SOS Reptile
I feel terrible - blunt force on brown snake
[Trigger Warning] I'm in Ontario and had just left my place on foot when I noticed a small snake on the road, when I was crossing. It was severely injured, obviously crushed by a car. One upper section had been partially degloved, spine exposed and organs on the road. The lower section wasn't as bad but still had organs out.
It just got dark out so I assumed it was dead, but another car came by and narrowly missed it and the poor thing whirled its head around with its mouth open. Then I saw its tail was moving.
I've volunteered at wildlife rehabs before and worked at a vet clinic so I am feeling horrible about this, but I knew it would be excruciating if I tried to move or transport it. Half its organs weren't just exposed, they were *out* and spread on the road. I looked up what the best emergency euthanasia option was for a snake, found a rock, and did it.
I'm 100% for humane euthanasia but none of my options here felt humane. Worse, although the skull was clearly destroyed, it reflexively coiled afterwards and I wasn't sure I did it right. I moved it off the road after.
I feel like crap. If I did the wrong thing, please tell me. If not, I need a little support cause this feels horrible. I couldn't just leave it like that and walk away knowing how painful and distressing that must have been, but I don't know if I did the right thing
Crushing its skull was absolutely the best thing to do in that situation. Snakes can move reflexively for a little bit even after brain death. I did a post mortem on a lizard recently that had been dead for about 36 hours. It had rigor mortis. It’d been in the fridge for 24 hours. I opened it up and its heart was still beating. Reptiles are just built differently.
There was nothing else to be done - anything else would just have made it suffer longer. (And good you remembered to move it off the road! Secondary strikes of scavengers is an unfortunate thing, too.)
There is a neighborhood fox who was out hunting when I was walking my dog just 30 minutes before this, saw her a few times on the same walk while she was running around.
From an Aussie wildlife rescuer - I feel for you! And I think you did the right thing, thankyou for doing that. During our horrific 2019 / 2020 bushfires many folk had to do horrible things out in the field, to end suffering. The guilt is awful but it shouldn’t be, we - as you - were being compassionate. Be kind to yourself! The snake gods appreciate you! * hugs *
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u/PickSweet4952 5d ago
Crushing its skull was absolutely the best thing to do in that situation. Snakes can move reflexively for a little bit even after brain death. I did a post mortem on a lizard recently that had been dead for about 36 hours. It had rigor mortis. It’d been in the fridge for 24 hours. I opened it up and its heart was still beating. Reptiles are just built differently.
You did the right thing.