I'm absolutely sick over this.

My girlfriend and I got a baby ball python in June. So far he has been great. He enthusiastically eats and has shed once with no problems. And he's just a very nice snake. Of course since he's my first snake I am constantly worried about him. I try to take excellent care of him and do everything I can for him.

Well last night after a short soak (I live in CO and it's very dry here) we were handling him on the couch. He was slithering around when all the sudden he came into contact with one of those pet rollers (tape on a roller to remove pet hair from clothing for those unfamiliar). We didn't know it was there. At first he just contacted it in a small spot the size of a dime. But he panicked and ended up getting stuck from the base of his head along the entire length of the roller (about 4" to 5"). He panicked more and was trying to get himself unstuck. I took him and the roller into the kitchen and ran them under some water to try and loosen the adhesive. In hindsight I wish I had tried cooking spray, soap or mineral oil but I think he'd have made things worse if I didn't act fast.

Well we were able to get him off the roller minus some scales. There was no bleeding or tearing of the skin, it's intact, but it seemed to have pulled the skin away from his body and there were air bubbles underneath that can be moved around with a finger. He still moves about his cage but he is obviously in pain.

I am horrified and feel terribly guilty for hurting him.

I guess I want to know:

1) Has anything like this happened to anyone else?
2) Is the injury itself life threatening?
3) Will this heal?
4) If it will heal how long will it take?
5) What steps can I take to help him heal?
6) Will he be deformed or have scarring?
7) He was due to eat on Saturday, should I wait? How long?