Want To Live Feed Your Snakes???? WARNING SHOCKING PIC!!!

[Reptilerescueden]

Yesterday we got a call from a guy in Southport in Lancashire, who claimed he had a non feeding boa constrictor that hadn't eaten for 3 months, it apparently started to lose a bit of weight and wanted us to collect to see what we could do. He told us how he came by the snake as a 'friend' was going to leave it in an empty flat so he took on the snake. We arrange to collect later and wasn't overly worried about the conversation. 30 minutes or so later he rang back rather distressed saying he tried to feed a large live rat to the snake the night before and had left it with the snake over night and the snake was in a very bad way. I suggest he take the snake immediately to a vet but he replied that he was unemployed and couldn't afford a vet. So I arranged to collect the snake that afternoon as this was the soonest we could get there as we were in transit on the way to Congleton, Cheshire.

Within the next hour and 45 minutes we arrived in Southport to pick the snake up. When we got the we couldn't believe our eyes. The poor guy was so appologetic and explained that if he had known that you should never live feed , as I had explained on the phone earlier, he would never have attempted it. He went on to explain that the previous owner had fed live but the onlt time he fed the snake 3 months earlier it had eaten a defrosted rat. This guy was completely genuine and truely distressed. He had previously tried to get help with the snake because it wasn't eating but never got any help no matter where he went. He never had the internet neither.

We put the snake in a Rub and made the immediate decision to get the snake to the vets that night if possible. The time then was 5pm and our vets Penninevets.co.uk closed at 6.30pm. The traffic was horrendous and I think we hit every bloody red traffic light going, or so it seemed. Phil, my OH, put his foot down where it was safely possible and a few times I am sorry to say we did go through the occassional red light. At 5.40pm we hadn't even made it to Chorley so I rang our vets to explain the situation and asked Ian if he would be prepared to stay a little later if we couldn't get there on time. I was told they would do their best and ring back nearer to 6.30pm to let them know where exactly we where. All we could could thing of was doing our best to get there on time to help this poor snake.

At 6.20pm we had made it to Astley Bridge in Bolton so we was 15 minutes away from the vets at most and I rang back Ian. He sain no problem just let yourselves in. We arrived at 6.35pm. We opened the Rub and the nurse couldn't belive her eyes, I was fighting back the tears and trying to keep it together but all I could think of was this all could of been prevented. We went into the consultation room and Ian saw the poor snake...think you could say he also was shocked. The snake had 17 rat bite wounds, 5 of which was approx, 15mm deep. Some of the bitten right into the spine and into the spinal cord. Because this snake was in such a poor way the only option was to put him to sleep.

Now the reason for this snake not eating was probably down to respiratory infection that was so bad he probably had it before the guy had taken on the snake from the 'friend'. Only the guy lacked any knowledge on such things and failed to recognise the symptoms.

If you have a snake that refuses to feed it is probably down to one of the following reasons.... 1. not hungry, 2. brumation, 3, not being kept in the correct conditions, 4. illness which can often be down to being not kept the correct way. Please do NOT resort to feeding live or you may find you end up facing this kind of images.



















By the way the rat is fine for those of you who are rat fans!

[chewy86]

[rachel132002]

That is not all from one incident and that is from a keeper leaving a rat in unattended for a long period of time and normally it's rats who don't have adequate food/water that do that.

It's horrendous yes but sometimes live is what's needed, i've had many snakes here who have been raised on live and as such don't recognise anything but, i however NEVER leave them unattended, if a snakes going to eat it's on it straight away and my rats have unlimited food/water.

I'm not defending the guy for letting the snake get that way but maybe the snake wouldn't eat frozen which is odd in the case of a boa and not everyone gets taught the same way.

EDIT: Just to clarify, i don't feed live for fun it's not fun but those who only eat live i'm not gunna let them starve and i've NEVER had a rat bite a snake ever, it can hapen but those pics are chews from a hungry/scared rat left for a prolonged time.

[wildlifewarrior]

Thats disgusting...and those imagines are shocking and soul crushing aswell.

I am sorry that it had to be put to sleep but it seems the vet did the right thing,i bet the snake was in so much pain aswell

One thing most can take away from this thread(apart from the ovbious) is that the work you do is amazing. What if you couldnt have been there,how much longer would the snake have had to suffer, you do an amazing job and i dont think its reckonised enough

[hognose66]

that is redicules, what a idiot for letting that happen cappital punishment shud be brought back

mick

[palomine]

The amount of people I have the 'live feeding' conversation with.....they all seem to think we're against it for the 'cruelty' to the mouse or rat.....If only they knew why we were against it so much..It can be so detrimental to the snake. This poor mite was proof of that. So sickening this has happened but least he/she is not in pain now.

[Ben-f]

keepers like that are disgusting! good on you though for trying its a shame it had to end like that

[Reptilerescueden]

Originally Posted by rachel132002

That is not all from one incident and that is from a keeper leaving a rat in unattended for a long period of time and normally it's rats who don't have adequate food/water that do that.

It's horrendous yes but sometimes live is what's needed, i've had many snakes here who have been raised on live and as such don't recognise anything but, i however NEVER leave them unattended, if a snakes going to eat it's on it straight away and my rats have unlimited food/water.

I'm not defending the guy for letting the snake get that way but maybe the snake wouldn't eat frozen which is odd in the case of a boa and not everyone gets taught the same way.

EDIT: Just to clarify, i don't feed live for fun it's not fun but those who only eat live i'm not gunna let them starve and i've NEVER had a rat bite a snake ever, it can hapen but those pics are chews from a hungry/scared rat left for a prolonged time.

That is from keeping the rat in with the rat over night like I say, the fact the snake wasn't well to defend it's self speaks for it's self. It has also previously eater a defrosted rat 3 mths before!

[Reptilerescueden]

Originally Posted by wildlifewarrior

Thats disgusting...and those imagines are shocking and soul crushing aswell.

I am sorry that it had to be put to sleep but it seems the vet did the right thing,i bet the snake was in so much pain aswell

One thing most can take away from this thread(apart from the ovbious) is that the work you do is amazing. What if you couldnt have been there,how much longer would the snake have had to suffer, you do an amazing job and i dont think its reckonised enough

Thanks love, but I just wish he had been given my number before he attempted the live feed.

[rachel132002]

I just find it incredible people will leave rats unattended, the snake clearly has mouth rot etc and i can see why it was PTS i can only imagine how frustrating it is to be a rescue seeing these things time and time again.

In one respect though i wish livefeeding could be more openly discussed so people can be educated on what and whatnot to do e.g. do it because you need to not because you want to and for gods sake keep an eye on the rat, if it wasn't so hushed perhaps things like this could be avoided here and there?