So last week a got a random text from my husband..."Call this number, about a snake...". Ooookkaayy....
Turns out, a local animal control agency received a call from a woman who could no longer care for her snake. They (as well as most other animal control agencies) don't handle snakes. They will kill and dispose of them, but they do not "rescue" them. Since we had helped out another county a few years ago, we got the call.
Three phone calls later, I finally get in contact with the owner of the snake. She's an elderly woman who's grandson left the 10yo ball python in her care, and she can no longer care for it, but wants to make sure it goes to a good home. Pretty common story. I let her know we'd be able to help and I'd call her that evening to make arrangements to come pick him up. That's when she hit me with this shot. --I want to get rid of him, his cage and the stand, but I want $$$$...
So you mean to tell me that you can't take care of this poor snake, you've called animal control, but you expect us to pay you to take it... Awesome!
It's not like I'm going to leave this poor snake with this woman now, so we shell out the money, and head out to get the snake. Twenty-five minutes later we get to the house, and it's a wonder I'm not in jail. This poor baby was in a cage that probably hadn't been cleaned in a year. There's no way she could have done it. The bedding was wet, and matted in the corners. He's not been fed in at least a month, the heater isn't even plugged in, and he's cold. Very very cold.
So we load him, a 55gal nasty aquarium and a wooden stand, with doors that literally fell off when we tried to move it and a hole the size of a basket ball in the back of it, into our truck. As we are getting all this stuff into the truck, and I'm holding him trying to warm him up, she tells us his name is Stupid. That, for some reason, was the straw that broke the camels back. What kind of horrible person could name such a beautiful creature Stupid??!! I could take no more. I practically threw the money at her and walked out the door.
This is how the poor baby stayed the entire drive home. I held him and wrapped him in my shirt trying to warm him up. It took almost two hours before he finally started to move around.
It took my husband and son over an hour to get the cage clean. While they cleaned I got him into a cooler with towels and a heater. Once he warmed up he stretched out and we were able to get a look at him.
He's a beautiful snake. I really wish we were able to keep him, there's just no room. It would be unfair to keep him in a smaller cage. He deserves the best care possible. That's why we called Matt @ the
The Tye Dyed Iguana. I have never met anyone who owns a pet store more involved in the care of his animals, and the animals he sells. The ONLY owner I've ever seen refuse to sell to someone if he didn't think they were capable of taking care of a pet. He has forgotten more about exotic reptiles than I will ever know.
Our house guest stayed with us just one night, then he was off on his new adventure. Matt checked him over when I dropped him off, said he looked good. He will quarantine him for a few days, then he will be on his way to a wonderful new home where he will always be well fed, warm, and loved and NEVER called Stupid again.
