Wild snake with ticks!

[thepythonguy]

wow thats crazy poor snakes does anyone know how many they removed

 

[Gruni]

That is probably one of the most shocking things I have seen in a long time! I can't believe the sheer number of ticks in the dish after they were pulled. Would be curious where/how it was found.

 

[Ricochet]

Does that mean it's a TICK HEAD - I've been called something similar

Poor critter - glad we don't have ticks down here in southerm mexico

 

[waruikazi]

Are they native ticks or cattle ticks?

 

[saximus]

I would be very interested to know what they did to remove them and why it was done under anaethesia. Did the anaethetic also affect the ticks, allowing them to be pulled out with fear of regurgitation?

Maybe just to make it easier so the animal wasn't wriggling around trying to bite everyone? That was my first thought anyway.

Poor fella. My skin is all crawly now

 

[starr9]

So good news is he/she is alive and well!!! She said it was approx 45min long to remove all the ticks. This was on the Gold Coast.

I have sent her another PM with all your q's and hope to here back asap!

 

[JungleGuy]

I saw this on my girlfriends facebook.. friend of a friend as well small world lol good to hear it got better. I caught a green tree snake recently and it had a couple of ticks on it which we removed. There were large swollen lumps from past ticks which had already fallen off so it makes me wonder if this poor snakes head will swell up alot or not.

 

[Gruni]

Must admit I posted it on FB too, I have some herping friends I thought would be interested.

 

[edstar]

poor thing!

 

[Poggle]

Is this Jackie's photo??

 

[Straddie_Ranger]

I am the one who found the snake. I manage all the Campgrounds on South Stradbroke Island off the coast of the Gold Coast and arranged for it to be transported to the mainland by the Coast Guard, and for the RSPCA animal ambulance to transport it to Curumbin Wildlife Hospital. The poor snake was in an aweful way, and it looked like he/she was slithering around blind. We could not do anything else but help the poor thing. Of course we have had the horrible comments that a shovel would have been the best thing for it, because to some people if it is not covered in fur, and in their opinion warm and fuzzy, it does not deserve help. Fortuanately we don't all feel that way about our scaly friends, and I'd rather this little fellow, than an epidemic of the rat & mouse population. I have spoken to the hospital, and they are doing blood work, to see if there is any other underlying conditions. Apparently there was a combination of paralisis ticks and brown bush ticks and there was well over 100 of them. Makes you sick to think about it. I am hoping that he or she will survive and can be released back here on the island where he or she belongs.

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

well done hun! You did a great job!

 

[Darlyn]

Hooray for Straddie Ranger excellent story

 

[Ricochet]

Go the Straddie Ranger - at least someone cares about the critters like we do. Hope all goes well

 

[Bluetongue1]

Above and beyond the call of duty. You have done a very good deed there Ranger.
It is also great to hear of a non-herper with the right balance between furry and scaly. It's good to know someone of your calibre is looking after the place.

Blue

I saw this on my girlfriends facebook.. friend of a friend as well small world lol good to hear it got better. I caught a green tree snake recently and it had a couple of ticks on it which we removed. There were large swollen lumps from past ticks which had already fallen off so it makes me wonder if this poor snakes head will swell up alot or not.

I suspect that thee lumps you observed were skin worms – quite common in GTS. They pick them up from eating frogs. I know as kids, we used to knick the skin with a razor blade and squeeze out the worms. Then a little dab of Dettol and the snake would be fine.

Saximus,
I had considered that but want to know if there is a further reason.

 

[Straddie_Ranger]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments. An update for you in regards to our patient, I just rang the hospital, and he or she is going into foster care today for a couple of weeks, and then they said he is going to be released back here on Straddie, so very good news, it looks like he or she is going to be absolutely fine! The poor thing was very dehydrated though, but all's good in the end. Not all the animals We've rescued and got to care have had a happy ending, a wallaby that had that many ticks last year didn't make it, and the failures get you down, but when you have success and you can save one, it feels really good! The Staff Currumbin Sancturary Wildlife Hospital do such a great job, I don't know what our little friends from the bush would do without them.

 

[lynfrog]

Just this week my partner picked up a carpet python with 110 ticks. She found at her workplace near Ballina nthn NSW.
We spent 20 mins removing them- like the above example a mix of paralysis ticks and brown ticks. It even had some in its mouth.
It was dehydrated and very passive- we picked off the ticks without anaesthetic and it just lay there.
Have it here recovering a few days- ate well yesterday, and once its recovered we will let it go where it came from.
maybe they cant remove the ticks very well from around the head, but are better at getting them off its body?

 

[starr9]

Ya!! Im glad you found him/her Straddie Ranger!! Well done! Im so glad you found this post 2 so we could find out how its going!!!

Keep up the g8 work!!!! This news has made my day!!!

 

[mje772003]

Hey Ranger great work and its great to see someone that does care about all creatures great and small.

With that coment "We could not do anything else but help the poor thing. Of course we have had the horrible comments that a shovel would have been the best thing for it, because to some people if it is not covered in fur, and in their opinion warm and fuzzy, it does not deserve help."

Some people are so narrow minded as to what part snakes provide in the environment and that they are a fragile vital part of the eco system.

By the way Ranger do you also look after North Straddie too?

Cheers Matt

 

[Chadeash]

a snake exactly like that came into currumbin wildlife sanctuary hospital the other day... maybe its the same one