Bob's tale: From emaciation to merely skinny

[Spiritserpents]

I purchased (not rescued. I know she's not a rescue.) Bob on 1/19/17 from Petsmart after watching her deteriorate in their care over several weeks. The day I bought her I honestly thought she had died in the cage. She was flat, wrinkled to hell, and emaciated to a degree I'd never seen in a pet store before. I was already having an emotionally draining week and vet-tech-me could not stand to walk away from an animal that I might be able to save. So for far too much money I purchased this (I think) single gene pastel and the rehabbing began.

Bob's main issues appear to have stemmed from inadequate humidity, a too-exposed cage, and being moved to a separate location to eat. So I set her up in a small plastic tub with a hide, foliage, a large water bowl and cypress mulch. Humidity was a bit extreme, but she was *so* dehydrated I felt going overboard for a while was appropriate.



She ate a live hopper mouse the night I brought her home, and another 5 days later. These first photos are taken a couple days after that second hopper. She's already better hydrated here, so you can imagine how she looked when I bought her. She was about 50 grams when I brought her home.





A month, and a patchy shed later, Bob was weighing 66 grams empty. After those two live hoppers I felt they were too small and offered her a f/t weanling mouse. She took it just fine and has been on that since.





I love her flames.

And then finally, yesterday and almost exactly 2 months since I got her, Bob shed again (complete this time!) and weighed in at 84 grams.

[tttaylorrr]

those first pictures break my heart, but she's lucky you found her. way to go!!!

[ladywhipple02]

Bob is gorgeous and I'm sure very grateful for the care. People can say what they want about precipitating the demand cycle that is the large chain pet store - sometimes we have to do the right thing. Awesome job

[Spiritserpents]

Well, I figured that they were just going to replace her with another one if she died anyway so I could either see them with a dead snake and a new snake, or I could try to get this snake to live and them have a new snake.

They *did* alter the cage a bit with some of my suggestions so that the humidity is a bit better. It's scary how uneducated even the manager was. They did not realise that this snake was dying. They had her 6 weeks and she ate twice. Once the first week, and then force-fed 4 weeks later when I first pointed out that she was skinny as hell. There's no way she got in that shape in just 6 weeks so she must have come already underweight from the supplier. Hopefully now that they know what unhealthy looks like they'll take them to the vet. But I won't be holding my breath.

[WastelandExotics]

Great job rehabing this little beauty! Those first two pics are extremely cringy; glad you could bring Bob around!

[JodanOrNoDan]

I can't say I agree with you buying the animal, but I will commend you on your efforts. A very great improvement. I think if I ever saw one that bad off, the manager and I might have had to have a little discussion. If that didn't work a call to the home office. The step after that would have been the humane society. If a store can't take care of an animal they should not be able to sell it.

[Spiritserpents]

I tried having a discussion. They wanted to take it to the vet, but she wasn't sick. And they weren't going to lower the price even after I told them that this snake was going to be dead in a week or two at most. They were simply going to replace her with another snake so the options were dead snake + new snake, or live snake + new snake. And after having 4 of my favorite animals at the shelter have to be euthanised for medical issues that week, I couldn't handle a death that I could prevent. The ASPCA and/or animal control would also have done just about nothing, because she's a snake and because the store would have simply taken her to the vet. Taking the time to do without bringing her home would have resulted in a dead snake.

This is why I said I did not rescue her. Because she's not a rescue. But she is alive, and the store did make some minor positive changes to the habitat after I called corporate. They also loved the idea of weighing the snakes before they ate so they that way if a snake is losing weight they can take it to the vet or keep it in the back to reduce its stress levels for a while.

[JodanOrNoDan]

I am not coming down on you. Just trying to show the bigger picture. Would you rather "save" one and let 50 die or let one die and save 50? Providing everything you are saying is true I would bet you can get your money back and improve life for the rest of the animals that are stuck in these conditions. You just have to put up a big enough stink and make them realize you did them a favor by taking the animal. If any of the breeders on this board ever let an animal go that looked like that it would not go well for their business. Word would get out fast. It shouldn't be any different for a chain pet store.

[Lizardlicks]

Over all a net gain if you can get them to make positive changes. You might not have"rescued" this one, but if they step up their husbandry, you sure may have saved quite a few others. I would bring back pictures of the now much healthier snake and keep showing them what to do. That way they can see you know what you're talking about.

[Finn0208]

I "rescued" mine from petsmart, he had been there for a long time and no one would buy him, he wasn't in that bad of shape but that's bc I was working there at the time and made sure he was getting what he needed, even if I had to go against policy. It's a very sad place!!!! I'm glad that he and I both are no longer there, I have had him almost two years now and we are both a lot happier......even though they will get another one and the same thing will happen, I send you kudos for helping this one


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