From what I’ve read, it’s very rare for snakes to do this and it happens when they are sick, stressed, or confused to the point of mistaking themselves for prey. It’s more common in captive snakes that don’t have room to stretch out properly and mistake their own tail for that of another snake. The scent and taste of the hand sanitizer is strong and unpleasant enough to break them out of the behavior.

Surprised by how much of itself it managed to swallow.