A snake that got into trouble when feeding has been nursed back to health – with a paper clip crucial to her recovery.
Toothless, a green tree python from Australia, needed emergency help after her lower jawbone folded and got stuck in her throat during feeding.
Her owner took her to the HerpVet, outside Brisbane, where the fractured jaw was identified.
“After delicately dislodging the stuck portion of the jaw, it was still abnormally positioned,” HerpVet explained in a Facebook post which has scored hundreds of likes and shares.
Posted by HerpVet on Saturday, September 8, 2018
“An x-ray image was taken to assess the bone and a break was seen in the mandible.
“This bone is too small and fragile to fix with traditional surgery, so the bone was aligned and an external brace (a moulded paper clip) was attached.”
It was attached with non-toxic super glue.
The accident happened during Toothless’s first feed after laying her eggs and it’s thought this might have weakened her jawbone.
The paperclip brace fell off after one day, but it was reapplied the next day and stayed on until she shed.
As well as pain relief she was given a calcium supplement to aid the healing process.
