Sorrow. [Need shoulders to cry on]

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Originally Posted by Salamander

That is what is probably hurting me most...he isn't listening and he isn't 'talking'.

I don't think he wants me to know where he is...at least, for now.

Before, he never 'shut up'.

Mostly he was griping about this house being "too small".

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Originally Posted by Salamander

He wanted more room...and picked a really lousy way to drive the point home.

I sometimes feel mad at him...and then at myself for not 'listening' to him and acting sooner.

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:confused:

For one thing, I don't think you should allow yourself to feel so personally responsible for this. It is hindering not only your search for Alice but your ability to function. Take a step back and don't force yourself to feel guilty for all this.

I know this is a very stressful and heart-wrenching time for you. But I think you ought to relax and breathe as others are telling you.

It might also help if you try not to anthropomorphize your snake. For your sake, try to temporarily tone down the "If I had just gotten him a bigger cage..." thing. I think you and I both know that is a bit of a stretch - you could give him a mansion and he would still look for (and most certainly find) ways to escape. It has nothing to do with space.

I think you need to take a step back and stop tearing the house apart. He definitely will not turn up if you keep turning over all his hiding spots; he'll just move to yet another cozy spot.

PM'ing you, because I'm a nutcase too and won't want to worry people reading this, or have them think I'm crazy :8:

You might as well PM me too. I am always "giving my animals too much credit" and "making them too human". This is me, deal with it.

I talk to each and every one of my snakes, and I will swear in court they talk to me too. I am not joking. My male pastel went on a feeding strike for the breeding season. No big deal. But he got it into his head he did not get enough girlfriends for his manly self, and when everyone else started eating again, he refused.

I would ask him each week if he was ready to eat, and every week he'd look me in the eye and I could hear him saying, "No, not until I get another girlfriend. That darned Kodama had three, and I only got one!" Laugh if you want to. Feel free to call me crazy, it won't be the first time. But it's true. After the last of my non pied girls ovulated, he still would not eat, and he kept giving me that look. Finally I took him out of his tub and sat him down for a talk. I told him, " Look, I know you think this breeding thing isn't fair, and you are right it isn't. However, I'd like to remind you I never intended to bring you home in the first place, but since you've been here I've only ever done my best for you. You know your my favorite male, why else would I get you out all the time ? You also know that I breed for quality babies, and let's face it you are not the best quality pastel. Yes you are more beautiful than when I bought you, but you are still not my ideal pastel and you know it. If it were only me breeding, you wouldn't have had any girl to breed with, but Kyle gave you a shot because he isn't as hung up on quality as I am. Now, Akira just ovulated, and the chances are good you get to be a daddy for me. And I have to admit, I'm kind of excited about it. Maybe one of your babies will be the kind of pastel I'm looking for, stranger things have happened than that. Now, you must get down off your high horse and eat something. You are starting to loose weight, and if you keep it up you won't be ready when the next season rolls around. You know Kyle is set on making a firefly, so he's probably going to ask me to pair you up with Mori when she gets big enough. And he's toying with the idea of making blasts with you and Freckles. So, if you are a good boy, next year you might have three girls too. But you need to eat."

Kyle comes in as I finish my lecture and put him away. And he tells me, "You know that snake cannot understand you, and you sound like a complete idiot talking to him like that, right ?" I told him to mind his own business, and he knew I was crazy when he married me. Feeding day was two days later, and guess who ate not just one rat but two ?

So sure, I'm crazy. Certifiably nuts. Gone round the bend, cheese slid off my cracker, porch light is on but nobody's home, toys in the attic, absolutely bonkers, utterly mad, however you like to say it. But I'll tell you a secret, all the best people are.

Gale

Have you considered hiring a pest control person? They have a lot of neat tricks and tools for finding animals. I am sure one would take a look for whatever the hourly rate is. Also consider a plumber.

Gale; I love it :D I've been talking to animals since I was a kid, haha.

I like to think of it like a religion. I don't talk about it much. I don't force it on other people. I don't have to share it with everyone. Not everyone has to understand it. And as long as I'm free to do my own thing, we'll get along just fine :gj: Not everyone believes in God, not everyone believes in Science, and sure as heck, not everyone believes the things I believe. But the world keeps spinning, and as far as I'm concerned, if talking to animals is the most people will judge me for then life can't be all that bad

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Originally Posted by jinx667

Have you considered hiring a pest control person? They have a lot of neat tricks and tools for finding animals. I am sure one would take a look for whatever the hourly rate is. Also consider a plumber.

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That is a fantastic idea (as long as it's not Billy the Exterminator). Good call!

When i first was getting into snakes i had an escapee. I put out a hide and some food for him over night. My room mate called me up a few days later and said he was going to do some laundry. I said OK, but make sure and check around the drier so he didn't get overheated if he happened to be around the drier. When he pulled the drier away from the wall it also pulled the drier vent tube out of the floor and for some reason he didn't fix it. I came home several hours later and saw the drier pulled away from the wall and a large hole going under my house. I quickly taped the hole up. For weeks i kept a hide with heat out and every few days a frozen thawed, but couldn't find him. That is when my neighbor found my snake dead inside the back of her drier. I didn't blame my room mate because it was my fault that the snake escaped in the first place. I almost think if i would of left the hole untaped he would have came back out :please: I was majorly let down but dont give your hopes up. I once found my first snake in the back of an 18 pack of emptly beer bottles that were about to be taken out too. Check everywhere! And try not and fall asleep with your snakes like i used to!

Just make sure there is no escape routes out of your house and what not and things should be OK.

If you are fruity, I must be fruity too. I've cried over tarantulas. Right now my dog with Canine Cognitive Dysfuction is nearing the point where we'll need to put her down and my beloved Cyclura, Kismet, has a bacterial infection that might be just an oviduct and I'm praying is not related to an egg since she was gravid.

I had a missing blue phase iguana for two weeks. I know how hard this is and I hope and pray you find your baby.

And I don't think you are overreacting.

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Originally Posted by jinx667

Have you considered hiring a pest control person? They have a lot of neat tricks and tools for finding animals. I am sure one would take a look for whatever the hourly rate is. Also consider a plumber.

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Huh, that might actually work... just don't spend an unreasonable amount of money.

I have been following your other thread since it started. I am still pulling for a reappearance as the weather begins to cool in search of warm places. I may not feel animals such as snake communicate with us in the way that you do, but it is nice to see someone who cares about their animals so much. :)

They're family. That's that.
With something like this, it's hard when people tell you to control yourself. Or that it's not worth it to make yourself worry. It implies that you can just flip the caring switch on and off. Not so.

x2 on the pest control person.

Most people outside of a forum like this would not be able to sympathize, yet if it was a dog.. (don't get me wrong, love dogs)


I can't imagine what you must be going through :( That's your family, you're concerned about; completely understandable. Hopefully he's just found a place he really likes and is camping out for a bit, but at least if you're seeing rodents you're seeing signs he has something of a food supply (although concern that he's too "soft" for real-life hunting is legitimate).


I hope he comes home to you soon, hang in there and try not to let the worry drown you. He's going to need you at your A-game after his big adventure.