not preach. I'm asking for people's suggestions so that I can help my snake. I'm not asking for your opinion on f/t mice.

I'll take my questions elsewhere. Thanks for your time.

 

[airenlow]

Thanks for the reply. That's kinda what I was thinking, but I definitely don't use aspen so you may have a different idea of what would happen if I left him in his cage than I do.

What substrate are you currently using?

Edit: Too slow...OP apparently doesn't care

 

[starsevol]

So, his injury was a direct result of your refusal to do what's best for him.
FYI, mice are NOT frozen alive, they are gassed with CO2, and the death IS humane.
You don't need "money and resourses" to access frozen mice. Most petshops carry them.
You asked how to help your snake. I think that by not putting him in danger in the future would help your snake, ALOT.

One instance of injury after 7 years of feeding sounds like a pretty CRAPPY record to me. It shouldn't have happened. In 14 years, I have owned a total of 35 cornsnakes, 12 rosy boas, 3 ball pythons, a cali king, 2 desert kings, and a grey banded king. I have raised several dozen corn hatchlings. I have fed frozen/thawed every single time to every single one. I have had 1, exactly 1 feeding accident, and it was a freak thing.

WHY won't you even consider what's best for your snake?
He (and the mice) are the ones who suffer here.

Alright, I'd like to get the record straight:
I am not switching to f/t mice.

Smeagol is seven years old now and has been eating live mice literally his entire life. He knows what he's doing to say the least and he hasn't had any problems until right now. One instance after a clean record of seven years sounds pretty good to me.

I'd also like to note that killing mice by freezing them is not a more humane way to kill mice. It's actualy a lot more painful and frightening, and it's obviously an extremely long, drawn out process.
I don't have the money or resources to access frozen mice. It's not within the question. F/t mice is not an option.

I am not asking for people to preach to me. Let me repeat. Do not preach. I'm asking for people's suggestions so that I can help my snake. I'm not asking for your opinion on f/t mice.

I'll take my questions elsewhere. Thanks for your time.

 

[Nanci]

So would you feel the same if Smeagle had lost his eye??? It only takes one time. You've had fair warning. If you can't buy FT mice, you can at least pre-kill them. The snake really won't even care.

 

[Em Wright]

I know you don't want to hear preaching, but stop for a second and think how you'd feel being swallowed alive? At the very least attempt to stun the mouse so that there isn't a repeat of the snake being injured.

I feed my snakes f/t... it's easier for me to get in my location, safer for my girls, and at least the mouse isn't alive while it's being swallowed and digested.

For the record I've heard that mice are commonly euthanised via a CO2 chamber, which basically just puts the mouse to sleep. Anyone who would put a mouse in the freezer to kill it is inhumane, in my opinion, and I highly doubt that people here do that. Allowing the mouse to be conscious is far more cruel to me than euthanising it via CO2.

And if you can't get frozen mice in your area you can always order via the internet for a very good price. I do know that the Aquarium store where I get my F/T mice do not keep (and are very iffy on even ordering) live mice to be used as snake food.

EDIT: Oh well, starsevol kind of beat me to the CO2 bit!

 

[jenneses]

Alright, I'd like to get the record straight:
I am not switching to f/t mice.

Smeagol is seven years old now and has been eating live mice literally his entire life. He knows what he's doing to say the least and he hasn't had any problems until right now. One instance after a clean record of seven years sounds pretty good to me.

I'd also like to note that killing mice by freezing them is not a more humane way to kill mice. It's actualy a lot more painful and frightening, and it's obviously an extremely long, drawn out process.
I don't have the money or resources to access frozen mice. It's not within the question. F/t mice is not an option.

I am not asking for people to preach to me. Let me repeat. Do not preach. I'm asking for people's suggestions so that I can help my snake. I'm not asking for your opinion on f/t mice.

I'll take my questions elsewhere. Thanks for your time.

While I understand how hard you believe it is to get frozen, there is always pre-killed as an option. You purchase the mouse, much like you've done in the past and euthanize it in a humane way. I understand you don't have time right now, but sometime in the next week you can research humane methods of euthanizing rodents. I don't want to preach, but such an injury to a snake should be a wake up to you that you want you're animal to be as safe as possible in your care. Live is not the way to ensure that.

As for your original question, I would absolutely be taking him to a vet.

 

[wade]

I remember when I was as smart as a 19 year old.

 

[Animal_gal]

I remember when I was as smart as a 19 year old.

Similarly, I remember when I was stupid enough to believe people when they told me their age over the internet.

 

[starsevol]

Wade, in another thread in this very section today a 16 year old told me to chill out. He wants to teach this f/t eater to eat live, and told me that feeder mice never bite snakes!

Well, God protects children and fools. But somebody should be protecting the SNAKES of those children and fools.....

 

[Em Wright]

Wade, in another thread in this very section today a 16 year old told me to chill out. He wants to teach this f/t eater to eat live, and told me that feeder mice never bite snakes!

Well, God protects children and fools. But somebody should be protecting the SNAKES of those children and fools.....

Very well said.

I feel sorry for the snake in this situation and any other situation where people do what's more convient for them, knowing it will harm the animal, but not caring. To be honest, I'm amazed the snake has lived for more than a few years. :awcrap:

 

[Nanci]

Similarly, I remember when I was stupid enough to believe people when they told me their age over the internet.

Are you saying you may have "misstated" your age? Because we know Wade, and he's no liar.

 

[Animal_gal]

A lot of people choose to feed their snakes live mice. Whether I do so or not is my business and mine alone. I understand and accept that there is a risk involved, and I accept that when injury is inflicted I will take the initiative and responsibility to take care of it as quickly and thoroughly as possible, which is exactly what I'm trying to do.

I'm trying to help my snake right now. He's hurt and I'm willing to do what I have to do to fix it. It doesn't matter how he's hurt because the damage is already done. When I've taken care of the problem I'll sit back and assess why it happened and determine on my own whether I feel it's worth feeding my snake live mice or not.

I'm asking for help in taking care of my snake's injury. I'm not asking for anyone's opinion on f/t mice. When I ask for it, then feel free to go ahead and tell me. F/t mice is not my concern right now. Sorry. I really don't care how you feel about feeding live mice. I care about the fact that my snake might be in immense pain right now and I'd like to remedy that as fast as I can.

 

[Nanci]

It's YOUR responsibility to make sure your snake is never injured again, for convenience's sake.

 

[Animal_gal]

Are you saying you may have "misstated" your age? Because we know Wade, and he's no liar.

I'm not calling him a liar. I'm saying that I could be a 60 year old pedophile and you wouldn't have a clue one way or another. Don't judge someone based off of their age; certainly don't judge someone based off of an age posted on the internet. That's downright stupid.