Watching him die :(

My best friend and I collaborated on a Christmas present for our mutual friend, we'll call her Christie. We got her a ball python she'd been wanting for weeks. My best friend went over to Christies house last night and was stunned. Her bps tank was filthy, completely open screen top. No humidity, one hide. I don't even know if he had water. He's probably almost a year old and thin as my ring finger. Bestie asked when he ate last, Christie say maybe 2-3 months ago, he just won't take the f/t. Of course its clear she hadn't really tried either. Bestie picked him up, he was too weak to constrict her wrist. She used her best judgement and assist-fed him, which was successful. She thought the small fuzzy might be too big for this 9 month old.

I'm beyond livid. Christie knows we are both knowledgable in proper care. She won't give up her snake, and was offended at our insinuation that she's a bad owner. Bestie told her she would be there every three days with a fuzzy whether Christie liked it or not. I'm sorry, but I had to vent. I am so mad right now, and heartbroken.
http://img.tapatalk.com/a6f960bf-4310-b088.jpg


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Take the ball back and tell your friend your going to try and save thos lol ones life but also give her ways to learn proper ownership before giving the bp back. It almost sounds like she may have got the ball and realized they are not something she really wanted. Best of luck, keep us posted.

That photo says it all. What a sad story and another reminder of why animals don't make good gifts for the average person. Keep us updated on the poor snake, I applaud you and your friend for helping out :)

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that just sucks, but i do not think you can do more then what you are doing, offering to help feed and re-stablize the environment, and try to talk her into re-homing it since it is apparent your friend is not into ball pythons. who knows maybe with some one on one time with your friend may get them to work with the animal in a proper way. good luck either way.

Small meals to get its strength back up and itll rebound fast

The simple fact is, not every one is cut out to be a ball python owner.

To quote a line from one of my favorite movies, "The world needs ditch diggers, too."

Sounds like you guys are doing your best to make the situation right.

Awww poor little fella...so sad i cried. Keep us posted.

The sad part is she has a dog who is fantastically trained, well taken care of and healthy. To add insult to injury, all three of us work at the same place caring for animals. We're going to try and convince her to at least let us get him healthy and even give him back after. Fingers crossed.

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I wouldnt convince anything, Take the damn snake and be done with it, Or report them for animal abuse..

They have no word in this fight what so ever as they neglected to take care of the animal.

That poor little baby! I have to agree with Rich on this one. Take the snake or call and report her for cruelty and abuse. This is just not right at all.

Agreed but stealing a pet and damaging a friendship isn't worth it. Calling aspca or whomever might be our only choice.

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

Agreed but stealing a pet and damaging a friendship isn't worth it. Calling aspca or whomever might be our only choice.

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I would definitely make that call soon or that poor animal may not make it.

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

Agreed but stealing a pet and damaging a friendship isn't worth it. Calling aspca or whomever might be our only choice.

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Its not stealing, Your seizing an animal as a concerned citizen.

If your friendship is that important you should never of gotten involved then and just called the police and walked on.

I dont care if its friends or Family ive plain out called them out of stuff that was neglectful and inhumane, Guess what Im still friends with them and they're still my family.

She doesn't need that bp if she can't take care of it. She is neing ridiculous.

Gosh. That's horrible. You would think she would treasure and take care of the gift you gave her. I bought my boyfriend a black pastel for Christmas. It's his first snake and he adores her. But if he neglected the snake, I would be offended and take the animal. Even material items. If he didn't take care of the gifts I gave him and treated them like trash, it shows his attitude. (thankfully he's not like that)

I mean, you and your friend probably put in some effort into buying this snake with your own hard earned money. Clearly Christie doesn't appreciate that. And to make matters worse, she is gifted with a life. With a life comes responsibility. If she can't properly care for it, then she lacks maturity and doesn't deserve to have the snake.

You say her dog is well cared for? Use the dog as an example to compare it to the snake's situation. For example, leaving dog poop. If she's a good dog owner, I'm going to assume she picks up dog poo. Tell her, leaving the snake tank dirty is like leaving her house full off dog poo and urine. Keeping a sanitary environment prevents disease and illness. And if her dog stopped eating, I bet my life she would find a solution and/or find help. Not ignore it like she's doing with the snake. Her snake probably stopped eating due to inadequate husbandry.

By neglecting it, clearly she doesn't care about it. Your bestfriend isn't always going to be there to hold her hand and assist feed the snake.
By not surrendering the snake over, she's condemning it to death unless she shapes up and changes her attitude. Tell her, unless she improves the husbandry, the snake will continue to go down hill. She has to put in as much effort with her snake as she does with her dog. Maybe even more. If she can't, she shouldn't have the snake.

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I dont want to be the downer here but I have to say thats why you dont give living animals as presents. Unless they are well aware of the care of them and you make sure they will take care of them.

I agree with everyone. We just found out about its care last night, so we are approaching her once to ask. If she won't give it up, we are taking it. Sorry, I don't want to give the impression we're not doing anything. We are. I won't let it die, I'd just rather give her a chance. We had second thoughts about gifting it but she read the books and knew what it needed, she just didn't follow through. Thanks for the support guys.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

I wouldnt convince anything, Take the damn snake and be done with it, Or report them for animal abuse..

They have no word in this fight what so ever as they neglected to take care of the animal.

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Yup. I don't normally condone theft, but when it comes to a living being, its game on and we support you if you decide he must be taken from her! Unfortunately reporting animal abuse/neglect very rarely has any effect. People just don't care anymore unless there is a profit in it for them.

I've never seen such a skinny bp before, and I have had snakes, that hasn't been eating for most of a year.

Take the snake back, don't ask her, just do it! And please don't let her have any animals in the future.. nor children :)

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Originally Posted by Brian Fobian

.. nor children :)

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LOL

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...in-marvin2.gif

^ That is just wrong... :rofl:

Just take the snake. Its obvious she doesnt wanna take care of it.

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Originally Posted by Slim

The simple fact is, not every one is cut out to be a ball python owner.

To quote a line from one of my favorite movies, "The world needs ditch diggers, too."

Sounds like you guys are doing your best to make the situation right.

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Caddy shack. I love that movie.

Personally, I would just steal it. That is bs and I just wouldn't stand for it. Just slap her and take it. Sorry, stuff like that pisses me off.

She probably wouldn't even notice the tank missing anyways since she's been ignoring it for so long. Deep down she will probably be relieved that it's gone since she's too proud to admit what a neglectful bp owner she is. Once it's gone she's not even gonna bother fighting to get it back. Just take it home and rehabilitate it. Case closed.

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Originally Posted by dizzydynamo

She probably wouldn't even notice the tank missing anyways since she's been ignoring it for so long. Deep down she will probably be relieved that it's gone since she's too proud to admit what a neglectful bp owner she is. Once it's gone she's not even gonna bother fighting to get it back. Just take it home and rehabilitate it. Case closed.

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The "breeder" [quite successful in the ring, I might add] thatI got my Ibizans from was like this.

One 'special' dog was cared for like royalty while all the others languished in tiny, filthy crates scattered throughout the house and basement.

She withheld food and water to bare sustenance levels to "minimize cleaning up the messes in their crates".

If they were lucky, each dog got 10 minutes of 'play time' outside.
[usually, they weren't very lucky]

If anybody commented on the "other dogs", the pampered one was trotted out as as 'proof' of her sublime care taking.

She was guilty of many other things but her bizarre love/hate/indifference was a mental illness.

Take back the snake.

I'm sitting here worried to death because my 11 month old chronically poor eater, 454 gram male Spider has not eaten in 2 months and then I see that and want to scream in rage and/or cry.

Ok...
Do your best to get her to give you the little snake back, do not steel or "take" the snake, you could end up with a theft charge and she could get it back.

Threaten calling animal control, and let her know the risk of getting all her animals taken and an animal cruelty charge.

If YOU break the law, and are caught, you will loose any chance to help that snake, and end up having to deal with your own criminal charge.

There is a big difference between what is "right" and what is "legal".

I concur with the previous poster, don't take it without permission. Trust me a theft charge can come back to bite you years and years later. That said, how old is your friend? Is she a teenager? Does she live with her parents? If so, you can always threaten to talk to her Mom about it, or you could actually go to her Mom and explain what you know. Just a thought.

If your friend is a working adult then I'm afraid you need to deal with her personally but don't lecture her about responsibility instead try approaching her with a positive, "I'm sorry I went off on you Christie. It's just that I really wanted that snake but we bought it for you so I had to give it up. If you don't want it anymore can I have it?" Something like that.

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Originally Posted by enchantress62

I concur with the previous poster, don't take it without permission. Trust me a theft charge can come back to bite you years and years later. That said, how old is your friend? Is she a teenager? Does she live with her parents? If so, you can always threaten to talk to her Mom about it, or you could actually go to her Mom and explain what you know. Just a thought.

If your friend is a working adult then I'm afraid you need to deal with her personally but don't lecture her about responsibility instead try approaching her with a positive, "I'm sorry I went off on you Christie. It's just that I really wanted that snake but we bought it for you so I had to give it up. If you don't want it anymore can I have it?" Something like that.

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What cant people understand ITS NOT THEFT. You are seizing an animal as a concerned Citizen which is legal. Ive dont it MANY MANY times. 9 times out of 10 the owners dont even care or glad you taken it.

There will be no charges of theft ever brought up for an animal you taken thats neglected on deaths door.

I agree with Rich, if you want the snake to live you will take it.

it is sad however

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What cant people understand ITS NOT THEFT. You are seizing an animal as a concerned Citizen which is legal. Ive dont it MANY MANY times. 9 times out of 10 the owners dont even care or glad you taken it.

There will be no charges of theft ever brought up for an animal you taken thats neglected on deaths door.

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the law is clear taking something that is not yours is theft.
walking into someones house and taking something that belongs to them is Theft. ( a cd, dvd, cat, dog or their car. just the charges will vary ) not saying she would report you but she very well could and you dont want or need that

not trying to make a fight here, the best thing to do in my opinion is offer to help. if she refuses then attempt to get proper authorities involved.

just because we view it as cruelty and injustice doesnt mean that animal control will view it the same. i have a bp that is 2 yrs old i rescued her (when i got her she weighed 150 grams) now she is barely 200 grams if animal control saw that would my bp be taken? could she be?

so my whole rant is dont do anything that can or will potentially get you in trouble with the law...

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Originally Posted by Reptilecam

I dont want to be the downer here but I have to say thats why you dont give living animals as presents. Unless they are well aware of the care of them and you make sure they will take care of them.

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Anyone who has the passion to care for a specific animal will seek it out on their own. Bear in mind that when you give an animal as a gift you are also burdening the potential owner with time and financial burdens that they likely would have taken on by them self if they had real interest.

You mentioned that the cage has no top.

Take the snake, let her believe it got lost. She won't be hurt over the loss and you don't have to risk your friendship to make sure the snake's welfare is #1. Your friend will probably be pleased to not have to 'deal with it' anymore. Everyone wins. They call it a white lie for a reason...

EDIT: then she can reflect on how poor of a pet owner she was and hopefully not make the same mistakes again

We don't see taking the snake as theft. But authorities won't see it that way.
Whether or not it is right or wrong morally, the law still states that taking the snake would be stealing.

So unless you get a warrant or some legal document to give you safe passage, I wouldn't steal the snake.... Speak to a reptile rescue. Perhaps they can pull some legal strings for you.
As someone else has stated, stealing the snake may bite you in the but later on...Just be cautious of the consequences of stealing.
What if your friend finds out and contacts the authorities? The chances are that they order you give the snake back. And at the point, your friend may never listen or let you near the snake again....

In the mean time, if your friend is being stubborn about the snake, donate some temporary supplies or money. Just work with her. Educate her. Tell her what she's doing is wrong.
Maybe she'll have an epiphany along the way..... Show her pictures of what a healthy snake is suppose to look at and compare it to her dying one. If she doesn't understand, show pictures of emaciated dogs. Tell her that is the dog equivalent of her snake since she apparently seems like a dog lover.

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Originally Posted by Rob_D

it is sad however



the law is clear taking something that is not yours is theft.
walking into someones house and taking something that belongs to them is Theft. ( a cd, dvd, cat, dog or their car. just the charges will vary ) not saying she would report you but she very well could and you dont want or need that

not trying to make a fight here, the best thing to do in my opinion is offer to help. if she refuses then attempt to get proper authorities involved.

just because we view it as cruelty and injustice doesnt mean that animal control will view it the same. i have a bp that is 2 yrs old i rescued her (when i got her she weighed 150 grams) now she is barely 200 grams if animal control saw that would my bp be taken? could she be?

so my whole rant is dont do anything that can or will potentially get you in trouble with the law...

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If the friend would not give up the snake, I would contact the proper authorities to have it removed. This person is incapable of properly caring for this animal, it is animal cruelty. While I didn't really mean that the OP should go physically take the snake but do it in the proper manner.

An update: she's bringing the snake to my place tonight and I'm babysitting him until he's a good weight and eating regularly. I'm putting him on a 3/4 feeding schedule of small fuzzies at the moment, and she's bringing his tank too which I told her I'd set up for her properly.

Quarantine question: how far away from my healthy snake should the new snake be? Same room different tank or different room altogether? I have a house but I have small kids so my quarantine options (quiet areas) are limited.

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A different room would be better than the same room, but do what you have to do. Keep all your hubandry tools seperate and use them for only one snake.

Good job on getting him out of there :gj:

Glad to hear you got the snake out safely and didn't have to involve the authorities to do it. Happy endings are always good.

Not sure how your house is laid out, but I've actually used a large closet (with lighting as needed) for quarantining reptiles before when I didn't have the extra rooms. It would also be nice, quiet, and dark for him/her to relax. Would also love to see pics as you get him/her fed up.

Excellent job!
Please keep us updated w/ the snake's progress

Well seems we got to him too late. Christie went home to pack him up to bring him over and he'd already passed.

:(

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Oh no. :( At least he's not suffering anymore. Hopefully Christie will think twice next time before wanting an animal she actually doesn't care about. It's sad that you didn't even get the chance to try to save him, though

I feel awful. Not only was I really looking forward to rescuing him, but I feel partly responsible for getting him for her in the first place. I hugged my snake extra tight tonight.

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Sorry to hear that :(

I hate to be the Richard Cranium at a time like this, but, have you seen the deceased BP? Are you sure this isn't your friend's way of trying to get you out of her snake business?

I know, I know... I'm gonna' get run out of town for this, but I just needed to put it out there.

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Originally Posted by Slim

Sorry to hear that :(

I hate to be the Richard Cranium at a time like this, but, have you seen the deceased BP? Are you sure this isn't your friend's way of trying to get you out of her snake business?

I know, I know... I'm gonna' get run out of town for this, but I just needed to put it out there.

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Oddly enough I had the exact same thought, but she's not that kind of person. I think once she swallowed her pride she really did want us to help.

Lol Richard cranium.. took me a sec.

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

Oddly enough I had the exact same thought, but she's not that kind of person. I think once she swallowed her pride she really did want us to help.

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That's good to know, and thank you for taking my post in the spirit with which it was intended.

Sorry to hear what happened to the little one :( It's so sad when you try and think you're getting somewhere/through to someone and then it all goes downhill. Hopefully after all of this, you may have made her think about how to look after a pet in the future if she has any more.