A Horrific Story about a Rescued BP

About 4 years ago, my husband comes home from work asking me to take in a ball python. The BP's name is Big Boy, even though the owners don't know if it is a male or female. I told my husband I really didn't want any ball pythons because I really love my boa's. My husband told me that the owners say, if we don't take this snake it is going to die because they have already lost 2 other BP's.

Now, I was curious what was going on with the snake. Why so many deaths?

The previous owner was someone close to my husband's family. We went over to their house as a promise to "see what we could do". The snake cage had no heat and is on top of the A/C vent. Also, the snake cage is their television holder. Inside the cage there was no water in the water dish, a heat rock, and so much fecal matter that one had to wonder if it is possible to get diseases from wallowing in it. Additionally, there was so much smoke in the trailer (the windows are all plastic up and covered so no light comes in) that I was physically getting sick.

So, I ask questions about what is going on. They tell us, they can't afford to feed the snake. The snake was around 6 years old (they believe). They use to be able to feed all 3 of their snakes but a few years back, they haven't been able to feed them. One by one, the snakes slowly starved to death. They told us that one time, one of the BP's was chocking on a rat and they tried to help the rat go down by "crushing" the rat inside the snake in order to make it smaller. We were also told, that snake had already passed. This snake they were trying to rehome had only had been fed maybe 4 or 5 times within the last 2-3 years and not because the snake was off feed either.

They lifted this snake up and it looked dead. I seriously thought it had already passed. Then he (we always call it a he even though we have never sexed it) slowly started moving but with difficulty. I couldn't walk away from this situation without taking the snake. If I left the snake there, it was a definite death sentence.

Well, we took the snake home and set him up in a brand new enclosure and named him Sinister (figured that would be more unisex than Big Boy). He had heat, a hide, water, and a clean environment. We did a good look over on the snake and found he had fecal matter stuck in his vent. I called the vet, he told me to soak the snake. We soaked him for probably 45 minutes. This was the first and only time he had struck at us.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...allPython2.jpg

My husband sat there after the soaking and massaged his tail for about 20 minutes and this hard fecal and urate matter finally emerged, which allowed his vent to finally close but you could tell it was still agitated. Then we felt the broken ribs and realized the previous owners had no clue how to tell the difference between their BP's. When you feel snakes body, you can feel the broken ribs and it matches your thumb print perfectly. It is gross feeling and sad to feel also. The vet said there was nothing we could do about it though.

This is what a 6 year old BP looked like upon arrival. He could barely move and he just dangled. No muscle tone to even pull himself up or to even ball up.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...BallPython.jpg

We fed him the same night we brought him in. It was the sadest thing I had ever saw. Brought tears to my eyes. We presented him with a rat, he was excited. He struck it and coiled it up. Except, he didn't have any muscle to move his body near the snake. So his coil consisted of cocking his head sideways.

I was concerned about feeding him too quickly since he hadn't had a lot of food in the past 6 years.

After a few months, he started to look a little better and was able to actually coil the rats and move around some.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...ter/Ball-1.jpg

It is funny looking back at the pictures. When I took this picture, I remember thinking to myself, he looks so good. However, years later (today), I look at this same picture and think, he didn't look to well there either...lol

That first winter we had him, this snake ate with a vengeance. No refusals, nothing. The second winter we had him, he went back to being a ball python and went off feed. I kept telling him that he should never go off feed because he should always remember how horrible it was when he didn't have food but he forgot about his past...lol Ever since the second winter, he goes off feed every single year around October and comes back on feed around March. While I worry about him when he goes off feed, honestly, it makes me feel good also because he feels well enough and full enough to actually go off feed and be himself.

I can't believe how far this BP has come. He is unrecognizable now. I just can't believe looking back through these pictures that he use to be that skinny. He is such a big snake now. Here are his most recent pictures. He hates being held. He is very scared of people but never strikes (can't blame him though, a human broke his bones!). The outside world is so scary and he would not move at all while I was trying to get pictures of him. These pictures were this year after the weather warmed up for the summer.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...0110528_53.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...0110528_52.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...0110528_51.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/k...0110528_49.jpg


My husband and I was this snakes life saver. Even though he is very scared of people, he tolerates us, which is more than what I can say for a couple of my boas..lol

Sorry for the long read. It just is a very long story. I put this in the pictures thread because it has pictures but unsure if it truly belongs here or not. Sorry if it should be some place else.

Star

What a wonderful thing to do! :gj: Good for you!

Wow, poor baby, I am very glad you guys where able to save him. Poor guy deserves a good life after his awful start!

That thing about 'crushing the rat inside the snake' is just heart-breaking. I can't believe someone could possibly be THAT stupid. :mad: Did they not suspect that snakes had bones at all? Wow.

He looks fantastic now, he's got such a nice dark color that I keep thinking he's constantly in shed. :P It makes me happy to know that he's fat and sassy now.

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Originally Posted by Sama

Wow, poor baby, I am very glad you guys where able to save him. Poor guy deserves a good life after his awful start!

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Thanks. He definitely deserves a good life and he is getting it now. Honestly, he will never leave my home because I would worry myself to death wondering if he was getting treated properly...lol

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Originally Posted by thewesterngate

That thing about 'crushing the rat inside the snake' is just heart-breaking. I can't believe someone could possibly be THAT stupid. :mad: Did they not suspect that snakes had bones at all? Wow.

He looks fantastic now, he's got such a nice dark color that I keep thinking he's constantly in shed. :P It makes me happy to know that he's fat and sassy now.

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I guess they didn't realize that snakes have bones? I have no clue what they were thinking. Honestly, I can't even figure out why they thought the snake couldn't breathe. I mean seriously, where the rat goes, does not hinder breathing. All I can think of is, the snake was having trouble getting the rat down (probably too large of a rat) and without muscle to actually move the rat down quickly, it was taking much longer. This caused them to think the snake was choking and couldn't breath maybe???? I don't know.

He does look fantastic now. I can even see the iridescence in the newer pictures. I can't believe how much color he has now compared to when we got him and how fat he is! He doesn't even look like the same snake anymore!

Star

He really is looking great. You've done the little guy well. :)

Glad you shared this story, I was quite curious when you mentioned broken ribs. So sad that people can do that though. :hmm: I won't even get into it all, I just can't. Thank you very much for saving this poor snake. He looks amazing now!

This is such a wonderful story! I love seeing things like this. I'm glad you took him in and saved him :D

What a great story, he looks great! Welcome to BP.net :colbert2:

This story really made me emotional. You did a wonderful thing and really made a difference in his life. Makes me feel better that there are good people out there. What his former owners did is unacceptable and it breaks my heart. Thanks for sharing.

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Originally Posted by Cendalla

He really is looking great. You've done the little guy well. :)

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Thanks Cendalla. He really has turned around. Looking back, I am still in complete awe that this snake came around from such neglect.

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Originally Posted by Kymberli

Glad you shared this story, I was quite curious when you mentioned broken ribs. So sad that people can do that though. :hmm: I won't even get into it all, I just can't. Thank you very much for saving this poor snake. He looks amazing now!

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Thanks Kymberli, it is a long story but I am very proud of the snake and the way he looks. :D

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

This is such a wonderful story! I love seeing things like this. I'm glad you took him in and saved him :D

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I am glad I took him in also. I hated getting him out when I first brought him home because he felt so horrible. It tore me up every time I had to clean his enclosure (I would usually make my husband clean it and tell him it was his friend of the family that did this to him so he can hold him...lol) I honestly, didn't think he was going to pull through at first but after a couple months, I knew he was going to.

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Originally Posted by llovelace

What a great story, he looks great! Welcome to BP.net :colbert2:

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Thanks Llovelace. We try to help out when we can. :D

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Originally Posted by Anna.Sitarski

This story really made me emotional. You did a wonderful thing and really made a difference in his life. Makes me feel better that there are good people out there. What his former owners did is unacceptable and it breaks my heart. Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks Anna. There are a lot of good people out there but unfortunately, we just hear about the bad ones all the time and that makes it seem like there isn't a lot of good people. His former owners were cruel to their snakes but let's not even get started on their dogs. At least their dogs could go in the woods and to the neighbors house and kill chickens for some food. The snakes were unable to try to fend for themselves. Animal control have been called on them quite a few times since and they have lost almost all their dogs. Horrible situation. This is where I feel people should be held accountable for their actions against animals.

Star

His story made me cry, I can't imagine anyone being so mean to their pet. :tears: I'm so glad you saved him and he has a good home now. He looks great! Thank you for sharing. :)

What a great story, even though it started out badly, you did a really awesome job, I really believe that when you do things like this, the universe will always take care of you in return.

Oh my lord. I can't even believe that they crushed that poor baby. I think I'd have a hard time not doing that to them.
What a great story though. I take rescues in on a regular basis. And some have broken my heart. I know what that is. It's sad that people just Don't care about a living animal In their own houses. It scares me that people can slowly watch an animal starve to death. My last two, a pair, were starved for over 10 months because the woman didn't want to put her hand in the enclosure.
Sad. But they are in better places now. And that matters to them whether we know it or not.
Thank you

Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

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Originally Posted by Kinra

His story made me cry, I can't imagine anyone being so mean to their pet. :tears: I'm so glad you saved him and he has a good home now. He looks great! Thank you for sharing. :)

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I can't imagine it either but it does happen. He is definitely a nicely sized ball python and I can't imagine him even remembering the life he use to have. He has been here for almost 4 years now and has had the life fit for a king comparative to what he use to have.

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Originally Posted by Jared2608

What a great story, even though it started out badly, you did a really awesome job, I really believe that when you do things like this, the universe will always take care of you in return.

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I try to help when I can. I also stop helping when it becomes abusive (I have some family that would completely abuse my niceness if I let them). I can't wait for my husband to get home though so I can show him these pictures. We haven't looked at them in years and it is just so amazing how far he has come.

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Originally Posted by Homegrownscales

Oh my lord. I can't even believe that they crushed that poor baby. I think I'd have a hard time not doing that to them.
What a great story though. I take rescues in on a regular basis. And some have broken my heart. I know what that is. It's sad that people just Don't care about a living animal In their own houses. It scares me that people can slowly watch an animal starve to death. My last two, a pair, were starved for over 10 months because the woman didn't want to put her hand in the enclosure.
Sad. But they are in better places now. And that matters to them whether we know it or not.
Thank you

Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

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Someone has to take in the rescues. While I haven't run across many rescues for snakes, I do have a rescue kitty and a rescue doggy also.

Star

I'm so glad you got him out of there, that sort of treatment really :cens0r: me off! At least he now has a good home and seems to have forgotten the horror he had to go through.

Thanks for sharing his story. He looks great. So happy you took him home with you. No comment about the people that had him if I did I wouldn't be able to come back to BP.net :)

you did good shows what a decent human is capable of :bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow: :bow::gj::gj:

Good for you to take him in and give him the chance at a good life.

It never ceases to amaze me how horrible people can be. I got a normal female in January, because the manager of my mobile home park called me up. She was inspecting an empty trailer and found " a big snake". She called me because she knew I had snakes.

I was a little nervous, I was afraid I'd find a retic or something, but instead it's a half frozen normal ball python. These people moved out of their house, leaving her behind, knowing there would be no electricity and no heat, they left her there to freeze to death.

She came away with a massive RI, but was darn lucky to even be alive. She was pitifully thin on top of it all, and because she was sick, she wouldn't eat.

Took a few months of effort on my part, but she kicked the RI, started eating again, and will be providing my husband with some spider babies this fall hopefully.

Gale

Such an amazing story. He looks absolutely fantastic:gj:!!

Awesome story and awesome rescue! It's heartbreaking to hear just how cruel people can be to animals sometimes. :mad: I'm so thankful that we still have people like you and your husband in the world. Thank you for taking the time to share your story and for being who you are and saving your snake:gj: Welcome to bp.net:bow:

Great story! Thank you for taking the time to share it with us. That is one lucky snake to have found you.

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Originally Posted by thedarkwolf25

I'm so glad you got him out of there, that sort of treatment really :cens0r: me off! At least he now has a good home and seems to have forgotten the horror he had to go through.

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Thanks dark! I can't believe he has forgotten but he truly seems to have since he acts like a ball python now. :)

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Originally Posted by DellaF

Thanks for sharing his story. He looks great. So happy you took him home with you. No comment about the people that had him if I did I wouldn't be able to come back to BP.net :)

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Della, I feel you there. If I stated what I would like to have stated, I wouldn't be a new member anymore either...lol

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Originally Posted by Abaddon91

you did good shows what a decent human is capable of :bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow::bow: :bow::gj::gj:

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Thank you Abaddon!!

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Originally Posted by angllady2

Good for you to take him in and give him the chance at a good life.

It never ceases to amaze me how horrible people can be. I got a normal female in January, because the manager of my mobile home park called me up. She was inspecting an empty trailer and found " a big snake". She called me because she knew I had snakes.

I was a little nervous, I was afraid I'd find a retic or something, but instead it's a half frozen normal ball python. These people moved out of their house, leaving her behind, knowing there would be no electricity and no heat, they left her there to freeze to death.

She came away with a massive RI, but was darn lucky to even be alive. She was pitifully thin on top of it all, and because she was sick, she wouldn't eat.

Took a few months of effort on my part, but she kicked the RI, started eating again, and will be providing my husband with some spider babies this fall hopefully.

Gale

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I am glad you took that in Gale. That is just crazy. I just don't understand people sometimes. That snake was lucky you found it.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Such an amazing story. He looks absolutely fantastic:gj:!!

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Thanks Tiffany!!

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Originally Posted by Quickone4u

Awesome story and awesome rescue! It's heartbreaking to hear just how cruel people can be to animals sometimes. :mad: I'm so thankful that we still have people like you and your husband in the world. Thank you for taking the time to share your story and for being who you are and saving your snake:gj: Welcome to bp.net:bow:

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Thanks Quick. My husband and I are very proud of how far the snake has come.

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Originally Posted by MakiMaki

Great story! Thank you for taking the time to share it with us. That is one lucky snake to have found you.

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Thanks Maki. He definitely was very lucky. :D

Star