I have hooks and tongs, I wont have to touch one!

[BWSmith]

I originally posted this on RH. Tell me if I have already posted this


If any potential hot keeper has ever said or thought this, stick with boas. THe time comes that EVERY snake will need attention. And what a great example, PK has a RI! "Just tube her" ...... easier said than done on about 8 pounds of Cottonmouth!

She looks calm enough.........................





Just getting her out of the cage. Boy looks pretty simple so far (except for the hook starting to bend!)





Well, she is on the floor now, all that is left is to tube her. Easy part, right?




"Boy, you are standing along way away!" From this angle, she doesn't look 4 feet! I know my snakes' strike ranges!




OK, this method generally works. But PK is not cooperating. she perpetually strikes anything that moves. She hit the tube so hard that she cut her mouth and almost knocked the tube out of my hand! So I try for the bucket method.




Not the most flattering pic of me But this method eventually worked. I have no idea how much time it actually took to get her in a tube. It seemed like hours.





But I finally got her!





And she got her injection.

This was Jessa's first injection! Talk about throwing her int he deep end.

PK was not happy. She thrashed and let loose of her bowels in a most projectile fashion. It was all I could do to hold onto her.

If you think that you will never have to come close to the sharp end if you get a hot........ don't get them.

If you think this looked like fun......... Don't get them.

If you think my hands were shaking alittle after the ordeal............ you are correct.

[marisa]

Wow thanks for that! Very cool pix and story! Hopefully that will educate someone who thinks they can get a hot and leave it in the enclosure and never bring it out. Everything has to be handled sometime! Great post.

Marisa

[ETET]

Good post BW! Very good to let people know this routine task of keeping hots. I find the bucket method is the best especially for big ones like gabby; once you let them on the floor they though they are free and flee...

ETET

[chas*e]

Great going..fun wow eh!.....I never touched my Pygmys for 3 years until one got sick...sat there for an hour before wondering every senario...lol..finally I hooked it and gave her the treatment she needed....prayed for their health from then on...

[Jeremy]

Hey B,
Cool set of pics! Very informitive tutorial for anyone looking to see how its done. Its even better that you did it with such a nutt as PK! Now just think how much fun you are going to have with Tiny!!! There is no tube big enough for him!!!(I have yet to pin. No need but Id be damned if I would do it alone!)

Speaking of which, my big man is no longer the shy and retireing cotton he was of a year ago:-( He has started to associate metalic objects has food and chaces down and bites the hook verytime I enter his cage now. We had one hell of a go the other night and he got so nutty, I had to sit back and collect my thoughts for a bit! The only thing worse then a crazy 4 ft cotton is a crazy 5 1/2 one!!! I still dont think hes quite as nutts as her though going by your discriptions:-)

Well man, maybe you and I or others should try and put together a venom 111 or something:-D This sort of information is most valuble to any new commers looking to see how its done.

Take care man and you should give me a ring sometime, if you have a chance during the day. My work number is toll free and Ill shoot ya it in an email.

Later,
Jeremy

P.S When you say RI I take it you mean respitory infection? If so, what are the symptoms which lead you to the conclusion and what meds are you giveing her? I on occasion think that Tiny may have some respitory thing going but I think its just since hes so huge, I can hear him hiss clear. He never makes any noise untill you start mucking with him and when he gets wound up, you can here kind of a hiss. Much like the pigs do from time to time, if you have ever witnessed that. Anyway, maybe I should shoot him so meds just to be safe.

[Matt]

great pic series brian...very informative!

[BWSmith]

Jeremy,
Yes, RI is Respiratory Infection. She was gaping, havign difficulty breathing and her throat was puffing out. I gave her subcu injections of Baytril in the upper 3rd of her body. A little heavy first dose and 2 lighter doses. Cleared up within a week. Unfortuantely, more drama came from the RI. While tubing her, she hit the tube wide open mouth VERY hard. When she did this, she cut the corners of her mouth. Now THAT is fun to treat! Luckily, that was the first day and she was getting antibiotics anyway. So I just put a little Neosporin on the end of a hook to apply it and prevent an secondary infection. I would not give meds unless you are sure there is something wrong.

[J_Riley]

Originally posted by BWSmith
So I just put a little Neosporin on the end of a hook to apply it

Now THAT would be something to see!

[nicola_boulton]

v.cool!!! i love your tanks.

[hip]

Oh yes the great baytril it has been a good friend of mine for a long time and it works so well magic that stuff.Excellent post Brian makes me wish I was still in Conyers and we could hook up and talk herps (good to see you are a smart and safe t first keeper) keep the pics cumming.



Hip

[BWSmith]

Thanks, I use all Precision Caging for my hots. Very secure and I love having vents on the back.

[ballpython5000]

wait a second, wasnt there bricks in that pic of you bending over??? i remember someone showed it to me.

[BWSmith]

uuhhhhhhhh. I dont remember that pic Actually a buddy of mine edited that. I think he just liked the view LOL

One of the best methods I have seen involved a closable hide that had a hinged lid. Opening the lid exposed a rubber-coated mesh top with 3 small and removable pins locking it to the top edge(there was a tiny lip that prevented the top from coming completely out without some work). When the pins were removed the top could be lowered to pin the animals entire body(the one inch frame giving protection to fingers), works great for injections but no help for oral administration. The bottom of the hide was plexi to allow viewing underneath.

[unBOAlievable]

Hey Georgia boy,
Are A. piscivorus skin as easy to penetrate as C. horridus. Timbers are the easist snakes I have ever injected, well after I got them in the tubes. I just got finished giving a series of injections to one that also had stomatitis. As if getting them in the tube aint bad enough you then have to clean out the cheese from there gums and rinse their mouth with chlorhexidine.
I still feel the sweat pouring off me.