A Warning about Cage Decor

[JLC]

A lot of us like to have an attractive viv to keep our snakes in, and we'll decorate them with fake plants. My ball pythons are in sterile rack tubs, but our cape gopher (in my daughter's room) is in a glass tank with aspen and climbing things and a really pretty silk/plastic vine. He's been in this set-up for years without any issues whatsoever. (Except that he always fills his water bowl with aspen. )

Anyhow...the other morning, just as its time for my daughter to head out the door to catch the bus, she is totally freaked out. "Mom, there's something wrong with Caesar! There's a ring of something around his body and it's cutting him in half!!" We go down together to check it out. Something mysterious is, indeed, circling his body tightly...looked kinda like a small rubber band...and he's all S-d up, ready to bite anyone who tries to mess with him...pretty freaked out. He's obviously not dying right that moment though, so I shoo her out the door and return to Caesar a few minutes later when all the kids have left for school.

Turns out, there were two little plastic rings attached to the vine that we never even knew were there. The one he'd gotten around his body had become detached from the vine. I can only imagine the amount of twisting and squirming he'd gone through to do that. In the end, I was able to cut the ring off of him without stabbing him or getting bitten. He's got a pretty deep ring-scar, especially across the belly scales, but it doesn't seem to have broken the skin. He shed yesterday, and his typically one-piece shed came off in pieces this time, but still complete. The ring-scar looks a little bit better today. I'm hoping it'll fade with each shed, but he may have a permanent mark.

I obviously went over the vine very carefully, found and cut off the second ring. In the end, everything seems to be fine. But it could have been much much more serious. This snake burrows under the aspen and doesn't show himself for weeks at a time sometimes. (He's a shy eater even, and won't eat if we're watching, so even on feeding days we may not see him) I don't really know how long the ring was there, but not too long, I don't think. It could have stayed on a lot longer if Petra hadn't happened to see him that morning.

CHECK your fake plants and decor...even if you don't think there's anything on there, check it! I've read a similar warning about rings on plastic vines...but mine didn't have any that I'd ever seen, and it had been years with no issues...right?

CHECK!! And don't assume just because nothing bad has happened so far, that nothing bad can ever happen. It can!!

So that's my story. And yeah, I know folks are going to say, "Where's the pictures!" He's a very squirmy snake and hard to take pics of...and Petra is gone all day today, so she can't help me. Maybe I can get some tomorrow, but no promises.

[BPelizabeth]

Wow great information Judy thank you for posting this for everyone!!!

[sho220]

Great advise and glad everything came out okay....