Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Eastern Ratsnake

Please, do not relocate snakes!

This Eastern Ratsnake got a ride from our neighbors over at Blandy Experimental Farm when someone found this snake out and about with some concerning skin issues.

These skin lesions are one of the most common symptoms of Snake Fungal Disease (SFD), a contagious fungal infection that is often fatal for multiple snake species.

This snake is currently being kept in isolation away from our other snake patients and is undergoing treatment with daily soaks, antibiotic injections, and nebulization with anti-fungal and antibiotic medications. The patient is currently alert and active, and we have high hopes for success with this treatment.

While people may think it’s harmless to relocate a snake off their property, with diseases like SFD, relocation can introduce novel diseases to existing populations, resulting in the widespread death of not only common species, but those who may already be on the brink of survival due to other human-made causes.

For example, the disease was first found in 2006 in a New Hampshire population of Timber Rattlesnakes. By 2007, their numbers had been cut in half by SFD.

We never recommend relocation of wildlife off the property on which they were found due to this reason, as well as the many studies that show that it often results in the individual’s death. It’s also illegal to do so without the right permits.

Relocation of snakes inside a home or building just outside (on the same property) is perfectly fine, but please keep in mind the time of year—if it’s late fall through early spring, it may be too cold to release snakes or other reptiles outside.

If you have a snake concern, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We can help advise you in your specific scenario!

To learn more about SFD, check out this fact sheet from Cornell University.

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