Neglected bp

[Gc99]

In my high school, a biology teacher has several animals in his class room, all of which are not being properly cared for. The one that worries me the most is a female bp of around 3 feet. She is in a cage(too small for her) without any type of hides, only a water bowl and an uth MINI size, which is barely anything for her, because everytime i pick her up 90% of her body is ice cold and only a little bit is warm. That room gets very cold even for warm blooded students with jackets. The teacher doesnt feed her properly, because everytime i ask him when she last ate, he tells me he forgot, and that she is due to eat soon, but i ask again and he says the same thing. The snake has issues while shedding, and i usually go to the classroom during my lunch so i can spray her a little and help her remove parts of the shed because i cant soak her for an hour like i would to one of my bp. I ha e cleaned her cage a couple times because its dirty and the substrate is old. She is going to shed soon again because i saw her belly yesterday (pink) and i will be bringing a rat on monday for her because im worried about when was the last time she ate. This makes me angry because its just a sweet snake, eventhough its hungry and neglected she is very docile. I just wanted to share this with you guys because i dont know anybody else who would care, they will just say its a "dumb snake". I actually almost fought another guy because he was hitting the glass tank to make the snake move and he was yelling at the poor snake who was just balled up in there. I told the teacher all of the flaws in the husbandry of the snake and he says "nah, she's fine" "if i put a hide in there then no one could see it" "its ok, she can go without food for long periods"(thats true but you still have to offer food!!) I think that if your not willing to get everything for a snake to be comfy then you souldnt have one (Im not saying my husbandry is perfect, if you seen my other posts you know im working on it in order to get it just right) in the class there is also a gecko without any type of heat, a tarantula without a hide thats gets harrased by students (cage picked up and shaken) fish, and a turtle living in dirty water, and the teacher just got a frog this week

[CALM Pythons]

Id take it to upper school administration. Thats Baloney. That sounds like 100% neglect and it's actually against the law.

[Gc99]

I have thought about it, and i want to do it, but the people in this school wont care for a "dumb snake" im going to talk to the teacher again for one last time, if he doesnt do something i will talk to the administration, can you elaborate more on how its against the law? That way i can bring that up in my argument

[Meerna]

You should bring it up with the school and see if anything gets done about it. Poor husbandry to that extent could be considered animal abuse, and if the teacher keeps getting more and more pets without providing the right enclosures and basic needs for the ones they already have, I'd be concerned for the new animals as well.

[tttaylorrr]

i'd say find care sheets and research to print and bring with you. maybe read up on your local/state laws regarding animal neglect and abuse; have those printed to bring with as well. you'll need all the fire power you can get with people so seemingly ignorant.

[Gc99]

Im definetly going to do that, in the meantime im just going to keep an eye out for her, and im gonna talk to the principal, this is not right

[Nellasaur]

I'm going to second the recommendation to research your local animal neglect statutes before you escalate the issue. Different jurisdictions can have wildly different regulations on animal welfare, and you don't want to go citing stricter regulations than actually apply in your town/county/etc..

It may also help to cite a learning/role-model angle as well. Point out that it's the teacher's responsibility to set a good example of responsible animal husbandry for his students, and that this sorry collection of pets is doing nothing more than teaching your fellow classmates that it's okay to neglect something that they're taken responsibility for. That might induce the admins at your school to pay attention more than whatever technical proof you can muster that the animals are being mistreated.

[CALM Pythons]

It's a sad day when young people have to teach morals to adult school teachers!!

[Gc99]

That is a very smart approach as well. I'll keep you guys updated of whatever they say. And yes, its very sad, its just that the snake is such a sweetheart! If i was a snake in her condition i would be bitting every human i could. Its like the teacher has it as decoration for his classroom. Also, i wanted to tell you people something else, remember the gecko that doesnt have any heat? He said he put a hide in the enclosure so the gecko can be warm.....last time I checked, reptiles do not work like that.

[melcvt00]

Remember, there is strength in numbers. The more people that ask to talk to the principal about it on a daily basis, the more attention the problem receives. The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

Be careful to not bash the teacher. Express concern for the animals, and make sure to mention that you have already tried talking to the teacher more than once with no change. Offer again to bring in new copies of care information, and ideas to improve husbandry. Make sure to not focus on just the ball python.

The school year will be over soon for many districts. Act quickly, and keep nudging. Get parents involved, too, if student discussion is not enough.