Jack the Russian Rat Snake/elaphe schrenckii (progression)

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Originally Posted by hilabeans

Sweet Jack!! I've been hoping for an update on him. 😊

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Oh I'm glad! haha not much to update it seems though, I wish he grew about 10x faster. :please: The tiny brown noodle stage is taking awhile LOL

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Originally Posted by zina10

He looks wonderful !!!

I do think he grew quite a bit :)

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Thanks!! GOOD! I think I got used to how quickly my ball pythons grow.

happy to see the lil guy again [emoji4] he looks great!

Finally got some more interesting pics and a gif too! WOOHOO.

32 qt growout enclosure. He's 9 months old and I deem him too small still for a 4 foot enclosure, especially since he burrows in the coco chip. Don't want to lose sight of him and accidentally hurt him when I'm scooping poop!

These snakes do everything don't they... Burrow like a dumeril's, climb, curl up and sprawl out on branches. Really interesting!

Jack still doesn't strike when I offer him food though. He will only eat if I leave it in front of him and close the tub lib. LOL

And I'm always so lazy to take out the big camera for him nowadays, especially since he's so small! Bad iphone pics for awhile. :D

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Great shots and info!!

does he ever go off feed or in spells..? What about around shed and how many times has he shed for you?

i ask because he seems similar in size an age to my mandarin who I know is a diff type and all but his behaviors and actions sound a lot like jack. He was eating weekly and up to two large pinks or small fuzzies then just stopped. He shed over the weekend and he’s back to being all active but still won’t eat.

He will defensively strike the food but then run. I leave it for him like I used to and notta

hoping he just needs to shake the shed cobwebs and get back to it

Omg, I love him! I love rat snake's little faces :love: Tell him I love him :bow:

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Originally Posted by Phillydubs

Great shots and info!!

does he ever go off feed or in spells..? What about around shed and how many times has he shed for you?

i ask because he seems similar in size an age to my mandarin who I know is a diff type and all but his behaviors and actions sound a lot like jack. He was eating weekly and up to two large pinks or small fuzzies then just stopped. He shed over the weekend and he’s back to being all active but still won’t eat.

He will defensively strike the food but then run. I leave it for him like I used to and notta

hoping he just needs to shake the shed cobwebs and get back to it

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He's never missed a meal, even in shed. I don't keep track of sheds since it's a thing they'll do whether you like it or not, but I'd say around 6 times since October maybe? :S I'm just guessing.

I think mandarins require a lot of cover and hides in order to feel secure enough to eat, kind of like ball pythons, especially young ones. You mention yours is all active, which might be a sign that he is feeling insecure in his setup and is looking for a place to hide or burrow. I'm pretty sure mandarins normally hide most of the day, like ball pythons.

russian rat snakes are more easy and bold snakes in that they don't particularly need hides and "cover" and will eat anyway, even hatchlings.

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Originally Posted by GpBp

Omg, I love him! I love rat snake's little faces :love: Tell him I love him :bow:

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hehe thank you!

I love seeing updates of Jack! Makes me super pumped about getting my girl, especially when I get to see pics of him being active! Photo where he's chilling on the branch with lunch is my fav!

I love Jack! I want one, but I'm getting a Morelia first. :P

Yes, I put him on the door handle for no reason. And then the unexpected happened: russian rat snakes can defy gravity.

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Okay, he's actually climbing down by pushing against both sides of the door crack using muscles left and right, all the way down his body. But still, it surprised me when he started going for the door crack and making his way down. I even offered him a hand, but he refused for awhile. (Eventually he took my hand... how sweet :P )

I absolutely just LOVE him !!!!

You are lucky to have such a cool dude, and its only going to get better :)

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Originally Posted by zina10

I absolutely just LOVE him !!!!

You are lucky to have such a cool dude, and its only going to get better :)

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I'm glad you think so! I jokingly complain with my friends about how he's in his hide 95% of the time, but I'm assuming it's normal for being a young one. I say that everyone tricked me into getting another ball python LOL

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

I'm glad you think so! I jokingly complain with my friends about how he's in his hide 95% of the time, but I'm assuming it's normal for being a young one. I say that everyone tricked me into getting another ball python LOL

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Aw, but he is a teeny baby still, they need their security !

Once he is big enough to go into a bigger enclosure, make sure he has a lot of climbing areas and different hides etc. Put the cage in a area that gives him a lot to look at. They are nosy. He probably can't see through the tub all that well.

Once he has a "playground" and lots to look at, you will notice him being nosy. Of course it will take him a little while to settle and get used to a new "place" first. They get more brave with age/size :)

He is awesome !!!

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

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Little Devil! So that's how they do it!!!:O :salute:

It's a wild snake!!!

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Or not, it's just Jack...
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Climbing on my aralia plant. He then decided to just stay there propped up on the uppermost leaves for forever and refused to come back down, so I had to force him off which freaked him out. :I

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

It's a wild snake!!!

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Or not, it's just Jack...
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Climbing on my aralia plant. He then decided to just stay there propped up on the uppermost leaves for forever and refused to come back down, so I had to force him off which freaked him out. :I

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Omg..I love it! And I bet so did he [emoji4] They are such awesome snakes!


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How big is Jack now?

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Originally Posted by Charles8088

How big is Jack now?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

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Not much bigger. But darker though!

I might be biased, I don't think I'll ever consider him "big" at any point LOL.

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I am a ninja. I am one with the door....... There is not a lock I can not pick or cage that can hold me. (evil laughing)

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

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Interesting, I'm now noticing a more obvious color AND marking changes in the last month! He looks different even compared to the end of May.

These are today at 1 year old. You can see in the first picture how every other stripe is fading to black, while every other stripe in between is developing a more clear black shape in its centers.


INTERESTING HUH! :O

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And this here is just a pic from last October (also in the beginning of the thread) for comparison! Looking at this myself makes his growth more obvious too or else I'll just think he's 20g forever LOL
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His head is the only thing that hasn't become black yet, it's still sorta a weird grey brown. GET GROWING JACK, I'm tired of this tiny-snake grey-brown scales BS haha

Getting bigger... and getting darker... Still anxious and not inquisitive about me whatsoever, unless I tell myself that his activity when taken out is inquisitiveness (it isn't). He has only come out of his enclosure of his own accord twice ever so far. The rest is the same old, he'll sit there and look around anxiously until I pick him up, or he tries to flee. Keeping him is no different than any other docile quirky colubrid LOL. I would switch him out for a keeled rat snake if his personality is still like this as an adult, because the rumored inquisitive/outgoing personality that owners rave about is the entire reason why I picked schrenckii, not so much their looks.

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Also, there's been a wildfire nearish in the hills in the next city over. I hope it gets stopped soon and the weather better stop being so hot. Evacuating with my snakes would suck! :S

Jack is getting so handsome and looks awesome in natural daylight! Here is hoping once he grows more he'll be more bold with you and less cautious! Also hoping everyone stays safe!

I don't think I mentioned on the forum, but Jack rattled his tail at me the other day!! LOL. It was hitting the side of the tank and super loud too, very amusing. But also why Jack.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

I don't think I mentioned on the forum, but Jack rattled his tail at me the other day!! LOL. It was hitting the side of the tank and super loud too, very amusing. But also why Jack.

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All my four Kings rattle their tails when they're coiled around the mice ..


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

All my four Kings rattle their tails when they're coiled around the mice ..


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It was when I opened his cage and reached in, he was apprehensive about me.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

It was when I opened his cage and reached in, he was apprehensive about me.

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It's just a warning to you to not touch or disturb them at that moment .. just like a dog's warning growl ...


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

It's just a warning to you to not touch or disturb them at that moment .. just like a dog's warning growl ...


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I know zincubus. Lol

The "why" wasn't a literal question

Ahhh :)


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How is Jack doing? Has he become more inquisitive/better towards you? Some say it takes them a while to get out of shy mode.
Hope he's doing better for you. ;)

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Originally Posted by RickyNY

How is Jack doing? Has he become more inquisitive/better towards you? Some say it takes them a while to get out of shy mode.
Hope he's doing better for you. ;)

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I sold him a month or two ago! He was about 1 year and 4 months old. He basically is just as inquisitive or not inquisitive as any other average colubrid, but people I saw online have really hyped it up with a bit of projection, so my expectations were different from reality LOL. I strictly bought him for what people describe so lavishly about their personality, but turns out he hides all day like a ball python. Just a typical docile, shy snake.

And funnily, my friend Missterdog with Kallari the melanistic russian rat snake and I compared notes as Kallari and Jack grew up, and Jack is on the shy side even in comparison to Kallari. So I guess I just lucked out with a ball python in a russian rat snake body LOL.

But Genesis, my northern pine snake hatchling, is showing all the activity, boldness, and inquisitiveness that Jack didn't have- I absolutely love her. So she made up for it!

That's a shame, I wanted to see him grow and you telling everyone how smart and friendly he was. :D
I would like a Colubrid, now that I got my Carpet python. I was thinking of a Kingsnake, Rat snake, Bull snake or a False Water Cobra. And the Russin Rat snake always come to mind and is due to the same reasons you mentioned: "the rumored inquisitive/outgoing personality that owners rave about". I guess they are not all like that.

Thanks Red :gj:

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Originally Posted by RickyNY

That's a shame, I wanted to see him grow and you telling everyone how smart and friendly he was. :D
I would like a Colubrid, now that I got my Carpet python. I was thinking of a Kingsnake, Rat snake, Bull snake or a False Water Cobra. And the Russin Rat snake always come to mind and is due to the same reasons you mentioned: "the rumored inquisitive/outgoing personality that owners rave about". I guess they are not all like that.

Thanks Red :gj:

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Colubrids are amazing, you have to have one or two in the family!

Yeah, I think keepers will always more or less project what they want to see onto their snake and rave about it, since they love their animals. Some snakes are definitely bold and outgoing from a young age, like my northern pine snake. But some are not, like Jack (though he was already over a year old, so I don't think he'll necessarily be especially bold in his life LOL). I don't think russian rat snakes are necessarily more inquisitive or outgoing than many other colubrid species- the chances of a bold, fun snake could happen over a range of species. But since russian rat snakes are indeed universally docile snakes and are very easy to care for, people are very excited about their pets.

Well, I'm still planning to get one. I think they are beautiful.
Exotic Pets LasVegas recently listed an adult for sale, but $200 plus shipping is out of the budget for me right now.

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Originally Posted by distaff

Well, I'm still planning to get one. I think they are beautiful.
Exotic Pets LasVegas recently listed an adult for sale, but $200 plus shipping is out of the budget for me right now.

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That's actually an awesome price for an adult! Hatchlings are sold at around $175 plus shipping. I sold yearling Jack for I think $200 plus shipping.

Every Species has their own special quirks and every single animal still has their own personality.

I can say without a doubt though, that Russian Ratsnakes USUALLY are very much inquisitive and fearless snakes. Very friendly and very personable. No projection on my part whatsoever.
I belonged to a reptile club back in Savannah and we would regularly get together and we would also have "shows". Not to sell animals, it was for education in conjunction with wildlife parks. While the only colubrids I had were the Russians, I've been around many others. While many were bold, outgoing and not shy, they didn't seem to interact as much. My Russians were usually a hit, esp. Scarlett.

They would watch everything going on. Literally watching it. Moving in the enclosure to get a better view. When I opened their enclosure, they would slither over and come out. Unless they were in shed. I could tell 100 more stories of their rather unusually social behavior but I don't want to start sounding like I'm making up stories. Scarlett DID go on walks with me, staying in the same position while peeking out over the zipper of my hoodie all the way until home. I could also walk around the house doing chores, washing dishes, dusting, and she would keep going around my waist, up my shoulders, around and back down and so on and on. Sometimes settling in the hood of a hoodie. Never seemed to feel the need to "get away". Absolutely fearless and not worried. Such fun and funny snakes.

They were more apprehensive when young, of course, like most snakes are. The older, the more confidence they had.

There are many owners throughout many years of reptile keeping that have noticed their extraordinary social and outgoing behaviors, to the point where that is indeed a trait for that species, but again, each individual is different.

Most BP's are very shy and stay shy. I had 2 back then that were the most chill snakes ever. They went with me to every representation at wildlife parks, schools, and everything. Never missed a meal, didn't hide much, one actually liked to drape on a branch like a GTP. That was funny, because he looked a little funny, being a rather rotund snake. Knowing BP's I know that these 2 were not the way they normally are.

I feel sorry that Jack was a shy one, it would have been nice if you could have experienced what some of the Russian owners are talking about. He will probably gain confidence in time, but it seems like he would have never been a typical Russian Ratsnake.

I still recommend them to people that want a fun and interactive snake. But of course there are other species out there that are as well.

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Originally Posted by zina10

Every Species has their own special quirks and every single animal still has their own personality....

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I totally agree with you on this: we can generalize about a species, but individuals still have their own quirks & personalities, so it's very unfair to expect exactly the
same "sociability" from each one. Some just take more patience & may "get there" eventually, but re-homing is usually a set-back.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I totally agree with you on this: we can generalize about a species, but individuals still have their own quirks & personalities, so it's very unfair to expect exactly the
same "sociability" from each one. Some just take more patience & may "get there" eventually, but re-homing is usually a set-back.

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What do you mean by set-back? He went to a breeder who loves his temperament, and I love the temperaments of my current snakes.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

What do you mean by set-back? He went to a breeder who loves his temperament.

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I just meant that if he was still shy, a new home is scary, & typically doesn't enhance a snake's courage. Nothing against the person he went to, & all the better if that
breeder is happy with his temperament.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I just meant that if he was still shy, a new home is scary, & typically doesn't enhance a snake's courage. Nothing against the person he went to, & all the better if that
breeder is happy with his temperament.

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A snake acclimates to new homes within a few days to a week, provided they are given proper husbandry and temps... They aren't dogs who bond with their previous home.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

...They aren't dogs who bond with their previous home.

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No kidding. That's not what I said either.

Ok, that does it. When I get one, I'll get a female, and I'll name her Scarlett.

$200 does seem like a marketable price (I probably spend an hour a day just looking at snakes for sale), but when I say it is out of my budget, I don't mean it is over-priced, just not workable for me, right now.
We do well, financially, but keep a VERY strict budget for the fun stuff.

Oh man, sorry to see Jack has moved on to a new home. I will miss the updates on him. You were one of the deciding reasons I got my Russian Rat. Your story still ended better than mine - lol!

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Originally Posted by hilabeans

Oh man, sorry to see Jack has moved on to a new home. I will miss the updates on him. You were one of the deciding reasons I got my Russian Rat. Your story still ended better than mine - lol!

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I know hila, I was very heart broken when your Russian Rat snake passed away. :(

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Originally Posted by RickyNY

I know hila, I was very heart broken when your Russian Rat snake passed away. :(

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Thanks Ricky, it was a brutal loss. I loved that little guy.

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Originally Posted by distaff

Ok, that does it. When I get one, I'll get a female, and I'll name her Scarlett.

$200 does seem like a marketable price (I probably spend an hour a day just looking at snakes for sale), but when I say it is out of my budget, I don't mean it is over-priced, just not workable for me, right now.
We do well, financially, but keep a VERY strict budget for the fun stuff.

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LOL, that would be to cool ;)

You know, the other one was called "Rhett" !! :rofl:

Rhett was also fearless, but quite adventurous. While Scarlett would happily hang out "on me" and just stay with me (hence the walks and doing chores together) Rhett wanted to go on adventures. He never tried to "race off" as in being scared and trying to take off. But off he would go, LOL.

He actually got loose in my car once !!! That bugger. I still don't know how I missed closing his travel tub correctly. We were on our way to one of the educational herp shows at Skidaway Island Park in Savannah, GA. I reached down to change the radio channel and felt something touch my hand. I looked down and there is Rhett, more then halfway out of his travel tub. He was determined to get on the dash and I was determined to prevent that. Of course I was on that long road (going through the marsh) where you could not pull over whatsoever, about to get on a bridge, too.

So I'm driving trying to hold on to him. At this point he zips up my shoulder, around my neck and hooks around the headrest. Well, oh joy!. We all know how they are once they "hook" around something, good luck pulling them back. So I hold on to him while driving over that bridge and then desperately look for a spot to pull over. I was NOT about to loose my beloved Rhett in the dang car! So I spot a dirt parking lot to the right. I peeled in there and stopped as soon as I could (rather sudden stop) and then proceeded to try to wrestle Rhett off of my neck and the head rest. I FINALLY get him off safely and back into his tub, whew. I was sweating, LOL. Then I look up and see a pickup truck parked a little ways ahead of me with a few guys sitting on the truck bed just STARING at me. I turned beet red and peeled out of there. I wonder what they were thinking :rofl:

So yeah. Rhett was also quite cool, fearless and full of personality but a lot more adventurous then Scarlett.

Neither one ever showed the least bit of fear of me or anything. But they were a lot more shy as hatchlings. For example, as adults they would come to the door and immediately come out when opened. As hatchlings I would have to reach in and get them. As hatchlings they hid a lot more,too. As adults I rarely saw them in hides. Usually only when shedding.

The only time I have ever seen them distressed is when my house got really hot one summer. The AC broke (of course on a 4th of July weekend) They started to cruise their cages back and forth. They really do not like hot temperatures. Thankfully I got an emergency appointment and got my AC running again within a day.

So here is yet another crazy Russian Rat story. Not made up, I swear. :D

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Originally Posted by zina10

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He actually got loose in my car once !!! That bugger. I still don't know how I missed closing his travel tub correctly. We were on our way to one of the educational herp shows at Skidaway Island Park in Savannah, GA. I reached down to change the radio channel and felt something touch my hand. I looked down and there is Rhett, more then halfway out of his travel tub. He was determined to get on the dash and I was determined to prevent that. Of course I was on that long road (going through the marsh) where you could not pull over whatsoever, about to get on a bridge, too.

So I'm driving trying to hold on to him. At this point he zips up my shoulder, around my neck and hooks around the headrest. Well, oh joy!. We all know how they are once they "hook" around something, good luck pulling them back. So I hold on to him while driving over that bridge and then desperately look for a spot to pull over. I was NOT about to loose my beloved Rhett in the dang car! So I spot a dirt parking lot to the right. I peeled in there and stopped as soon as I could (rather sudden stop) and then proceeded to try to wrestle Rhett off of my neck and the head rest. I FINALLY get him off safely and back into his tub, whew. I was sweating, LOL. Then I look up and see a pickup truck parked a little ways ahead of me with a few guys sitting on the truck bed just STARING at me. I turned beet red and peeled out of there. I wonder what they were thinking :rofl:...

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That's hilarious, you totally made me :rofl: And they didn't rush over to help or meet you...I can't understand it? :D

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

That's hilarious, you totally made me :rofl: And they didn't rush over to help or meet you...I can't understand it? :D

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Nope, they sure did not !!

There I was, peeling into that parking lot, breaking hard, and then wrestling with a snake around my neck !!!!

Apparently they were scared of either 1. Snake 2. Crazy woman wrestling with a snake

:rofl:

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Originally Posted by zina10

Nope, they sure did not !!

There I was, peeling into that parking lot, breaking hard, and then wrestling with a snake around my neck !!!!

Apparently they were scared of either 1. Snake 2. Crazy woman wrestling with a snake

:rofl:

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Possibly more scared of you...since you didn't throw the snake out of the car like they would have. "Real-life Medusa"!? :D

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Possibly more scared of you...since you didn't throw the snake out of the car like they would have. "Real-life Medusa"!? :D

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You have a point !!!

They probably still tell that story to their kids or something !! :rofl: