telegraph.co.uk wrote:Reggie, a 3ft kingsnake, almost had to be put down when it mistook its tail for another snake and took a bite, but found itself unable to regurgitate the tail due to its backward-facing teeth.
The snake’s owner was only alerted when it began to choke. Reggie was rushed to Seers Croft Veterinary Centre in Faygate, West Sussex, where exotic reptiles expert Bob Reynolds prised open its mouth, dislocated its jaw and removed the tail before it had been digested.
“Its teeth were acting like a ratchet,” Mr Reynolds told the Daily Mail. “If a snake like this one is kept in a space that is too small then there is always a temptation for it to lunge at its own tail.
“They can’t spread themselves out and they think their tails are another snake.”
King snakes in the wild are native to the Americas, but they are popular choices for pets due to the ease of caring for them. They are non-venomous, but have been known to kill venomous snakes, such as the rattlesnake, for food.
Last week a new species of chameleon was discovered living in the mouth of an African twig snake.
