Anonymous asked:

Do you know if it’s safe to use Neosporin to treat head rub?

Presuming we’re talking about a snake, and not any other animal.

I personally haven’t used it, and haven’t researched it, so can’t speak to its safety.

For any skin injuries I have been using warm Betadine soaks (make water about tea-colored) for 20 minutes daily, and applying silver cream sparingly if the skin is raw and inflamed.

If there is a scab on the skin and it’s healing already, I wouldn’t worry about the cream, but still do the soaks to keep the area clean.

Move the snake to a hospital tub – a smaller plastic tub with elevated humidity, if it fits into the permanent enclosure, you can set the hospital tub on the snake’s warm spot (only applicable if your heat source is on the bottom of the cage; DO NOT place tub under a heating lamp, as you can easily overheat and seriously injure your pet!). Line the tub with paper towels, and change them daily, plus whenever they get soiled, even a little bit.

Watch the injury closely. If inflammation (redness and swelling) is present, take the snake to see a veterinarian, so any possible infection can be treated.

Good luck to your snaby and you! Hope everything resolves soon!

jdeko:

smol-lizord:

Taking photos of snakes is a lot harder than you’d think 😂😭

i thought you were protecting their identity

(via william-snekspeare)

kaijutegu:

One of my biggest problems with reptile handling on social media is the improper use of snake hooks. We see this a lot from big names in the reptile community, and far and away the worst is Jay Brewer of The Reptile Zoo/Prehistoric Pets. A while ago, I commented on his inappropriate use of a snake hook to agitate and improperly handle a large snake, and ever since I have been looking for images that show the proper handling of a dangerous snake.

Today I saw a really good example of appropriate snake hook use from The Kentucky Reptile Zoo. KRZ is… I think it’s fair to say the most important venom facility in the United States. They actually aren’t really a zoo- the vast majority of their animals are not on display or publicly viewable, and their primary mission isn’t education or conservation. It’s venom production.

They keep lots of venomous species and regularly milk them for pharmaceuticals and research. Venom from their facility is used to make antivenom, as well as life-saving heart and anti-cancer medications. In other words, this facility bothers its snakes for a reason, and it’s not for social media views. (I like their content and find it highly educational.)

So today, I thought I’d break down why I like this video and show off how it features the safe use of a snake hook to control a dangerous animal and keep a handling situation completely under control.

The video features a small bushmaster, a South American pit viper. At the start of the video, the animal is out and quite calm.

The handler makes an initial first pass with the hook, lift the snake’s head off its body and isolating it. Notice that the snake’s body language doesn’t change much; there’s a little tension but no noticeable distress.

The snake slips away from the hook.

The handler repositions and gently pins the snake’s head against the ground.

While the snake’s head is under control, the handler firmly grips the snake behind the head…

…supports the body with his hand (not the hook)…

…and prepares the snake for venom extraction. The hook is on the floor at this point, as it’s no longer needed for the safe handling of this snake.

Here are some key takeaways:

• The hook was never used as the sole source of support for the snake’s body
• The hook was never used to agitate the animal
• The hook was used to control the head without applying too much pressure
• The snake’s body language was observed and respected; when it initially pulled away from the hook’s pass, the handler repositioned and tried again
• Even during venom extraction, the snake was not particularly agitated; part of this comes from the firm, secure, but not too strong grip that is used, and part of it comes from the snake being used to this behavior. The handler is doing everything he can to keep the snake calm and to support its body during handling.
  

Ultimately, I think this is a perfectly ethical piece of venomous/dangerous snake handling content. It shows an animal that is being treated well and handled appropriately. The handlers are trained professionals who are well-versed in venomous snake safety, and at no point is the animal provoked or aggravated for attention. While venom extraction doesn’t hurt the snake, it can still be stressful- and it’s up to the handler to do everything they can to ensure that the snake is safe.

Anonymous asked:

if not friend, why anaconda friend shape?

is-the-snake-video-cute:

Anacondas are incredibly friend-shaped, aren’t they?

Like most giant snakes, anacondas don’t make good pets for most people. They’re massive snakes that are too big for one person to safely handle alone, and they require an advanced level of care as well, not to mention a huge enclosure with a giant heated water feature. They have to be tamed carefully because they can be snappy otherwise. The amount of people who can care for an anaconda are very small - but there are still ways to meet captive anacondas! Herpetological associations might have expert members with anacondas that will bring them to meetings, and some zoos have ambassador anacondas.

If you get the chance to meet an ambassador anaconda, go for it! A well-socialized anaconda is just an absolute joy to hang out with.

fellowshipofthenoodles:

Banana donut hours

[id: Banoffee, the yellow patterned royal python with black freckles, being held by Juniper who is wearing blue nitrile gloves for cleaning]

ruthlesslistener:

enhance

snoot

(via pastrygeckos)

kaijutegu:

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.06.475233v1.full

Like most people who know things about neural anatomy predicted, it’s structural, not just neurological. I figured it would come out to be a pigment issue with the neural crest myself, but it’s looking like it’s actually related to the inner ear structure that controls equilibrium.

Either way, it’s definitely inseparable from the morph.

(via pastrygeckos)

fellowshipofthenoodles:

This really shows how long he is 😳

[id: Tippex, the white and black ratsnake, being held by Juniper in a garden on a sunny day. He’s wrapped around Juniper’s arms several times]

dogpantry:

making sure y’all know he’s still the most beautiful animal i own

(via tailsandco)

omg-snakes:

I rearranged Olaf’s cage and he had to check and make sure all of his stuff was present.

(via the-long-dog)