Burns / Infection / Unknown Disease : One of the Worst Snake Owners

Got to respect the parents wishes. If it was my kid asking, I think what may work is knowing the survival prospects are slim in the first place and if you promised to adopt it out once it was well.

Selfishly my biggest concern would be bringing an animal in that condition anywhere near my collection. Could end up saving one and killing a bunch. If you do end up taking care of it, keep it far, far away from Dave.

Guys!

I talked to my mom and she said she would allow me to keep Scorchmuffin for awhile to aid him. I told her about the fundraiser I could start so there could be enough money to get him proper treatment. The only thing is that Arthur is going to have to hand him over. I can move my rats to a smaller tank for the time being, because we might just give Dave to a rescue organization after he's received treatment and has healed well enough (if he does so). I don't trust Arthur one bit.

Oh, but I should talk about my friend.

Last night, I called her to talk about Scorchmuffin and how it may come to be that I'll end up calling animal control. I couldn't even get to that part until she says, "Well, we didn't give you permission to post those pictures."

I really don't want to go into a long paragraph of why what she said is wrong in multiple ways because you guys can figure.

Anyway, pray I get him. When he gets well enough he's going to a more reliable person.

That makes me so angry and sad at the same time. I don't understand how anyone could treat an animal like that. Please speak up about what's going on so his remaining snakes can get the help they deserve.

permission is not needed for those photos, just so you know. you were invited into the house, there was no consent needed.

Seems to me, if they were aware that you took photos, then, w/o anything else said at the time by them on it, you had tacit permission to use the photos (they are your property) as you see fit.

Honestly, if/once you get the snake away from them, I'd have absolutely nothing further to do with these folks. They are bad news.

I'm worried, though. I don't have many friends and she's one that stuck with me since junior high. She always does this crap, though, saying that people don't have permission to look up a YouTube video on her computer even though they're her friend and they're inside her house only wanting to show something funny or cool. She can be a complete brat at times and she's God awful to her little brother who has quite literally asked me to take him home because she's so mean to him.

At the same time she's a good friend. She's funny and we can joke about a lot of things others don't find amusing. We play the same games and like the same things. On days like those the good outweighs the bad but it's starting to drift differently. I remember she'd always hate Slick, the boa, because he bit her. Can you really blame him? I want to give her a firm backhanded slap sometimes. He was scared. He was taken out of his tank at the wrong time and hid under a couch. She then tried to grab him from the front. It's not his fault she's not aware of how to handle a threatened snake. He's a sweet snake that gets grumpy when he's hungry because he's not fed properly. He's underweight to no surprise and I'd be pissed, too. She always hates it when I ask Arthur to take Slick out. Come on, man. Give the guy some love. I doubt these guys ever get handled outside of me coming over there.

I'm having issues at the moment because she removed me from her contacts on Skype. Obviously, I have multiple ways of contacting her but getting in touch is not the point. I got in a fight with her cousin today and I don't know if that triggered it or my phone call. She's hot-headed and will probably get over it but I don't want that to effect if I get Scorchmuffin or not.

I can still hear what she said. "Everything's fine; you don't need to worry about a thing because we have it under control."

Dave would've died there.

I think honestly the thing is... does she value you and your friendship? All relationships are two way streets, including platonic ones. If she just wants a fair weather friend who will never speak up for honesty and compassion, then ultimately, that's not really a friend, that's a butt-patter.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nixon

I'm worried, though. I don't have many friends and she's one that stuck with me since junior high. She always does this crap, though, saying that people don't have permission to look up a YouTube video on her computer even though they're her friend and they're inside her house only wanting to show something funny or cool. She can be a complete brat at times and she's God awful to her little brother who has quite literally asked me to take him home because she's so mean to him.

At the same time she's a good friend. She's funny and we can joke about a lot of things others don't find amusing. We play the same games and like the same things. On days like those the good outweighs the bad but it's starting to drift differently. I remember she'd always hate Slick, the boa, because he bit her. Can you really blame him? I want to give her a firm backhanded slap sometimes. He was scared. He was taken out of his tank at the wrong time and hid under a couch. She then tried to grab him from the front. It's not his fault she's not aware of how to handle a threatened snake. He's a sweet snake that gets grumpy when he's hungry because he's not fed properly. He's underweight to no surprise and I'd be pissed, too. She always hates it when I ask Arthur to take Slick out. Come on, man. Give the guy some love. I doubt these guys ever get handled outside of me coming over there.

I'm having issues at the moment because she removed me from her contacts on Skype. Obviously, I have multiple ways of contacting her but getting in touch is not the point. I got in a fight with her cousin today and I don't know if that triggered it or my phone call. She's hot-headed and will probably get over it but I don't want that to effect if I get Scorchmuffin or not.

I can still hear what she said. "Everything's fine; you don't need to worry about a thing because we have it under control."

Dave would've died there.

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This is a toxic situation, the more contact you have with these folks the more you will succumb to it. I can only infer that you are in high-school, and can tell you that this is when kids start to become the adults that they will eventually be. It seems like you are becoming a responsible and compassionate person, but from what i've seen here, this other person is not. There are lots of people who will like the same jokes and games as you but the ties that bind are the values that you share - again, from what i've seen here and in your post about Dave, its would seem that you and this person do not have many values in common. Your persistance in helping these animals is truly admirable, and i'm sure you will pursue it further, but beyond that i would highly reccomend that you remove this person from your life. It might seem like a bummer now, but 15, 20 years from now you'll look back and be glad you stopped hanging out with the crazy kid who tortured her pets (and her brother, apparently). Good Luck.

@Nixon- I think all you're doing is great. You're wise beyond your years and you have a big heart in you. Never lose that.
That being said, you are still young and this a lot to handle. It would be a tough situation for anybody, regardless of age. Unfortunately, this situation is time sensitive due to the well-being of the snake and the severity of the injuries. This makes your decision even harder, I believe. How you handle it is up to you and only you. I'm confident, based on everything I've read in this thread as well as the original Dave thread, you will do what you feel is best for you and the snake. I know it's a hard decision and I'm just going to quickly share some life experience and let you do with it what you choose.
I know you say you don't have many friends, but remember, you're young. You probably haven't met your REAL, closest friend yet. When you're that young, friendships seem like the whole world. And sometimes they can be. I'm 38 and there are friends I've had since Jr High that to this day I would be there for in an instant. But MANY, MANY friends have come and gone. Sometimes people change, sometimes life changes. But you will ALWAYS meet new people and make new friends. Choose the ones you want to be close with wisely, and remember: toxicity can be contagious. Don't let anybody else bring you down or change the awesome person you seem to be.

I would bypass the friend and directly ask the step dad if you can take the snake. I don't know how you did it with Dave but if he let you take one of his animals once it gives me hope that he'll allow you to rescue another. If he says no (and I doubt they would be polite about it), the next step is contacting the proper authorities. Honestly, it seems like your friend is quite dominant in your friendship, and not in a way that's remotely healthy. Also, imo, someone who justifies and defends blatant animal abuse is not someone worth the time or personal investment of caring empathetic human beings. (and this is my point of view based on life experiences with similar individuals, not just the one below)

Somewhat relevant story time: In junior high I was at a friends house, out in the back yard with her dog. We weren't terribly close but had known each other for many years and would hang out outside of school on occasion. There was a stray kitten walking along the fence and she went over to pick the little thing up. It mewed and I thought it was absolutely adorable, a cute little grey striped puff ball just old enough to be on it's own. She held it for a moment, scratched it behind the ears, and then out of the blue grabbed the poor thing by the scruff and threw it full force into the wooden fence. The little thing yowled and bolted off, apparently relatively uninjured. Needless to say I was shocked, horrified, and enraged all at once... almost made things physical, I was that mad. Her excuse was that it drives her dog nuts when they walk on the fence and she can't stand the barking, even though her dog had sat idly by during the whole incident. She "just wanted to make sure they don't come back". Yeah, total bull. I said some pretty harsh things, not just to her but to her mom and actually got her grounded for a few weeks. One "friendship" down the drain, but I don't think I could have lived guilt free if I hadn't said or done anything in that instance.

Scorchmuffin isn't just a whole other ball game here, it's a league of its own. What you are witnessing with that animal isn't just one instance of abusive treatment, it is prolonged abuse and negligence which at this point have coalesced into what I consider to be torture. Forcing an animal to live in its own waste in an environment where the floor is essentially a low-intensity hot plate, cooking alive for months on end with no relief is torture, pure and simple. You're a good person Nixon and you know what the right thing to do here is. That animal (and all animals really) need to be out of that house and of the care of that family.