Sunday, November 06, 2011

Zack Update

You may recall the injured wild Florida Kingsnake that one of my students brought to me about a month ago. This was only about two weeks after Zick, the captive bred Florida Kingsnake arrived in the classroom via UPS. I credit Zick with saving this snake's life because thanks to her presence in the classroom, the student who found this injured snake recognized it and saved it.

There's a post about Zack the injured snake, but the short story is he had an open wound about one third of the way back from his head that was more than skin deep. It looked pretty bad at the time, but I took him home to see if he could be fixed.
I doctored him with Neosporin and he did the rest.

Currently, the wound has healed over. There is a noticeable bump in his otherwise sleek appearance which is probably some scar tissue buildup. 
Apparently, there is some nerve damage at that point, because he is perfectly snakey wiggly from the scar forward, but not so much from the scar to the tail.

It's not a case of paralysis. He can move his back end, but in a more clumsy, less responsive manner. Nerve tissue being what it is, ... I'm not sure that will improve.

He doesn't seem interested in pinky mice or earthworms, or anything else I have offered yet. I know he's a snake and can go a long time without eating, but I would love to see him chomp down on some vittles.

He is maintaining his body mass, so I'm not worried about him. It just would be really reassuring to see him eat.

I've included a short, nasally narrated (stuffy nose that day) video of him basking in the sun last weekend.

He's a cutie.
Keep your scales crossed that he fully recovers.


11 comments:

Emma said...

Rooting for him! Can you call me can't get ahold of you or mom keep getting voicemails. Love you!

Anonymous said...

He sure is a beauty. I hope his appetite returns, and that he mends well and fully. Of course, having you care for him is the best elixir.

Anonymous said...

Gosh,I have SO had my fingers crossed for the little feller since you first posted about him. He is lovely. Will keep rooting for him. Thanks for helping him along.
KC Momadness

kevin said...

Good student, lucky snake.

Banjo52 said...

Do you happen to D.H. Lawrence's poem "Snake"? Good stuff.

Miz S said...

Glad to hear an update on Zack. If nerve damage limits his movement permanently, will he be able to live out his life with you?

Thunder said...

With all the regenerative properties that reptiles have I bet he will recover pretty well after awhile!
Nerve tissue will grow back, even in humans, but it takes longer than muscle or skin tissue. (Speaking from personal experience)

Robbie said...

Wild kingsnakes that young often feed only on anole lizards and skinks when they are that small... you might try that.

R.Powers said...

Answering some questions:
Yes, he is going to stay with me if he doesn't get more mobility.
Snake poem, yes!

Thanks for all the Zack good wishes.

and Robbie, thanks for that tip. I actually thought that might be the case and was planning to do some log flipping for skinks.

Carol said...

Interesting post and nice video of Zack. I don't think I have seen one in my area "Black Hammock" in FL. Perhaps it is too wet?

Dave said...

I really enjoy your blog.

Could you change the color of your text to something darker? For my eye that are getting older every day, the text gets lost in the clouds of the background. Thanks