|
1-9 of 9 messages
|
Page 1 of 1
|
|
Learn from my mistake!
|
Reply
|
|
by CanadianSnakeMan on September 16, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Tuesday was the routine maintainance day at the zoo, and some enclosures had to be moved into a new room. After a vision enclosure was placed on the floor with 2 copperheads inside, then I went off to do something else. When I came back, I noticed only 1 copperhead in the enclosure.
The sliding doors were shut, but since I'd been doing some cage maintainance, the lock had been removed. I immediately asked the girl who moved the enclosure if both snakes were inside when she last saw them and if the door was fully slid shut. She ensured me that everything was fine when she left the room, so I immediately set about looking meticulously checking the outside of the enclosure for a possible escape route. I took the other copperhead out and placed it safely in a rubbermaid bin and began prodding the substrate with my hook to make sure I hadn't missed him.
As soon as I was sure that he wasn't hiding in the substrate, I reached inside and started emptying it into the garbage. Then I got my tongs and started moving objects around in the room to see if he was hiding underneath anything. The longer I searched the more frustrated I became. By now, it had only been about 15 minutes since the possibility of an escape so he couldn't have gotten far, but everywhere I looked turned up empty.
I finally made a last stab in the dark by lifting up the enclosure to see if the little guy got underneath it somehow... then I saw him, coiled up inside the enclosure at the top of a light fixture that my hand was 6 inches away from about 5 minutes earlier when I emptied the substrate. The enclosure was on the floor at the time and I didn't get low enough (or even think) to check the top of the light fixture.
It turned out OK for me, but it could have been much worse if I'd caught him in a bad mood. There's no excuse on my part to make a mistake like that.
Although publicizing this is a bit embarrassing for me, I feel a sense of duty to say it so others may learn - similar to those who write accounts of their bites. So to sum up, LOOK AND THINK BEFORE YOU ACT. Avoid the mistake I made!
|
| |
|
RE: Learn from my mistake!
|
Reply
|
|
by Crotalusssp on September 16, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Great advice. Glad you were not bitten. Snakes can hide in the smallest places and sometimes certain cages offer lips and other places to hide. I have had times in the past when I spent several minutes, some more frantic than others, looking in lips and crevasses (sp?), for snakes. Luckily I have only ever had 1 escape 20 years ago and it was a baby corn snake =). Glad you learned a lesson or at least got a refresher lesson, WITHOUT the painful/expensive therapy.
Take care,
Charles
|
| |
|
RE: Learn from my mistake!
|
Reply
|
|
by tj on September 16, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Vision cages are notorious for having lips where snakes can hide. You can fill them in with foam or get one of those swivel mirrors that have a handle that can extend. They work pretty well and will keep you out of range if you need to look.
|
| |
|
RE: Learn from my mistake!
|
Reply
|
|
by CanadianSnakeMan on September 16, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I have no problem checking the lip; I just go to the back of the enclosure and look through the screen. This guy was practically up on the ceiling by the light!
I won't do that twice!
|
| |
|
RE: Learn from my mistake!
|
Reply
|
|
by hapkidocrochunter on September 21, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I am glad it turned out ok. Thanks for sharing this story, as it is a good reminder that it can happen to all of us. I have also had a moment where you count your lucky starts, change your pants, and learn to NEVER do that again. Again, I am glad the snake was found, and there was no bites. Take care
Matt
|
| |
|
RE: Learn from my mistake!
|
Reply
|
|
by Cro on September 21, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Placing the cage on the floor was not a good idea, as it limits your vision into the cage.
If moving cages, a small wheeled cart like used by schools for AV purposes can work well, and will keep the cage at a reasonable level for working with the snakes inside.
I see great potential danger in reptile collections that use stacking cages, as the cages on the bottom two rows require the keeper to be down on the floor where he can not react or move very fast.
It would be much better in situations like that for the keepers to build a set of shelves to set the stacking cages on, so that the the bottom of the lowest cage is at least a couple of feet above the floor.
Best Regards
John Z
|
| |
|
RE: Learn from my mistake!
|
Reply
|
|
by CanadianSnakeMan on September 21, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
That's a great idea, John. The space I'm housing the hots is only temporary for now, so when they get moved to their permanent spots I'll make sure to do that.
|
| |
|
RE: Learn from my mistake!
|
Reply
|
|
by venominme on September 21, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
I had a somewhat similar experience recently, when checking a death adder, saw it was to the left under some fake green plant material. His water bowl is on the extreme right. I took the bowl out, and cleaned it real good. Went to put it back and the normally lazy sedintary snake had scooted to the water bowl side and was hiding behind another cage ornament. I very rarely even see this snake move, but it had completely changed sides in just a minute basically when my back was turned. I spotted it at the last second before placing the bowl.
|
| |
|
RE: Learn from my mistake!
|
Reply
|
|
by ianb on September 23, 2010
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Same thing happened to me years back which I consider my closest call. I was cleaning out a cage with a rock rattlesnake and temperarely placed her in an empty vision cage. When I was done I didn't see her in the cage and assumed she was behind a big water dish in the back. When I moved the dish she wasn't there. I withdrew my hand and that's when a curious little head popped down from right above the door. I had never even relized there was a small ledge above the sliding door. I had always had a larger snake in there and the cage isn't trnsparent. Luckily, she was a pretty mild temper snake. I don't think she ever struck in three years.
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
