Commodore Snake???

[swingonthespiral]

Ahhh no rest for the wicked huh.....

Well i came into work as usual round 8am yesterday morning....

I get a call just as i sit down to turn my computer on my phone rings..... its Craig in service and all he said was Cass you better get over here....

There i was thinking someone must have come in with a nice old datto or holden or something...

But no....

I get over there and there is about 20 mechanics standing around this commodore that is on the lift...... they are all staring up into the engine and saying 'ewwww watch out, yuk dont touch it etc etc'....

Sure enough...

There is a yearling carpet python stuck around the struts and coils....

So i proceed to try to help this little dude out.... with the boys around me watching and acting like sissy little girls....

So i eventually got him out.... hes not in fabulous shape....

Hes got a couple of burn marks from the engine, covered in oil and coolant and dirt, hes lost his tail about 1-2cms away from his vent and has obviously broke parts of the rest of his tail, theres a wound on the bottom of his jaw that seems to have gone through to his tongue which im a little worried about because hes extending his tongue but its not flicking as normal and he doesnt seem to have too much control over it....

Other than that he looks ok, no mites or ticks and he is very very placid, let me look in his mouth and i gave him a bath for the last half an hour tryin to get everything off him...

I took him to the vet and he has given me some antibiotics for the burns cos a couple are a little infected as well as some for his mouth injury..... but hopefully with some heat, betadine, meds and TLC this little dude will be returned to the wild with a quite an adventure under his belt...

But none the less he/she is a cute little thing and the vet gives him a good chance of a nearly full recovery...

And apparently im getting employee of the month now LMAO

As you can see in this pick his tail is pretty banged up but he still has full movement and control over it which is a good sign....

 

[raxor]

It takes a real hero to battle against those vicious yearling carpets


He sure is lucky you were around at the time. And what a looker! I wish you the best of luck with rehabilitating the little guy.

 

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day,

The fact that he is tongue flicking is a good sign. The wound on the end of his tail isn't fresh, so it isn't a worry. Do they think it was brought in with the car, or was in the workshop and that is where they found it?

Cheers

 

[swingonthespiral]

yeah i know they are sooo scarey LMAO

thanks raxor i think he'll be ok....

The car had only been in the service department for about 5mins before it went up on the hoist so I'd say he was bought in.... and he was well and truly stuck with a few burns so he may have been there for a little while....

 

[Lozza]

nice rescue swing
poor little fella, lucky you were there - he might have got even more damage
pretty colour & markings though

 

[Auzlizardking]

What a great story - that's one for the Aust reptile mag.
good on ya.

 

[Jonno from ERD]

swing,

So considering that the nobody has any idea on where the snake came from, how do you plan on releasing it?

 

[steve6610]

haha good one cass, hows the bruise going, :lol:

 

[swingonthespiral]

Jonno I'll just take it down to the national park and release it....

The only place the people had been (yes i spoke to th owners of the vehicle myself just in case he was an escapee pet or something) was up to mount stuart last weekend which is behind where i live.... they are an elderly couple that havent been out of town in thier car in 4yrs.... so i gather thats where they picked him up or that he found his way into suburbia in which case they live in the next suburb over therefore iw ould release him back to the national park behind us anyway.....

hahahaha sweetie yeah its ok.... ill post pics up of that..... for everyone else he wasnt impressed with me cleaning oil out of his butt LOL

 

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day swing,

Please don't take the following as anything other than freindly advice.

Unless you know the exact locality that the snake was originally from, the chances of survival decrease rapidly when it is released. From memory, releasing any animal into a National Park is highly illegal.

I recommend getting in touch with QPWS and seeing if they can find a permanent home for it. If you explain the strange circumstances that resulted in him coming into your care they will be understanding. Of course, euthanasia is another option but most people don't have the heart to do that.

Cheers

Jonno

 

[Australis]

Can they be handed to herp clubs in QLD, like in NSW?

 

[swingonthespiral]

Hi Jonno,

I was registered wildlife carer in nsw before i moved here a year ago, my vet has already been in contact with QPWS and they believe considering the circumstances of the vehicle not being well travelled and with the general appearance of this snake being consistent with those in the area (a little bit dodgy but hey its thier call) that there would be little harm in releasing this guy back into the wild IF he makes a recovery that is suitable to do so.

If not he will be handed into QPWS and they will distribute him to a suitable permanent home.

I would rather you had discussed this with me in pm instead of attempting to make this thread turn into a debate or making me look incompetent. I can forward you the paper work if you feel the need for me to prove it.

And before you ask Australis yes he is in a quarrantine area away from my personal collection, and i dont think QPWS allow you to take injured animals into the herp clubs considering they dont even let you take your own LOL

 

[swingonthespiral]

now back to more interesting issues.... heres the pic of the tag i got when i was cleaning his butt.... i must have been focussing pretty hard cos i didnt realise he got me until my other half said.... 'ermmm cass hes biting you' LOL

Not much damage.... was a nice shade of purple this morning..... sorry kids no blood pics LOL

 

[Australis]

And before you ask Australis yes he is in a quarrantine area away from my personal collection, and i dont think QPWS allow you to take injured animals into the herp clubs considering they dont even let you take your own LOL

Fair enough, last i heard, they let people take there animals to meetings (right or wrong).
I wasnt suggesting taking a injured animal to them, but as a option for after it had recovered.

 

[swingonthespiral]

Nah apparently QPWS have a system they use.... like a list or something.... i dunno as long as he goes to a good home.... i have enough babies to look after..... the last meeting i went to we still werent allowed to take our animals in, although i havent been to the last few cos of wedding plans *sigh* LOL

 

[Radar]

Sounds like you've got it sorted Cass , and thats coming from QLD wildlife carer.

 

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day swing,

As I said, I meant my advice to be taken just as it is - advice. There was no alterior motive. Discussing these sorts of important issues via PM would have defeated the whole purpose of these sorts of forums, which is providing information for everyone to see.

I would suggest contacting QPWS yourself as the advice you have received is not consistent with the advice I have received in the past. I can definitely say that they would not have recommended you release him into a National Park.

Unfortunately, wildlife carers are normally very competent in rehabilitating wildlife, however their knowledge of ecology lets them down. I think it is important to let them know of the dangers they put their rehabilitated animals (and other animals in the area they are releasing) into when they release them. Most of the time it is met with blissful ignorance as they are too heavily attached to the animal and are convinced what they are doing is saving a common species from certain extinction.

Here's a link to a post I made a couple of years ago on the subject - http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/australianherps/message/37998

Some of the replies are very interesting.

Cheers

Jonno

 

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day Cass,

QPWS have a tier system for surrendering wildlife. It works its way down from government owned facilities (like Fleays Wildlife Park), to privately owned facilities (Australia Zoo, Lone Pine Sanctuary etc), to demonstrators (Like myself, Cool Companions) and finally on to private keepers. We have received several carpet pythons that stemmed from a drug raid on the Gold Coast, and have been offered several other species. We almost ended up with a Perentie too!

 

[Radar]

Thats funny, cause Im also a qualified ecologist............

 

[swingonthespiral]

Jonno i spent my entire lunch hour down at the Pallarenda office today and thats the conclusion they have come to, so yes i did go down there myself with the said animal in question.

So what you are saying is 1 normal carpet python that 99% most likely came from mount stuart national park behind us should not be released back into the wild and serve a life in captivity??

I am not ignorant to Ecology, i understand where you are coming from. But i am doing what i have been advised and what i see in my opinion as being the right thing to do.

And as for consistency..... can you honestly say that everytime you have spoken to a ranger, wildlife carer, ecoaccess etc you have got the same story?? I am sure that the person i had spoken with (who will remain unnamed for obvious reasons) had taken into consideration the ecological effects that i am apparently ignorant to, afterall that is what he has studied and gets paid to do.

And thats rednut