Wild snake with ticks!

[Kerinamc]

How can u tell if your snake has ticks?

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

do captive bred snakes get ticks?

 

[Gruni]

do captive bred snakes get ticks?

Only if you have ticks in your yard and the snake is exposed to them that way. No diferent to how you or your dog can get them. At Balina we had paralysis ticks in the dunes near the beach and my friends dog used to get them because he would venture of the trail leading to the beach.

Kerinamc go back to the star of the thread and look at the pics. Once they start to engorge you'll know they are there.

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

yeah thats what i figured. Thanks gruni.

 

[waruikazi]

Why hasn't the animal been dipped in permithrin, or a similar insecticide dip? Or given a shot or oral dose of ivermectin?

That is the first thing you do with a wild animal presenting with a tick or mite infestation. Do these guys know what they are doing?

I have an update for you all on how our python friend is doing. It is touch and go, we don't know yet if we've saved him or not, we may or may not have saved this beautiful guy. I have had a few phone calls from the carer from Wildcare, the lovely lady who is looking after him, & she has called him Parlay (remember Pirates of the Caribbean) which of course means truce. Parlay has not been feeling much better and has still not eaten yet. Yes I know, not a great concern with snakes, but why. His head was still extremely swollen, and the carer was not happy with the fact that there just wasn't enough improvement with the swelling of his head and his eyes, and he still didn't seem to be able to see. She took him back to Currumbin Sanctuary Wildlife Hospital, for them to do some more blood work and tests. They did. Initially he was extremely anaemic, which with all those ticks was understandable, he was now less anaemic, but still somewhat so, which wasn't the concern. The concern was why was his head still soooooooo swollen. Another question all along was, why was he still that long, or hibernating that long, to get that many ticks on him? They are still picking off up to 40 ticks off him per day. A lot of ticks were hiding under the scales and were too small to see to the naked eye. As they grow and get bigger they can then be seen to remove. The carer has said there were far more than well over a hundred ticks on Parlay, she is estimating closer to a thousand. I doubt without human intervention that this snake would have ever been well enough to survive on it's own, even if all the ticks fell off on their own and new ones didn't get on at all. They decided to X-ray his head. They found that he had 3 bad fractures to his skull one close to his eye where its like there is a big crater. It looks like our friend had been run over by a vehicle. This must be why he was hibernating so long in summer. He couldn't eat, and he would have been in so much pain. I doubt without the fractures, he would have had that level of ticks on him, but even if he did and there had been no fractures, I doubt he would have recovered from the anaemia, but with the fractures to the head, preventing him from eating along with anaemia, no way. Now he's back on the pain meds & antibiotics. He definitely won't be back on the island until after winter now, but at least we know what we are dealing with. Let's just hope he can recover enough for us to pick up Parlay in our boat with his carer in about 8 months or so time, to release him back to his native bushland on South Straddie.

 

[PhilK]

You are talking about another snake aren't you? This one was found on Sth Straddy and sent to Corrumbin for treatment. Seems to be a few snakes in this circumstance lately. Although this thread has been far less controvertial than the one with the video of the tick infested python from Lismore.

I think Philk must have been talking about another snake up there on the Sunny Coast. I noticed, that there was another python with a similar snake infestation last year also.

Hmmm no... this is EXACTLY the three photos from her phone/facebook.... weird

 

[Straddie_Ranger]

Why hasn't the animal been dipped in permithrin, or a similar insecticide dip? Or given a shot or oral dose of ivermectin?

That is the first thing you do with a wild animal presenting with a tick or mite infestation. Do these guys know what they are doing?

Well you're probably better off asking Currumbin Sancturary Wildlife Hospital who's vets specilize in Wildlife, not cute little fluffy cats & dogs. I was told however, that they didn't want to do that, because they said that reptiles can have an intolerence to chemicals. Since Parlay was sooooo badly anaemic, they thought it was best not to take the chance, of causing an already sick animal who doesn't have the ammunity at that time, to come into contact with chemicals, in case there was a huge intolerance.

Hmmm no... this is EXACTLY the three photos from her phone/facebook.... weird

Philk, these photos have gone all around Facebook. The vet nurses and vetinary students are passing them around. My son saw it on facebook, as one of his friends is a vet student at Currumbin Sancturay Wildlife Hospital, where we sent the snake to. I have update photo of Parlay, sent to me by his carer, if anyone wants to see them. I'll warn you, he's still not doing well, so if you are a snake lover, & a little bit squeemish, it might not be best to look. Do I just click on Insert Image? I don't have to start a new thread to upload pics, do I? Let me know if you would like to see them or not?

 

[Dmnted]

Ranger. maybe put photos in an album in your profile. that way people can see them only if they actively look for them unless everyone feels they should be added to this thread.

 

[Kerinamc]

I never thought snakes would get them. I had a kangaroo in the yard sometime back, he had to be put down from ticks, which is strange, cause they have a little hook thing on their paw that pulls them out. I justbthought snakes would be immune, don't know why. I've learnt a lot from this website. It's great!

 

[waruikazi]

I'm really not interested enough to contact them, it doesn't sound to me as though they are experienced with reptile parasites.

If you get in contact with them you may want to suggest as i have above if they are worried about the ticks, if they aren't then they shouldn't have taken it into care in the first place (but that's another story). The ivermec will also treat most internal parasites, which can very quickly turn into a significant issue for a reptile with the added stress of being in care. They could even use a topical treatment like TOD sprayed directly onto the snake and then soak it in water if they are worried about it being overcome by the chemicals.

Well you're probably better off asking Currumbin Sancturary Wildlife Hospital who's vets specilize in Wildlife, not cute little fluffy cats & dogs. I was told however, that they didn't want to do that, because they said that reptiles can have an intolerence to chemicals. Since Parlay was sooooo badly anaemic, they thought it was best not to take the chance, of causing an already sick animal who doesn't have the ammunity at that time, to come into contact with chemicals, in case there was a huge intolerance.



Philk, these photos have gone all around Facebook. The vet nurses and vetinary students are passing them around. My son saw it on facebook, as one of his friends is a vet student at Currumbin Sancturay Wildlife Hospital, where we sent the snake to. I have update photo of Parlay, sent to me by his carer, if anyone wants to see them. I'll warn you, he's still not doing well, so if you are a snake lover, & a little bit squeemish, it might not be best to look. Do I just click on Insert Image? I don't have to start a new thread to upload pics, do I? Let me know if you would like to see them or not?

 

[Straddie_Ranger]

Ranger. maybe put photos in an album in your profile. that way people can see them only if they actively look for them unless everyone feels they should be added to this thread.

Thanks for that Dmnted. I think that's a great idea. I won't put it up tonight, don't have much time now, but I can tomorrow, or over the next few days. If no one says that they don't want it added to this thread for all to see, I can still consider that, but if one person says no, then it's definately best not to. I think adding to my profile is probably the best thing, but people can leave their opinions on it, if they like.

 

[Gruni]

I think the initial pics were bad enough and we still follow the thread with great interest, personally i would probably put them in the thread using the 'Advanced' post option and the 'paperclip' to manage your attachments and palce them in line via the option on the bottom right of the window... but I am just as happy to go to an album on your profile.

 

[RobynTRR]

This is a fascinating thread, I have never seen such heavy infestation. I have found a few similar pics online to add.

 

[moosenoose]

Now that's a great rescue! I'm surprised it could function with that many ticks on it.

 

[Rissi]

That actually made me feel queasy. And I dont 'quease'. That poor poor thing.

 

[Mo Deville]

i was about to eat a bowl of rice bubbles before i clicked on this bloody thread!!! NOT ANY MORE. LOL NASTY!!!

good job tho.

 

[Rissi]

i was about to eat a bowl of rice bubbles before i clicked on this bloody thread!!! NOT ANY MORE. LOL NASTY!!!

good job tho.

BAHAHAHHAHAA you sicko. Thanks for relating food to this. You just helped me lose 10kgs.

 

[mmafan555]

I wonder who likes ticks better....that snake or this deer??

 

[PMyers]

Yep... there goes my dinner...

 

[dragonlover1]

Poor ticks, just trying to make a living in a competitive envirmonment...

"poor ticks".... to hell with them there are some things on earth we could do without