Wednesday, November 30, 2011

ZACK THE KINGSNAKE GOES FREE

Remember Zack, the injured kingsnake? I posted about him shortly after Zick, the captive bred Florida kingsnake arrived in my classroom.  Zack, named after the lad who brought him to me, had a substantial wound about a quarter of the way back from his head.  The boy knew it was a harmless kingsnake thanks to a few weeks exposure to Zick in the classroom.

Thus, the presence of Zick saved Zack.

I put antibiotic ointment on the wound and kept Zack in a hospital cage at home.  The wound healed and his mobility improved a lot.

There must have been some nerve damage past the break, because even with the wound healed, he has some reduced movement at the back end.

I had a routine of taking him out on sunny weekend days and letting him crawl around. His mobility seemed to be better each time. If I didn't keep an eye on him, he would disappear beneath the leaves and grass in the yard.

Last weekend, even though I had grown attached to him, I knew it was time for Zack to go be a snake. He had not eaten during his time in hospital, but he had recently molted and seemed frisky enough.
So, I took him to a cozy gopher tortoise burrow here at PFHQ and wished him well.
There's a little video below that documents the release.


10 comments:

Sharon said...

Godspeed, Zack!

Anonymous said...

I am so happy for him and glad you were there to help him along. Wishing him a long, mobile life.
momadness

Miz S said...

Aw! Yay, Zack! (The snake AND the kid.)

Anonymous said...

Hey FC,

Agree with all above!

Patio

tai haku said...

Cool release - he looked at home. It'll be real interesting to see if you turn up a scarred king again on your property in the next few years.

Speaking of reptiles; what's in the eggs your dealing with in the new header?

Thunder said...

Glad to see he's doind well!

only 18 more working days to go!

Ericka said...

vaya con dios, zack!

Anonymous said...

"Go be a snake..." the perfect send off.

R.Powers said...

Everyone,
Thanks for the Zack well wishes!
He is a good snake.


Tai, those are seaturtle eggs in a hatchery that I managed in the'80's.
We removed turtle nests from high traffic areas as soon as they appeared.
The hatching rate that year was about 90% in my hatchery.
3600 little turtles.

Julie Zickefoose said...

Good luck, Zack. You've certainly increased his odds. Reptiles who won't eat are a bit scary. Who you gonna call? I'd rather see him in the wild if I were you, too.