Althea, the brave

Last night I saw an ad on kijiji that was giving away a 7 month old ball python.

I texted the number, and asked for pictures. She sent me this one:

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/10/6asynyvy.jpg

I thought the stuck shed was bad enough. Then she mentions she has a possible burn on her stomach and it is not that bad. Of course I ask for pictures.

This is what she sends me:

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/10/naqeje5e.jpg

I sat there and cried. I looked at my grandma and asked if I could get her. I was at my aunts (her sisters) and she said "Aw, hell, what's one more!"

It was 10 pm, and I asked if I could pick her up NOW. I sped to her house and picked her and her exo terra cage up.

The lady told me that it was their first reptile. I wanted to tell her good, and don't bother getting another one!!

Pictures I took at home:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/10/u5a6enep.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/10/sa5ada3u.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/10/e4u3asan.jpg

As soon as I could, I got her to the vet today.

Some of the scabs had become loose off her belly. She basically tried to shed, but lack of humidity caused her to shed in pieces. We managed to carefully cut off the scabbed loose shed on her tummy.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/10/y6uda8u2.jpg

I got Betadine, Metcam(?) for pain, and got a prescription for Silver sulfadiazine which I had to get from an ACTUAL human pharmacy. Haha.

The vet didn't have it so I went to my pharmacy:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/10/y7equdeq.jpg
They asked me if she had allergies.

I took her home, gave her a nice soak with Betadine. She passed some urates and a bit of poo. Dried her off and put some of the cream on her before I put her back in her qt area.

Hopefully she'll be fine after a few sheds. For an animal that has been through so much, she is an absolute sweet heart.

Bobba, you're a girl! I didn't know, lol.

Aside from that...good for you. :') Very touching story. Poor little girl.

Edit: No, wait. The lady sent you that picture. My bad. :rolleyes:

It seems that a lot of people think I'm a guy. Oh well ;)

And yes, this little girl is gonna be all okay after I'm done with her.

She can't even be properly sexed because of the burns. They go mid belly to the end of her tail!

Ohhh wow. That first belly pic made my stomach turn. Major karma points for you for taking that poor baby in. Keep us posted on her status!!

I just saw your edit.

Darn it, I could've still pulled my charade as a man!!!

Oh, you really are a girl, then. Ahahaha. My bad...twice...:rolleyes:

Yay!! Good job. That poor baby. :( Fingers crossed she's good as new soon.

wow... those pics are awful... Im sooooooooooo glad you went and got her.. Yer Awesome... and she will be feeling Awesome in no time :)

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Originally Posted by MootWorm

Ohhh wow. That first belly pic made my stomach turn. Major karma points for you for taking that poor baby in. Keep us posted on her status!!

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My stomach dropped too. All I could do was sit and hold my face in my hands and cry.

This woman was completely oblivious. She thought this wasn't bad? She was like oh you might want a vet visit. NO, REALLY?!

Good job on the rescue. The person that says that burn is not that bad is a moron. Way to go on the rescue and rehab. Hopefully everything clears up after a few sheds and she lives a long and happy life.

Poor baby I hope she gets well soon. She's a pretty one :)


Sent from iPhone 5 using tapatalk :)

I'm fairly certain after a few sheds shell be as good as new. I couldn't just leave her there, and with her being free, I was scared that some unknown owner would get her!

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

with her being free, I was scared that some unknown owner would get her!

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That's what I'm always afraid of, too. Could take her out of the fryer, and into the frying pan, so to speak. That's why I've got a little normal male (probably) who I'm slowly going to find a suitable owner for.

I told my grandmother that I'll probably rehome the snake if it's a male (was told its a female, but like I said, I can't sex her with her burns) but I think we all know I'm going to get attached and keep it either wat

So sad. Great job on the rescue though!

Good for you for rescuing the poor thing! I don't think I could have kept a civil tongue in my head.

As an FYI I asked http://www.mountainside-medical.com/...adiazine-Cream if they would sell w/o a script and got an email response stating they would, though I haven't tried yet.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Good for you for rescuing the poor thing! I don't think I could have kept a civil tongue in my head.

As an FYI I asked http://www.mountainside-medical.com/...adiazine-Cream if they would sell w/o a script and got an email response stating they would, though I haven't tried yet.

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By the time I got to her house I was too exhausted to say anything. I had cried the entire way there!

And I called my pharmacy while at the vet and they said I'd need a prescription.

You did a great thing for that little girl! Why don't people think burns hurt snakes? I've seen ads like that where they are just so flippant about it. If you had a burn that was so bad your skin was crinkling off wouldn't you get medical attention? Wouldn't it hurt? You did a wonderful thing!

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

It seems that a lot of people think I'm a guy. Oh well ;)

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Well you did choose Bobba Fett as a user name. It would be like me having the user name PrincessLeah and expecting people to think I am a guy.

And grats on the good deed. Hope she heals up for you in a couple sheds.

Wow that's terrible.... How can some one let a animal go like that? How would that woman feel if she burned her stomach bad and couldn't leave the house to get medical help and just had to deal with it. Please tell me this lady didn't have kids... and I'm not even joking. People like this shouldn't be able to reproduce there own off spring. ..... ok done ranting......

You're such a good person, thank you for sharing this story its always good to know there is good people still out there. I think all of us would like to be updated in furture threads of her healing ect.

Some people just lack the brains to own a animal let alone breathe. My definition of not bad and this woman's are world's apart. Good job on the rescue, I wouldn't have been able to keep my composure.

Sent from my N861 using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by MasonC2K

Well you did choose Bobba Fett as a user name. It would be like me having the user name PrincessLeah and expecting people to think I am a guy.

And grats on the good deed. Hope she heals up for you in a couple sheds.

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/whine

It was the name of my first snake

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Originally Posted by BTennant

Wow that's terrible.... How can some one let a animal go like that? How would that woman feel if she burned her stomach bad and couldn't leave the house to get medical help and just had to deal with it. Please tell me this lady didn't have kids... and I'm not even joking. People like this shouldn't be able to reproduce there own off spring. ..... ok done ranting......

You're such a good person, thank you for sharing this story its always good to know there is good people still out there. I think all of us would like to be updated in furture threads of her healing ect.

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Sadly she had kids!

I wanted to smack her when I showed up at her house! She really believed it wasn't that bad. To think that this little girl has already shed, so this injury isn't new! She must have been suffering terribly

That is sad. I just got my first snake a couple days ago and the first thing I did was research it. I would have done it before I got him but it was very unexpected. I can't understand how people just let their ignorance get the best of them and hurt lives in the process. Take a few minutes out of your day and educate yourself about your new pet. Something so completely avoidable and she was even ignorant of how bad it was. Some pet owners just baffle me.

Big kudos to you and your grandma. =D

Wow. I don't even want to comment on the original owner.

But, as to you, I'm glad you found her and rescued her. That was a great thing to do. I know it can't be cheap to fix someone's mistake like that. Thank you.

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Originally Posted by towelie4365

Wow. I don't even want to comment on the original owner.

But, as to you, I'm glad you found her and rescued her. That was a great thing to do. I know it can't be cheap to fix someone's mistake like that. Thank you.

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Honestly, some may not see it as cheap, but the vet visit, pain meds, Betadine and cream was all under $100!

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

Honestly, some may not see it as cheap, but the vet visit, pain meds, Betadine and cream was all under $100!

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Whoa I'd say that's pretty darn cheap!!! I know my vet visits are $36 just to walk in the door, not to mention any meds, supplements etc.

I was expecting a bigger bill than that! That's a good deal. Maybe the vet was sympathetic and lowered the bill?

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Originally Posted by towelie4365

Wow. I don't even want to comment on the original owner.



But, as to you, I'm glad you found her and rescued her. That was a great thing to do. I know it can't be cheap to fix someone's mistake like that. Thank you.

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"

X2

That is awesome pricing for exotic vet care. Although my animals are the ones getting checked at the vet i'm always the one feeling violated by the time we leave. :(

Bless your heart! Poor little lamb, to be treated like that. Sadly, this is more normal than proper care. It's such a shame. It was very kind of you to step up like that, and as someone who gets rescues dumped into her lap regularly, I know it doesn't come cheap. Still, we can't help it darn it!

My latest rescue was a big male rat. People got bored of him or something, then he developed a "small growth" they could not afford to have removed, so they were going to turn him loose in the yard to live out his life happy and free. No joke, that is what they thought. A friend of mine found out about it and contact me, I told her to snag him and bring him to me. Turns out that "small growth" was a fatty tumor the size of a tennis ball, I kid you not. I took him to my awesome vet, and when I told her the story she cried. She said he was kind of old to be a candidate for surgery, but he was such a sweetheart and so lovey-dovey she wanted to try. He came through with flying colors, made everyone in the office fall in love with him, and blessed me with a litter of babies a few days ago.

So, yes I know what it feels like. And I know the cost, not just in terms of money. And I can just about promise if you are like me, he or she is not going anywhere.

By the way, I had no idea you were a girl either! Now I feel kind of silly. What kind of snake was your first? Are you a Star Wars fan, and that is how he got his name?

Gale

I think it was $50 for the visit, a few dollars for the pain killers and Betadine and then $25 for the Silver sulfadiazine.

I actually rescued my first snake as well. They named him Bobbafett, but I called him Boo after awhile. He was in a tank, with one hide, a water dish, and a tree branch. No thermostat and no dimmer for the light.

He passed away earlier this year, and I didn't have the $$ at the time for a necropsy. The vet I had taken him to wanted $350 for a necropsy and then $200+ to cremate him.

I had him cremated at a home run crematorium and have a bit of his ashes in a necklace I wear. He was my first love and the reason why I have snakes today.

Rip Boo
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/11/rujevanu.jpg

And Gale, we all know s/he won't be going anywhere ;)

I applaud you.... nuff said...

Oh poor baby D: I'm glad you have her now, that burn looked ugly D:

Her tummy looks a lot better after that scabbed loose shed was removed but she also still has some scabs near her vent that are still stuck to her skin.

I'm gonna try feeding her in a few days.

Oh, they were also feeding her hamster babies. Let's hope she'll take a ASF!

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Originally Posted by MootWorm

Whoa I'd say that's pretty darn cheap!!! I know my vet visits are $36 just to walk in the door, not to mention any meds, supplements etc.

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I see you are in phx... I found a vet in Flagstaff that is absolutly wonderful... helped me out with my girl.... I live an hour away from him... had to go a few times... all of what he did over those few visits were under 100....He was awesome... :)

Althea seems to be healing up quite well!

She's not too fond of her oral pain killers. Got my grandma helping me. I hold her mouth open and she squirts it in!

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/13/hyhe4age.jpg
This was her belly yesterday.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/13/uhybared.jpg
Here she is enjoying (I hope!!) her Betadine soak. A lot of shed has come off. I had to work at the tail end, but I wasn't able to help much. The tip of her tail is gone due to all the layers of shed.

For a girl that must be in so much pain, she is such a good girl! Hasn't striked once!

She looks so much better already! And can I say? I love your grandma.

Keep up the good work bobba, she's looking great. :gj::gj:

Everyone loves my grandma ;)

When it's time to do her I yell "nurse!! Nurse!!!"

Haha.

She's already looking so much better!

Wow lady! I thorougly acknowledge you for doing that....and coming to that poor snakes rescue so fast and at that hour. Only a dedicated herper like yourself would do that. And i would have been hard pressed not to slap that woman silly thinkin a BURN on ANY animal is "not that bad". From the first picture, it looks like she spends more time attending to her fingernails than she did that poor snake. You did a noble thing. :salute:

sent from my incubator

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

Althea seems to be healing up quite well!

She's not too fond of her oral pain killers. Got my grandma helping me. I hold her mouth open and she squirts it in!

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What cool grandparents, My Nan is scared to death of any of the reptiles Ive had for 15 years. She is healing very quickly and nicely.. I'm also surprised she is healing this fast, then again she is in good hands now.

Thanks for the update was wondering when we would be getting one.

I'll get another picture of her belly tonight when I do her soaks.

I'm going to offer food after her pain meds are done, and leave her alone for a day or two after to digest before going back to soaks and the cream.

She's supposedly 7 months old, and weighs 240 grams :(

Crazy improvement!!

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/14/u9yqynyr.jpg

It's looking a LOT better than it did.

Here's my nurse doing her soak ;)
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/14/zetype8a.jpg

We managed to get almost all the stuck shed off. She's so beautiful. She's almost spider gold.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/14/u6u2ape3.jpg

Wow this is crazy! I'm glad you found her and saved her! Also, it's so awesome that your grandma is helping!

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

I've been following this thread. You did an awesome thing saving her and taking her to the vet. The ignorance and lack of care of some people is just shocking. I'm so glad you took her in and that she's doing so much better now. The first pics and that last one are a world of difference.

Going to feed her in two days, once her pain killers are done.

She must be a hungry little girl!

What a little beauty she's turning out to be. And best of all, when it's all said and done, you won't hardly know it happened. Just a little line down the middle of her belly should be all that you see, and no one would guess how bad it once was.

I have often found that animals, once they get to a certain point of distress, really seem to know you are helping, and won't try and fight too much. I had a baby rattie that had a bad reaction to his mite treatment. he got deathly sick and couldn't eat. I gave him subcutaneous fluid injections every few hours for days to keep him hydrated enough to survive. Then he slowly got better. Now he's my right hand rattie. No one else can mess with him, only me. Now, given the fact that I repeated made a pincushion out of the little guy and forced nasty stuff down his throat for days, you'd think he'd hate my guts. But not him. He loves me and can't spend enough time with me. He gives me kisses and hangs out on my shoulders. His a one person rat, and I happen to be that person, needles, nasty stuff, tooth trimming and all.

Gale

Thanks, Gale! She is turning to be a little beauty. I love her patterns and her golden coloring.

I know that she must be feeling a bit better as she tries to get away during her soaks!

I just read the whole post and my initial reaction was my stomach turning from that horrible woman and that poor baby ): Now I am just so pleased that headling is going so well, thankfully that sweetheart fell in to good hands! Did she ever tell you how the hell that happened?