My neighbor found this poor dude badly stuck in some deer netting. He is very banged up and looks to have been stuck for a day or two but after an hour or so I was ago to get him fully cut out and free. I didn’t feel it would be responsible to release him given his condition, it’s not horrible or anything but it is bad enough that I didn’t think it would be smart.
So now ive got poor George in a bin in my basement, much to my mom’s dismay lol. But he is a very sweet boy. He is around 4.5-5 feet long and given his coloring I think he is only 2 or 3. Besides ones under 3 feet ive never seen one with as much pattern as him. Obviously it isn’t a sure way to predict age but ive seen and caught dozens of rat snakes around me and they are always around 90% black with very faint saddles visible by his size so I feel like he might just be a quick grower. When I first saw him all tangled up (I was like 20 feet away) my first thought was who lost a gopher/bull snake lol.
Anyway here he is, ignore the bad pictures I didn’t want to disturb him too much
He is getting a bath right now and he seems to be happy with it. Although he is stressing me out with how much he is keeping his head under the water. I keep occasionally moving his head up cause I don’t feel like having a snake drown itself lol
I’m not exactly sure yet. I want to say that the plan is to release him but at the same time he is very slow moving right now and it’s hard to say when he will get full mobility back. His mouth is also a bit messed up (he had a ton of the netting stuck in mouth) and I’m not sure how quickly that will heal.
I’d suggest looking into wildlife rescue/rehab folks in your area, just in case you need them in the long run. Getting caught in netting can cause some secondary problems that could require veterinary intervention/antibiotics. Additionally, since you have reptiles of your own (if they’re in the same house), be extra cognizant of hand washing and quarantine procedures.
Hey there Logan! So glad to see you pop in! That’s awesome of you to rescue/rehab that unfortunate fella! I’m not sure what deer netting is but it sounds kinda similar to the netting type material that is used to cultivate new grass after seed has been sown.
My daughter n law found what was probably a black rat snake tangled up in the netting my son had put down after seeding in a shady area of the yard. Unfortunately the poor snake was already dead by the time they found it. They live in the country with a wooded area behind their house so they have lots of critters out there.
Are you keeping up with your education? I think I remember you saying you wanted to have a vet practice with a reptile supply/shop right next door……. I hope you are still headed in the direction!
Soooo may have been a bit dumb tonight. I needed to feed Elmo so I was thawing out a couple mice and thought that a third wouldn’t hurt just to see how George reacted to it since they were getting old anyway and had full intentions of just giving it to the chickens in the morning but I no longer have a mouse for them. He actually took a f/t mouse within 5 minutes even with everything he has gone through. He clearly wants more, he is looking all over his tub lol. He is definitely a trooper.
And as much as I wish I would have thought this through, the mice I have currently are medium mice (around 15-20 grams) and he should realistically be getting x-large mice (35-45+) given his size. Even the small rats I have don’t look like they would be too big. Basically what I’m trying to say is that while I know it was dumb, it was a very small meal and shouldn’t cause damage.
That’s a good point, I’ll try to find some just in case. I do have a really good reptile vet though so hopefully that would just be a last resort.
For sure, he is in the basement (my room is on the second floor) so he is far away from my animals but I’m still being very cautious about washing hands and keeping things separated.
I think it is pretty similar to that actually. It’s basically just really really thin netting with ~1-2 inch holes that is usually 7 feet tall so even a couple feet of it can be a lot to deal with cause of the height.
And I’m still planning on being a vet (I have a college I’m 99% set on) but I’ve been leaning more towards livestock/horse veterinarian. But who knows, I change my mind all the time
My vet is part of a husband and wife team. She does the small animals/pocket pets/exotics side and her husband does the large animals/equine etc. side. Around here in the Midwest there is a great demand for large animal vets so depending upon where you will set up your practice, I would say you would be choosing a lucrative career! However it’s hard work and considerable traveling is involved, as you will have to go to your clients. However you will still be your own boss. That’s a plus!
I’m still proud of you no matter what you choose Logan! You’re gonna make a great vet no matter what size animal you choose to care for!
