Huge problem, scared, don't know what to do...

If it comes down to it I bet there are some people on this site that are relatively close to your geographical area. If it gets tough enough they might be able to just hold on to your snakes until you get back on your feet.

:) Thanks for the pep talk, BG. That's the attitude I'm attempting to go out there with every day.

We found quite a few more possible jobs yesterday, and I got an interview today that went pretty well, so things are moving along. Also, I remembered that I have a fair amount available on a credit card I had locked away...so if need be we will use that to cover the real needs until that job is secured.

So now, I'm just worried about the snakes food for the next few weeks and about getting a job in time. Thanks for all the support and suggestions, they're really helping.

Hey Argentra!
I'm just giving you my support. I can't top BG's speech, and he's totally right! Try, try, try again, they say. The snakes will be fine as long as they have water and heat sources; remember, they're made to fast for months during breeding season. I wouldn't worry too much about spacing out their meals as long as they aren't dropping weight too fast.

I'm happy to hear you got an interview, though! Also, think about any skills you might have. Can you wash dogs? Groom them, trim their nails, walk them? Then you have a marketable service to offer, even if it's only for ten bucks on Craigslist. Maybe an elderly lady near you needs help painting her house or redecorating, and maybe she'd be willing to pay you for some help! Anything, really, can help.

I hope you and your partner get a job soon! Keep us updated, huh? Good luck!

Argentra... I will talk as practically as I can, having been to hell and back in the last six months, most of which revolved around how would I care for my animals and how would I salvage what I had... and importantly COULD I salvage this?!

When our place burned down, we were sleeping on our friends' couch, I had 50 snakes stacked in bins in her spare room, 4 - 6 snakes per tub, and only a space heater to keep them warm.

It was the worst thing I have ever gone through. My snakes did not even have water as it was physically impossible to do so.

My freezer full of 500.00 worth of frozen feeders that I had traded two of that seasons' snakes for was rotting in a burned out shell.

When my snakes went into foster care I told those fostering that feeding them was NOT a concern. It was a triage. Keeping them warm, and access to water was.

When I got them back, I had had to replace every piece of equipment, every piece of tape, thermostats, wood, you name. Even with a huge community of support we had to make very hard decisions. We recieved immense support, but when you build up from scratch it goes very quickly, as I am sure most people can understand.

One sunday I sat with each snake, Jerome had a pad and pen in hand and I prioritized who got to eat that week. I colour coded my tubs and had a calender that I put colored stickers on... meaning that when that date came up that snake got to eat.

It felt grosteque and macabre.

But I also have enough experience, and have enough awareness to know what a snake can do, what it can go through, and what the practical ramifications are.

Do I feed a new hatchling before I feed an established adult?

Yes.

Do I feed a female if I want to salvage the next seasons' breeding (as I lost this one almost in its entirety - double whammy as I needed a good season to pay for the snakes for the next year) before I feed a male?

Yes.

Do I *sacrifice* one to save the others? Meaning... do I trade an established adult to my rodent supplier for market value of frozen feeders?

Yes. (THIS MAY BE YOUR MOST AVAILABLE OPTION)

And yes, you can find a new supplier, one that just wants to do a trade even if you are not an existing client. I ate a lot of crap from a lot of people in that time in order to cold call and sell myself and find out my options. I linked to sites I frequent in order to prove that I was not trading a sick snake, that I had an online footstep and that I was not just some flake who could not pay his bills, but I was prepared to told to *screw off* (putting it really nicely :)). And I was told that on several occasions.

I put ads on Kijiji for trades for feeders... I had a friend donate non drug tested rats from her lab as feeders.

And when it came down to it, the males that did not eat as much... are a bit slimmer, but not much. My animals were not neglected but my approach was very practical.

We still have to juggle to pay the feeder bills and to make the collection work. But we also understand that our animals are a luxury. One we have worked very hard at, and something I was DETERMINED to not give up (it would have been a harsh blow in light of what we had gone through) to lose our animals as well.

But if it comes down to it... we have to eat. We have to pay our rent... and we know what snakes we will keep if we do need to liquidate at some point.

We also know that we CAN rebuild, and that loss is temporary... well not really, but you know what I mean?

I guess what I am saying is that nothing pains me more than seeing a person that has to "leave the hobby" when they hit the point they can no longer maintain a collection.

Do not let it get to that point, make some very practical decisions before you have to sell your collection for dirt cheap. The grave-robbers will swoop in if you have no other options, you will not see market value for any snake you sell and you will feel ugly and you will feel regret.

I have fed off my last rat, knowing I had nothing left to feed, and not knowing if I could find more feeders after having pushed feeding day back to its most remote location... so trust me I am empathetic to the n'th degree.

But I was able to do that as I knew my situation, I knew my supports, I knew its limitations, and I had a good idea as to when that next cheque was coming in.

We are in a space now that we can manage, and it is still stressful for us, so I can only imagine the immense and paralyzing dread you must feel.

I agree that you may need to lose some of your *stuff* (as BG noted), but do it. You can and will rebuild. We lost it all not by choice, and you know what... it is not that bad. Everything I own is a second hand donation, from my clothes to my towels and my sheets, but my animals are safe and my situation is managable.

I wish you nothing but success my friend, I really do. I do not for one second diminish any decisions you have made, and I do not question how you have managed yourself, but if it is as pressing as you say, then you are in a triage and you need to make concrete and effective decisions right now.

Hopefully whatever your plan materializes as, will allow you to maintain yourself and your collection long-term, but ultimately you need to focus on the immediate. The closer it gets to the breaking point the less agency you will have to plan for anything beyond the immediate.

We send our support to you and your partner.

Sincerely,
Bruce

Ah, Bruce...support means the most coming from you my friend. Thank you so very much for the great words.

I do fully inend to evaluate each snake (weight and condition) and determine who 'needs' food more. Most likely, I will be offering food to the females only, youngest first, to attempt to keep next season as my first for breeding (the BP girls are probably both around 1000g now) and feeding would not be every week even then. I'll also be looking into my feeder supplier options and seeing what deals I might be able to make. Having only 8 snakes, each chosen carefully for breeding potential as well as attachment value after the 'purge' of my collection before we moved, trading any would be tough...but ultimately doable if it came to that. I hope it won't, of course.

As for the stuff in the storage room, it's everything else we own. Not just 'stuff' but our furniture, dishes, appliances, computers, everything. (If you wonder how I'm typing this, we're using my father's computer while we're here)
Now, that is not to say that we are against selling things to get needed money. We're already looking into places that would buy our two gold rings for more than pawn shop price, and once we go over to storage to sort all the boxes we'll be keeping our eyes open for other sellable things as well. I already have 2-3 ads on CL for spare things we know we want to sell now.
But selling more gets tricky when you already sold 1/4-2/3 of all your belongings before moving and don't really know if you can part with (or find buyers for) any more. :)

At any rate, please keep the support coming. Checking this thread has become a sort of anti-depressant for me lately. Thanks to all!

Adrianna,

I just read this article today - you may want to check it out:

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article...ome1&gt1=23000

I became jobless last year, tried working at a pet store, the manager had other plans..
My husband's cousin asked me to babysit a few days a week, for 50 bucks a day.
I also worked the night shift at a local gas station. But when we moved I couldn't keep that job.
I am now a nanny 4 days a week and train horses 6 hours a week for a total weekly check of 260.00

I would HIGHLY suggest you take a look at your local university's web site for NON university jobs, there you can find a plethera of babysitting, tutoring, and other jobs that are advertised to the college students.
Also take a look in the phone book OR have your partner go to the unemployment office to get phone numbers and addresses for DAY LABOR places.
YOU go during the first day and sign up, then after that you show up early, bring a lunch, and wear work clothes..
You can be assigned a LTE or just day or week long job.
One place might be called Manpower.. You get paid daily or weekly from those places.
You can also donate Plasma, those are usually located near the university as well.
You can find out where local food pantries are, and churches usually hold one or two free dinners a week.
Swallow pride and go low. You will be surprised how much you can save and be able to get from charity.

Carol
{{{{hugs}}} keep your eyes on the prize at the end of this journey

I can order some frozen rodents online and have them sent to you! They won't get there next week, but they will the week after, if that's okay! Just need small/weaned rats and rat pups, yes?

I know I would be utterly devastated if I had to sell any of my snakes just to get by. They're my therapy too, as well as my children. So I will help in any way I can!

Eventide, you're an angel! That would be super! And yes, those are the sizes I use. Let's talk over PM. :D :bow:

And thanks to all for the continued support! I look forward to checking this thread now, and it lifts my mood every time.
Rabernet - thanks a lot for the article! We've already applied at three of those places and will now be making a point of calling them. The rest we'll apply for ASAP. :)

I'll keep you updated as things go out here! Thanks again.

I'm going to take a slightly different direction with my post if you don't mind.

Adriana, you have a roof over your head, you do have a partner that should be striving to be employed just as much as you are (no pickiness because he's got a couple of degrees), you've got family that did take you in when you needed a home, you've got a site here with a membership that's giving you some damned fine advice, you've got personal possessions even if they are in storage and in the end you've got your health and the ability to be employed and self-sufficient.

While today may feel like crap, please take a moment to read that paragraph I just wrote and think of all the things you are currently blessed with. Change your focus for a moment from the list of "what I don't have" to the list of "what I'm so very lucky to have that many others do not". Not only will it help you feel more positive but that kind of change of mindset does project out in a job interview. No one wants to hire someone who is desperate and feels they're losing it all. Employers want positive people who look forward.

I'll also suggest one thing from my own experience earlier this summer. I volunteered at a local homeless shelter that also did an open lunch to feed anyone hungry. Adriana, those are people really struggling, really finding it hard to get by, to feed their kids, to find a safe place just to lay down their head at night, warm water to wash with. Such basic things that we all forget to be thankful for and you have those things right now. While you and your partner should be spending most of your time looking for a paying job also consider volunteering in a situation like that once per week. Not only is it a good deed to do for your community, it's good for your soul and your mindset. Also volunteerism on a resume shows an employer you aren't the sit around the house unemployed type and often volunteer work can lead to paying jobs down the road.