Doctor Makes Snake Regurgitate Toxic Rats

Occurred on February 26, 2019 / Maitland, New South Wales, AustraliaShow more

Info from Licensor: "The second most venomous land snake in the world, an eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis), was found on a property. The property owner had pinned the snake down with two shovels to prevent its escape and called a wildlife rescuer to come and remove it. The property owner made it aware that he had used rodenticide poison to control a rat problem and that the snake had likely eaten a rat that had eaten the poison.
The wildlife carers brought the snake immediately to Dr. Jonathon Howard - an exotic animal vet highly experienced in handling deadly venomous reptile. When x-raying the snake for any possible fractures or spinal breaks from the shovel, it was clear that the snake had eaten 3 rats. To prevent the rodenticide poison that the rats had eaten from being digested and poisoning the snake, the decision was made to anesthetize the snake and make it regurgitate the consumed meal. Each rat had to be individually pushed out of the stomach one by one.
Because of the highly venomous nature of this species of snake, even the most minute amount of venom scratching the hand could easily kill an adult. The head must be restrained at all times even when anesthetized. When the rat was exiting the mouth, the amount of restraint needs to be loosened adding to the risk. Each rat that came out is covered in stomach juices which makes the smell of the ordeal somewhat unpleasant. After all the rats had been expelled, the snake was given a pain relief injection from bruising. The snake recovered well and was released in a forest not too far from the original capture site."