Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Central Ratsnake(s)

A Slow and Painful Trap:

These two adult Central Ratsnakes were found entangled in the same piece of garden netting and brought to us for care.

While one snake suffered only minor injuries and was released after five days, the second remains hospitalized as they recover from deeper constriction wounds.

For a snake, becoming trapped in garden netting can be a horrific ordeal.

The material cuts between scales, creating deep wounds that can extend through the skin and into underlying tissues.

As swelling develops, the constriction worsens, leading to tissue damage, infection, and sometimes death.

The snake still in our care arrived with significant wounds caused by this process.

Fortunately, they are healing well so far, but we will continue monitoring the injuries closely. If they do not fully resolve with the next shed cycle, surgical repair may be necessary. Sadly, this is not an unusual case.

Garden netting is the most common reason Central Ratsnakes are admitted to our hospital. Many suffer for days before being discovered. Others are never found at all.

That is especially unfortunate because these snakes are among Virginia’s most effective natural pest-control specialists. By feeding on mice, rats, and other small mammals, they help protect crops, reduce property damage, and limit the spread of diseases carried by rodents and ticks.

If you use netting in your garden, please consider switching to wildlife-safe alternatives such as hardware cloth, plant cages, or fine insect netting that cannot entangle larger animals.

If you must use garden netting, inspect it frequently and store it securely when not in use. Many of our entanglement patients are injured by netting that was discarded or forgotten rather than actively protecting plants.

These snakes ask for very little. They quietly go about their lives controlling pests and maintaining balance in the ecosystem.

Taking a few minutes to properly dispose of or replace garden netting can spare an animal from an incredibly painful fate!

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