Ball Python Stuck!! Hurting himself, please help!

[SMTHook]

I so hope the cuts aren't too bad & that he recovers. I know you didn't mean for this to happen. Sooner or later, snakes in captivity have nothing better to do than check out everything within their reach -it's up to us to do the thinking for them, they don't know better than to get stuck. Even in the wild, snakes get killed this way, going thru some kinds of fences (especially 'bird netting' that some ppl use in their garden) or other debris. Just because pet stores sell cage "decor" doesn't mean it's safe...it may be fine for fish to swim thru, but never for snakes. Even driftwood, you have to make sure there's no holes that your snake can get stuck in, & never use cholla logs either.

My ball python got stuck in BBQ tongs one evening as I was trying to feed him. I have no idea how it happened. In the am, I had my cleaning lady hold his tail (afraid of snakes) while I doused him and the tongs in vegetable oil. I had to squeeze him strongly and pull him out. Unbelievably stressful. The whole time the snake never panicked or struck at me. I still have no ideas how he got into them as his body was at least 3X the width of the opening and I didn't leave him unattended for more than 10 seconds. A little rub mark but be was back to normal in 2 days. I was incredibly lucky. Like OP, lesson learned and now hopefully taught.