Horror story! Scared to death! stuck adult pastel

[Greazyreaper666]

While I try to educate myself and be as responsible of a pet owner as possible. Things happen I suppose....we were making our nightly rounds taking turns handling our cold blooded babies, I decided to let my big boy roam on the carpet while I sit next to him. Petting him and enjoying his company, he darted towards a belt (my lady had just gotten of of work and in her excitement to see the babies she rolled her belt and put it on the floor). He entered through the metal buckle and pushed himself stuck before I could get him out. He tried to back out to no avail...well...we went into full panic/action mode. I ran around the house and found my dremel with a cut off wheel( I am a mechanic and know how to use a cutoff wheel). I cut the belt off of the buckle and found a corner that the body didn't occupy and started to cut the buckle spraying the metal every few seconds to keep it cool. I was able to make a cut without harming my big baby and then was able to pry it off with pliers.....he was stuck for maybe 8 mins at the most from initial entry to release....he did make grunt noise as he buried himself further into the buckle (she loves our pets and at this point my girlfriend is balling I'm trying to concentrate)...he's free and seems to be fine...my question is this...

he had red rings/marks where he was stuck that look like bruising. We held him and inspected him for a little bit after that incident he acted like nothing had happened...lightly touching the affected area he didn't jump or act in pain....what should I be watching or looking for...could that grunt just have been him releasing air or trying to breathe....or is he seriously hurt. Any advice pertaining to the marks or healing. He is acting fine and not really phased by the whole ordeal (the opposite of us). Thanks in advance.

[angllady2]

These guys live to scare the hell out of us.

My guess is he's fine. You are the one who needs to see a dr after that ordeal.

Just keep a close watch on him, if you notice any swelling or obvious signs of pain or if anything changes, you can always see a vet to ease your mind.

Gale

[Jwkempo]

props on wielding that dremel like a surgeon!

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props on wielding that dremel like a surgeon!

[myztic24]

My big male got stuck in a paint roller tube my cousins kid said he wanted to go through the tunnel..ohhhhh i was mad i took my big guy and the tube and gave my wife a pair of scissors and told her to be careful but cut him free,...So he was fine afterwards

[Reinz]

You'd be surprised how small they can flatten out when they want to. But yours was restricted by being boxed in with the buckle, i.e., not having unlimited area to flatten out.

Great thinking and procedures with the Dremel!

I really think he'll be just fine.

[Greazyreaper666]

Thanks everyone for the positive support! I got lucky! have learned a good lesson! he seems fine today. I don't see any marks but am letting him calm down and relax before handling and doing a more thorough inspect. I have never been so scared!

[OhhWatALoser]

yea it happens

[kaitala]

Not a BP, but my garters had coco huts for hides. Some have holes in them, naturally, and the little ones use to slide through there for fun, poke their heads out to look around, etc. (garters are like little kids) Well, my florida blue female apparently hadn't been through in a while, and not realizing she had grown, got herself stuck. We had to cut her free, but in all the panic, she kept whirling around in circles, so the edge of the coco hut hole put a nasty gash in her. She healed up okay, but carried that scar until she passed away.

We never used coco huts with the holes in them again after that.

Quick thinking on the dremel! And if anyone else gets in a jam like that, it's a good thing you posted, they'll think of that first! I'm sure hubster and I would have thought "bolt cutters" and wasted time wondering how to do it without hurting the snake....

[Greazyreaper666]

Not a BP, but my garters had coco huts for hides. Some have holes in them, naturally, and the little ones use to slide through there for fun, poke their heads out to look around, etc. (garters are like little kids) Well, my florida blue female apparently hadn't been through in a while, and not realizing she had grown, got herself stuck. We had to cut her free, but in all the panic, she kept whirling around in circles, so the edge of the coco hut hole put a nasty gash in her. She healed up okay, but carried that scar until she passed away.

We never used coco huts with the holes in them again after that.

Quick thinking on the dremel! And if anyone else gets in a jam like that, it's a good thing you posted, they'll think of that first! I'm sure hubster and I would have thought "bolt cutters" and wasted time wondering how to do it without hurting the snake....

Thanks Syd is doin great! No marks luckily! Dremels are very handy and I will keep one close by in my reptile room....not only for smooth tub holes but for snake rescue lol. Just a word to the wise. I will always recommend vets but when in a pinch (when minutes can mean life and death when an animal can't breathe) and having no close by open herp vets here are some Dremel notes....I'm no pro but this is what I learned and know...hopefully this helps

A. Be very careful one slip and you will put a nasty gash in your pet
B. Stay calm, focus and breathe...they can pick up your emotions. Even though they may go crazy your doing this for them.
C. When cutting metal.... Cut a little at a time...spray cold water frequently to keep the metal cool. Feel the metal constantly to make sure your not burning your snake..The vibration wigged out my dude but as long as the metal is cool then your good to keep going.
D. Find a place to cut that has the most clearance... If your like me the corners where I had some space to cut. Incase you do go all the way through
E. TRY NOT TO GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH...LEAVE A BREAKABLE SLIVER THAT YOU CAN GRAB ON EITHER SIDE WITH PLIERS OR CHANNEL LOCKS AND TRY TO GENTLY WORK TO BREAK AND PULL APART.
F. A proper dremel and cut off wheel for what you are cutting....as well as "eye safety". A small cut off wheel works the best.
G. I didn't cut a cylinder but if I had to use a dremel for it I would score down the side. Start at the small end of the snake or the least stuck area. Then I would cut all the way through about the fist 1/2 inch and start working apart with 2 pair of needle nose. Cutting and spreading slowly.

Lastly if your a drinker have a biggin to calm you down. ....or whatever you do to chill out. You freed your baby be proud. hope this helps...