Injured Garter Snake

[Wizl13]

HI. In the basement of my house a Garter Snake, I'm not sure what kind, got itself stuck in a tom cat mousetrap, then fell into the french drain (a little trough at the base of the wall). It caught the snake in the fat center part of its body. I have bot been here for a while, and until Sunday had no idea it was there. I have however been informed by my father that he found it there around a month ago. It is still alive today and and we got it out of the mouse trap yesterday. We then put the injured Garter Snake into a large plastic bin (18 gallons). At first it bled a lot all over the bin. Although after several minutes the bleeding subsided and the blood seemed to have clotted and it was no longer bleeding puddles. We decided it needed some food so we put some raw egg in a condiment cup in the bin. This is because my father had a snake that years ago he fed egg, and the snake ate it. We put the bin back in the 70ish degree basement with very thick cardboard over the top of the bin (there are air holes). When we check back on it, it has eaten none of the egg. Also 20-30 minutes after the snake was put into the bin there was a strange white blob, roughly the size of a quarter, in the bin as well. We then pored some water directly into the bin, and the snake laid its head into the water. Considering that the snake looks very ill and injured, and considering that for the next week where I live there is an excessive heat warning in this area, we decided to keep the snake in the bin in the basement to give it the best chance of survival. Today (Tuesday) we put some grass into the bin for the snake to hide in, also we put in the bin a rock. As well as some clean water in a lid (the rest of the water absorbed the blood, and is now stained red). Also we caught five worms of various sizes and put them into the bin. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank You in advance. P.S. I named the snake Grenadine. Thanks.

[Didymus20X6]

It might help if we had some pictures of the snake, especially the injury itself.

Garter snakes need heat. I would say around 80 - 85. Injured or sick animals might need a little more. If you can put a bowl of water in there, it would be better to err on the warmer side, as the snake can always bathe if need be. I recommend an incandescent bulb for heat, placed near one end of the enclosure, with the cool end being around 75 - 80 and the warm end being about 85.

[guidofatherof5]

Photos would be great so we know what snake we are dealing with. This situation sounds serious. Any chance you can get the snake to a Vet.?
Where was the bleeding coming from?

[d_virginiana]

Take the grass and stuff out, and keep the bottom of the tub dry with water in a dish. If it has an open sore, that stuff can get caught in it, and often has little bugs and dirt on it as well. You can put newspaper on the bottom, and they'll hide under that.

Don't bother feeding it right now, just focus on getting it warmer and letting the place heal. Like everyone said, photos would be good. When you do want to feed it, just buy DMF nightcrawlers from WalMart. They're pretty cheap. Worms you find outside can carry toxins you aren't aware of and also some species of worm are harmful to garters.

[Didymus20X6]

If you buy worms from a bait shop, make sure they are Canadian nightcrawlers. I have found some bait shops will label any large worm "nightcrawler", even if it is a worm that isn't good for garters. Avoid red wigglers like the plague.

[Wizl13]

We cleaned out its bin, and moved it to a warmer place (84ish). After cleaning out the bin we put newspapers cut in strips on the bottom as well as more egg (it ate what we originally put in there), cleen water in a dish, and a rock. After moving the snake to cleen the bin it started bleeding a little but clotted fast. The snake is becomin more mobile and is lifting its head, as well as eatting the egg and drinking the water. It also moves more frequently. I will try and link some photos of the snake wih the mousetrap, when we first took it off, and pictures of its three different bin setups. image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

So it's bleeding from scales that are missing from its belly?Have you tried night crawlers yet?

Where is this bleeding coming from?

[Wizl13]

Most if not all the blood is coming from the top of the snake. Not the belly/underside. The only time it really bled was when we took off the trap. When we cleaned its cage it was more of an ooze and clotted quickly. I looked at a store near me but they had none of the night crawlers. So I will try this weekend to find some at another store.

[d_virginiana]

Can you get a closeup of the injury?

Are you using any sort of antibacterial treatment for that wound? Neosporin withOUT painkiller works well, and so does Hibiclens diluted in water. You can use a Q-tip to apply them, and wear gloves if she looks like she's getting bitey.

If there's no internal damage and an infection doesn't start up, she might stand a good chance.

[guidofatherof5]

Hydration, hydration, hydration.