| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| a33272 |
Posted - 28/06/2012 : 15:16:39
From this months PRK magazine, a timely reminder why not to use tape, an to prove it can happen to anyone.
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Rebekah.Taylor |
Posted - 27/05/2013 : 17:36:26
I made the same mistake with my first corn snake I couldn't do anything for him for crying I was only about 15 at the time my dad and my older brother cut off what they could and my mum rang the vet for me but they wouldn't see him as they didn't do reptiles fit they did say to put Vaseline around the edge and keep doing that and it worked really well |
| a33272 |
Posted - 27/05/2013 : 11:52:47
quote:
Originally posted by peppertess100
Omg!!
I will def not be using any tape in Sid's new home.
Good  |
| peppertess100 |
Posted - 27/05/2013 : 09:51:22
Omg!!
I will def not be using any tape in Sid's new home. |
| jenjen23 |
Posted - 11/09/2012 : 22:23:35
I made a stupid mistake like this when I first set-up Basil's Faun: The probe for the temp and hygro unit that I got was too large to fit through the holes in the lid so I decided to put the readout unit on the inside of the faun...stuck to the side using the included velcro patches. Very bad idea, the faun is in my bedroom, I got woken in the middle of the night by thrashing noises, turns out the velcro pad had come loose from the faun, but was still super sticky and Basil was stuck to it  Luckily I managed to gently peel off with only a couple of scales remaining on the pad so I think no harm done, I'm just glad I heard him and could rescue him before he hurt himself properly. Needless to say lesson learnt, the unit is now attached with an elastic band through the vents. Don't ever use anything sticky in the faun/viv! |
| Auld Baldy |
Posted - 11/09/2012 : 14:31:27
A properly statted mat and digital thermometer can safely be used inside the viv. The mat will not become hot enough to cause any harm. I doubt if having a heat mat under a wooden viv will allow sufficient heat through the base. OK for use under a plastic faun or tub.
I use thumb tacks to clip heat mats in place BUT NOT through the laminate. Just use the tack heads over the edge of the mat. Secure and easily to pop out for cleaning. |
| Isoldael |
Posted - 11/09/2012 : 13:53:03
Thanks for typing that all out! :)
@Welsh - You can put the heat mat outside the viv, underneath it. That way whatever you use with the heat mat won't come into contact with the snakes. |
| Welshlamb |
Posted - 11/09/2012 : 08:23:37
Wow! Truly terrifying. How would you recommend
Securing heat mats ?
I was considering double sided sticky tape but after seeing this its a definite NO. |
| Mike80 |
Posted - 11/09/2012 : 01:45:27
Here's the ful story, just in case anyone else was struggling to read it. Hopefully I'm not annoying anybody by making such a large post, but I thought it was worth showing the article in full to get the message across. 
A Sticky Situation
Up to this point, Mr Jones had been a happy man. He had kept a corn snake as a teenager and now he was older, he had decided to try and breed them. His pair of corn snakes had been cooled down over the winter and introduced together in the following spring. The female laid eggs uneventfully and he had placed these in his homemade incubator.
One young snake had hatched and Mr Jones was very pleased with this success. Unfortunately, however, he had not planned ahead and thought where this hatchling was going to live. It was obviously quite small and could not be placed in with the adults. There were also sliding doors in their quarters that would allow a young snake to squeeze out through the gaps in any case.
The solution seemed so simple. He modified a plastic box by drilling some holes for ventilation and placing some towelling in the base. This would easily fit into the vivarium so the hatchling could be kept warm but still be separated from the adults. The lid of the box was secured with tape to ensure no escape was possible.
The problem becomes clear
The adult snakes were fed weekly and had good appetites. That week, it had been very busy at work, with the weekend and feeding time coming round again quickly. Mr Jones followed his usual routine, defrosting two mice thoroughly as normal, and placing them in the tank.
As soon as he did so, the female snake came to feed and latched onto the mouse. It was at this point that he realised he had a problem. She had the tape that had been on the plastic box wrapped around her neck and was showing evident signs of distress as she was unable to swallow the mouse.
The male was nowhere to be seen but after some searching, Mr Jones found him with tape completely wrapped around his head! The tape was stuck fast on both snakes so he phoned the local pet shop immediately. Their advice was to seek veterinary attention without delay, so despite it being a Sunday afternoon and the fact that a call-out fee would be charged, Mr Jones found himself travelling to our clinic.
The snakes were indeed taped up and he explained that they had obviously investigated the plastic box and had clearly ended up wrapping themselves in the tape as a result. He confessed that he had been preoccupied with work and had not looked at the snakes as closely as usual, so the tape could have been in place for several days or more.
The main concern in this situation is the amount of damage that could be caused to the skin of the snakes. The male snake had a tiny hole over his nose, which luckily had allowed him to continue breathing, but both his eyes were under the tape, and he was unable to open his mouth. If the tape had stuck fast to his spectacles – the area covering the eyes – then these would be irreversibly damaged while we tried to remove it. A further complication was that any solvent used could be a direct irritant as well, leading to further skin damage and fluid loss.
Seeking a safe solution
The snakes were admitted to the clinic, allowing us to try to remove the tape without rushing or causing further problems. None of the usual veterinary textbooks tell you how to deal with snakes stuck up with tape and so caution alongside common sense is the best approach to this type of unusual situation.
Surgical spirit was applied to the back of the tape and allowed to soak through to dissolve the glue in the first place. It would only come in contact with the skin where the tape was actually stuck to it. Patience was needed to minimise any risk of injury, particularly once we started to remove the tape as this had to be a slow, painstaking process. It needed to be gently and carefully manipulated, using a cotton bud soaked in surgical spirit to break down stubborn areas of glue as the tape was lifted off.
Thankfully, the eyes of the male had not stuck to the tape, and all that was required was some extra bathing at home. A lot of scales were lost in the process of removing the tape though, but the appearance of the snake would improve when they shed again.
It turned out to be an unanticipated expense for what would have seemed an unlikely event. Mr Jones went out immediately and bought a more secure plastic container with a lid that clicked in place, to prevent any risk of recurrence.
Reproduced by squinting, alt+tabbing and typing into Word, so I apologise for any errors.
Hopefully this comes under Fair Use regarding copyright - for information/education.
Copyright belongs to the owners of the magazine this was originally taken from. |
| booteylu |
Posted - 06/07/2012 : 16:08:17
This happened to my eva when i first had her.. i was inexperienced and the pet shop i bought her from sold me the set up with duct tape inside it.
It took me about half an hour to get the tape off, luckily the tape wasn't stuck on half as bad as the ones in the pictures
I panicked and used a cotton bud and a small amount of vegetable oil to get it off.. looking back not sure if that would be harmful to the snake but like i said, i panicked
No more tape in the viv now! |
| kev 5 |
Posted - 29/06/2012 : 13:07:49
that is terrible |
| Georgina |
Posted - 29/06/2012 : 07:53:10
As it says, he viv feeds so opped the mice is as normal and before he realise the female had grabbed one but had a bit of tape around her neck, the male had it fully over his head x |
| QueenVic |
Posted - 29/06/2012 : 03:17:04
I dont understand picture 3 :S are they feeding it while theres still tape wrapped around it?? |
| eeji |
Posted - 28/06/2012 : 21:24:23
Thank you for making this a sticky (pun intented!) |
| serena_08 |
Posted - 28/06/2012 : 20:41:09
I was mortified reading it :/ it was the first thing I read this month, seen the spiders and put it down!! |
| lupi lou |
Posted - 28/06/2012 : 15:56:30
poor little guy! i'd have been mortified if that had been my snake! tape is already banned from my set ups was already paranoid about snakie getting stuck. |
