trip to the vet

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lovespunaround

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 29, 2005
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Spartanburg, SC
My female Borneo python has some weird patch on her skin, so I asked around and people said I should have a vet look at it. So our regular vet (for the cat) recommended this one guy because he's got a lot of experience and he does lots of snakes.

Let me tell you, this guy may have known a lot about snakes and reptile health, but he wasn't so keen on snake behavior. He automatically assumes all snakes are biters, which I can understand, since he isn't familiar with each individual snake that's brought in. This lead him to manhandle my snake. He held her tight right behind her head, which is one of the worst things you can do if you don't want to start trouble with a snake. It took me and the vet tech, trying about as hard as we could, to hold the snake's writhing body still while the vet looked at the spot on the snake's neck. He was absolutely convinced that the snake would bite him if he let go of the head, and I kept telling him she wasn't a biter (though the fact that she'd bitten me a few minutes earlier--out of nervousness when I was trying to put her back in her box to be weighed--didn't help), and that I never hold them like that because it makes them more upset. So when he was going to leave to measure out the antibiotic shot, he held her down on the table with his hand right behind her head and said "Here, take her like this so she doesn't get you..." and I kept telling him "I've got her...I've got her don't worry about it." Eventually, he decided to give up on me and he just left me with my hands gently around the snake's body...and surprise! she didn't bite me. She just sat there until he came back.

So yeah. I'm glad the vet knows enough about snakes to help her, but he made it about as hard as he could. I know it was really stressful for my snake, but I swear it was almost as bad for me :(

*sighs*
 
im two ways about this one. i wouldn't want to handle an animal that can have a nasty bite and would prefer to use the method he used.. unless of course i was told it doesn't bite AT ALL. Like you did lol.
 
I'm with you, Lovespun...I'd have went about it the completely opposite way. Just pick up the snake and let it do as it pleases...if it bites, then I'd see about restraining it.
 
Ophiuchus;1038841; said:
I'm with you, Lovespun...I'd have went about it the completely opposite way. Just pick up the snake and let it do as it pleases...if it bites, then I'd see about restraining it.
Click to expand...

Ditto.
 
I would not had restrained it, unless it is a venomous. Again, there are less stressful way to restrain a snake.
 
You would. Unless they've had some pretty nasty bites before LOL. Either way, vets have to learn to deal with humans ASWELL as the animals. They need to listen and communicate properly with humans for any progress to be made!
 
I got some nasty bites, and it didn't stop me from handling snakes. I think the guy just know about reptiles from the books he read and the patients he see; he probably has no experience owning them.
 
BloodyIrish your not the same person as the vet are you now :D
Chances are, hes had bites from anacondas or burms or such like. Given, he's probably just used to handling most snakes that way, smaller ones shouldn't give you that problem though.
 
Well, I just know there some reptile vets that only go by the textbook, and a lot of them are scared of the herp, no matter what the size is, they are handling. They are very intelligent, and they do know what they are doing when it come to diagnosing diseases and problems. This vet sure sound like one of those textbook people.

Again, I am always afraid to hold an animal for the first time, only because I am afraid of hurting them; some are really fragile and others are not. So what end up happening is that I don't have enough handle of them, and end up having them go into weird places like my pants. I know it sounds stupid.
 
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