How do you practice rattlesnake medicine?

Answer: very carefully! This canebrake rattlesnake is the latest snake to be treated in the wildlife hospital. With the help of our friend Jeff Fobb from the Miami Dade Venom One Response Unit, we were able to restrain this snake to have a closer look at what appears to be some sort of condition affecting the head of this snake. But first the snake must be coaxed into the clear tube to create a safe environment for the team to examine her.

Once safely inside the tube we can safely handle this dangerous pit viper to get samples to send off to the lab for a more accurate picture of what may be going on inside the unhappy patient.

Fortunately, she could not double back through the tube.

Finally, we had to go after the most dangerous part of the operation, the mouth of the snake. I found it quite interesting that she kept her fangs "sheathed" or covered by the protective soft tissue of the mouth to protect them from injuries. Not such a nice snake as one might initially think, but certainly a smart one.

We are very grateful to be under the advisement of Dr. Doug Mader, one of the leading reptile experts in the country for this particular case. So far with very minimal treatment, her attitude has improved greatly and we are still waiting for some of our results. With any luck, she will be back in her enclosure in no time.

A Python in the Hospital!

We jumped at the chance to help our friends at the Miami Dade Venom Response Unit with this rather large python that they use for their education programs. We realized however that we may have bitten off a little more than we could chew! At almost 80 pounds this patient was NOT content to be a willing participant in her treatment for an upper respiratory and mouth infection. With a little help and training however, we have figured out a reasonable treatment plan for this animal.

This snake is instrumental in educating people about the importance of responsible pet ownership. Pythons, especially burmese pythons, like this one are thriving in unknown numbers in the heart of the Florida Everglades. They represent the threat of an ecological disaster as they are a super predator that will prey on birds, mammals, and even alligators as seen in incredible pictures circulating on the Internet. How did this happen? People impulsively purchase exotic animals without considering the long term housing and growth patterns of these animals. When no longer able or interested in keeping them, they release them in the wild rather than to find an appropriate home. This particular snake was captured in January in Homestead Florida, the doorstep to the Florida Everglades. It is tame enough to be handled, but still wild enough to show the dangerous nature of these large predators.

Lt. Jeff Fobb (pictured above) trained us on how to safely remove the python from her enclosure and how to secure her head for the mouth rinse that would help clean the infection.

The brown substance in the mouth is betadine, an antiseptic used to clean wounds. Although the mouth is a little scary to look at, it is not what puts the handler at risk. This python could easily kill and digest a small goat kills by constriction, or squeezing, not by venom. Luckily, this particular snake is not overly aggressive and only defends itself against our advances to extract it from its cage and forcibly restrain it as we administer treatment.

Finally after all these treatments, the snake is treated with a nice shower from Lt. Fobb. It seems to enjoy this rather relaxing end. For more information on pythons in the everglades go to http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/10/22/predators.in.paradise/index.html. Also look for the story on this transfer to us on Animal Planet's Animal Cops Miami.

Here's a peek at our littlest eastern screech owl admitted so far this season. He/she is absolutely adorable and I got all of the doting out of my system the day it came in. I then turned it over to the second foster mom to give Lucille a little break. This little owl is one of the most fierce, yet sneaky dive-bombers that we have at our center. Her aggression preceeded the beginning of baby season and no one was safe as we entered the mew that she shares with several other screech owls. My advice for all that enter her realm: just keep your head down so her attack lands on the back of your head. I was unfortunate one year to look up and get four little needle sharp talons right on my forehead!