Rauri's Heading Home

Thanks everyone for the sweet comments. As hard as it's been for me it's been way worse for Mike who spent so many more hours with Rauri than I ever did. They are buds and Mike worked very hard to show Rauri that life can be good and full of caring humans. Mike's going to really miss the big boa come hockey season this year so we'll have to get young Sev interested in the game LOL. Mike always let Rauri use him as a big, warm climbing toy and we have lots of great pics to remember our 10 months with this special big snake.

Awe, how awesome that you could rescue this poor guy and get him into a home that he never would have otherwise found. I wish you all the best karma!

Awww Jo..... :hug:

Got a message from Becky today that Rauri made it to Texas safe and sound and Casey Hulse did a super job packing and shipping him. I'm sure she'll post when she gets time.

He's here! Just gorgeous as ever and was very happy tp be out of that darned pillowcase and into his warm hide. Such pretty peachy colors on his cheeks, even my mom said he was absolutely beautiful.

Thanks for the support everyone! I'm so happy he got here quickly and safely(and not because Fedex meant it that way... Idiots).

But we'll get to that story tomorrow when I've had SLEEP. I don't think I even remember what it is...

Glad to hear that he got there safely Becky! And please do tell us the tale later on! :D

ah this is great. may i ask though... why didn't you just keep him jo? why did you rescue him and send him off to becky?

inquiring minds want to know!

He was never actually our snake Aleesha. Long story here.

When the twit who bought Rauri from the twit who had owned him before that, she had never even held a cornsnake or fed one. Twit #1 convinces twit #2 she can manage this big BCI...well she can't. She's driving around town with her car windows down showing him off (oh and she's scared of rats...one of the things he eats *sigh*). A friend of a friend calls me in a panic because this girl has just shown up at her work with the snake loose in the car. Oh and this is the day she bought him...so at this point he's not even been anywhere but the petstore (where twit #1 worked) and her car! Anyways, we convince her to take the snake home and Mike and I go over to help her set up.

Of course they've sold her a big arse heat rock and she will NOT listen. Neither will she join a snake forum because apparently they are too hard for her to figure out how to log in to *sigh sigh sigh*. Over the next month I was on the phone to Becky constantly venting about this twit and on the phone to the twit (this would be twit #2) trying to help her with the snake. Mike had to help her feed (remember she's afraid of rats...even dead ones!) Within a month the snake is not doing well...turning almost black with stress...his belly is going bad from the heat rock and the massive pan of water that basically takes up all his cool side (and she wouldn't remove it either even when we told her too....twits are stubborn...stupid but stubborn!).

Becky always expressed an interest in this snake and I said if ever I could get him away from the twit she would offer him a permanent home. At that point Mike and I had no real interest in boas. Finally twit #2 calls in a panic and I make her take the snake to our reptile vet and he's got the beginnings of a belly burn/belly rot (burn on the rock then go soak in the tub then go back and burn on the rock and spill the tub and sit in wet substrate...quite the life for a snake! grrr). She brought him in loose in her car and our vet nearly freaked when she wandered into the clinic with him slung over her shoulder (he was easily 5.5 feet at this time). Our vet was VERY concerned and tried to give the twit husbandry advice but didn't feel she got very far.

The next day twit calls me because she doesn't want a sick snake and didn't know snake had to see vets! (see twit run...see twit speak....grrrr). So we go to get the snake and he's a mess. So black you can't see his saddles from his background and his belly is burnt looking with the beginnings of blisters though none have broken. She insists on driving this snake loose in her car to our house (I could have beat her with a stick but at this point just wanted him out of her hands fast). I made her sign a paper releasing him to us for permanent placement with Becky. I had phoned Becky before we went to pick him up and she confirmed he wanted him. He also has permanent lung damage because Twit #1 never treated past RI's (he lied and said he did but since our vet is the only one that will see large snakes she confirmed she'd never treated this snake before).

We worked with him and went to see Dr. Pam our herp vet. She was pleased he was out of the previous owners hands and still shocked that anyone drove around and entered her clinic with a big loose BCI. Lucky enough we got him just as his belly was turning bad so were able to treat it quickly and he actually healed beautifully and quickly. He has no belly scarring but will also have dimished lung capacity due to Twit #1 not bothering to get him proper vet care in the past.

So basically Rauri was never ours to begin with Aleesha. He was always Becky's snake (she even picked his name which means "red king") and we were just the family that cared for him while he healed and over the winter till it was safe to ship him to Texas. We made a committment to this snake and to Becky and as hard as it was to let him go for our family, we need to live up to our word. We fell in love with the big fella but he was always Becky's boy so he was never ours in the first place Aleesha though he'll always hold a special place in our hearts.

oh wow what a huge story! i am even more in awe of you jo... i was before but now, after reading what you did for rauri... well that's just the most beautiful gift you could have gifted him. :hug:

*honoured to know you*
aleesha

Quote:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

oh wow what a huge story! i am even more in awe of you jo... i was before but now, after reading what you did for rauri... well that's just the most beautiful gift you could have gifted him. :hug:

*honoured to know you*
aleesha

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Couldn't have said it better myself. :grouphug: