| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| kdlang |
Posted - 17/08/2010 : 21:30:44
I got a phone call from my neighbour earlier and she told me she had a snake on her garden. When I went to look at it she had it on a shovel. One of the cats had been playing with it and it looked in a bad way. I thought it was dead as it wasn't moving and just laid there with its head leaning to the side. Anyway I was just on my way to football training so I told her to leave it where it was and I would take a pic when I got back to identify it although I was pretty certain it was a grass snake.
So I get back from football training and go round to her house and she tells me it is still alive, and lo n behold its tail is moving.
OK so now I have a dilema. The snake really does look to be in a bad way. It is only a tiny baby and seems to have pretty bad damage to its spine. When I brought it home tho, despite looking dead, it rattled it's tail at me. Now I have read that grass snakes can play dead so I don't want to write the poor little thing off but my brain is telling me it won't or shouldn't survive anyway.
So please help me with what to do. Shall I put it on a heatmat and give it a chance, shall I take it down the fields and let nature takes its course or shall I put it out of it's misery. The latter I really don't know how to do or even if I could do it although if it's the best thing for the little baby then I would have to do it.
Pic below taken when my neighbour had it. Iv got him in a little cardboard box at the moment on some kitchen roll with a little bottle top of water.
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| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mort13 |
Posted - 16/11/2010 : 13:14:00
Aww no thats tragic,poor thing At least its not suffering now.
It does look like its been ran over or hit though? |
| Oh How Original |
Posted - 16/11/2010 : 02:16:33
I thought the same about the shovel thing...
This may sound horrible but it looks too flat and "deflated"
Surely a cat would have ripped it to bits, it clearly couldn't defend itself at this point?
R.I.P |
| miss_mystra |
Posted - 06/09/2010 : 14:07:02
quote:
Originally posted by kdlang
I was thinking something else must have injured it and that was how the snake came to be being played with by the cat. Either that or my neighbour injured it further by scooping it up with the shovel. SHe isn't afraid of snakes as she holds mine but I'm guessing she didn't want to pick it up with not knowing what type it was. It probably would have been better if she had shouted me before picking it up either way. I will have to ask her tomorrow what state it was in when she first saw it.
I'm no expert but you're probably right, a cat would leave claw marks etc for that level of damage. My guess is, it could have been basking and then run over by a bike or something- mind you they're tiny so a bike would squash it more than that? It looks like somethings run it over looking at the pic looks like part of it has been flattened
then the cat probably picked it up and bought it home as a lovely gift! :s
Poor thing tho, such a shame as we don't get much in the way of snakes |
| kdlang |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 20:57:16
I was thinking something else must have injured it and that was how the snake came to be being played with by the cat. Either that or my neighbour injured it further by scooping it up with the shovel. SHe isn't afraid of snakes as she holds mine but I'm guessing she didn't want to pick it up with not knowing what type it was. It probably would have been better if she had shouted me before picking it up either way. I will have to ask her tomorrow what state it was in when she first saw it. |
| n/a |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 16:41:02
quote:
Originally posted by gingerpony
with the damage it's sustained to the front third of it's body i'd say it's prolly not the cat to blame it was the shovel...........
Blessed Be
I thought exactly the same...
RIP |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 14:02:02
quote:
Originally posted by gingerpony
with the damage it's sustained to the front third of it's body i'd say it's prolly not the cat to blame it was the shovel...........
Blessed Be
I was thinking they looked like strange injuries for a cat to inflict. Either way i think with the tyoe of injuries sustained it was probably better off dead. Even if it lived, i don't think it could have been re-released into the wild as the chances where it wouldn't be able catch food and it would have just pro longed his suffering. |
| gingerpony |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 13:49:27
with the damage it's sustained to the front third of it's body i'd say it's prolly not the cat to blame it was the shovel...........
Blessed Be |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 13:26:42
Poor little grass snakie :( It's such a shame although it is probably better off dead looking at it. Hope the cat responsible gets hit with a water pistol or something. |
| kdlang |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 12:32:05
Well the poor little thing hasn't moved all night and is more rigid so I think I can safely say he has died if he wasn't already dead before. I'm glad I didn't have to worry about killing it as I would have felt really guilty even knowing it was the right thing to do. |
| princessbroxy |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 11:25:23
Its a shame its not as easy as putting a stookie on it poor we guy if i were you i would take it to the nearest rspca and let them deal with it. |
| FiestaSTLou |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 11:16:28
poor little snakey :( |
| Mnementh |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 11:08:01
quote:
Originally posted by stotty01
this is gonna sound horrible but if you do put it out of its misery just cut its head of, will go through the spinal cord and will be dead, may twitch but its the nerves
Absolutely not true , never cut a snakes head off , they can live for up to an hour and even snap at you etc if you get close , there was a big paper done on this .
Also popping them in your freezer is a big no no .
Apart from euthanising at the vets , there is only one way really and quite gruesome . |
| sullysteve |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 10:28:55
very disturbing |
| princessbroxy |
Posted - 18/08/2010 : 09:50:04
poor we thing |
| kdlang |
Posted - 17/08/2010 : 22:38:51
I think it is dead. I picked it up to put it in a more secure tub for the night and it didn't move altho I thought I saw its mouth move a bit it could have been my imagination. My neighbour said it had been moving it's head from side to side before I went to get it. I'v been trying to see if i can see it breathing but there is nothing.
I think I am going to leave it where it is till morning and if it hasn't moved then i think i can safely say its dead. |
| lee2308 |
Posted - 17/08/2010 : 22:23:31
when i had my mbk put to sleep the tail carried on moving for hours,so it probely is dead,can you see its chest moving or any other signs of life? |
| stotty01 |
Posted - 17/08/2010 : 22:01:46
this is gonna sound horrible but if you do put it out of its misery just cut its head of, will go through the spinal cord and will be dead, may twitch but its the nerves |
| matty18714 |
Posted - 17/08/2010 : 21:56:02
Thats a sorry sight. I would put it out of its misery. |
| stotty01 |
Posted - 17/08/2010 : 21:53:39
oh my god thats awful :( what happened or doesn't your neighbour know? if it was me by looking at it i would put it out of its misery as hard as it would be :/ |
| Kehhlyr |
Posted - 17/08/2010 : 21:38:18
It is a grass snake, and is quite badly damaged, however shaking it's tail at you is a fraction of hope for it. (but not a lot by the looks of it).
Keep it in a secure box somewhere, room temp will do and see how it is tomorrow.
I personally wouldn't hold out much hope for it by looking at it, so tomorrow you may well have to do the decent thing if it's still like it and hasn't moved much. |
