Snoot 2 years later!

[Namea]

Hey Guys! It's been a hectic 2 years but recently someone from here emailed me asking about Snoot. So here's a rundown and update!

2 years ago Snoot came to me in really poor shape. He was emaciated with over 2/3 inch of spine clearly visible along his back. He had severe scarring and freshly healed open wounds from attempted live feeding. The owners complained that he'd never eat and that's why he was so thin. They had never attempted to feed f/t.

He was completely blind with 7 layers of eyecaps stuck. They had not touched him in 9 years as he had bitten one of them and they were afraid since then.

As for his living condition, he was in a 10gal full glass tank at 10 years old with layers of filthy newspapers that hadn't been changed and caked feces in the corners. He had no hide and insufficient heating. He had one of the worst mite infestations I've ever seen.

Honestly I was shocked he survived. I had never experienced, in 20 years of working with snakes, a ball python as aggressive, malnourished, and mistreated.

He bit me once, the first day I had him as I transferred him to a quarantine tub in my new arrival room.

Within 2 weeks he was mite free and his wounds were healing. He was incredibly calm as I removed his eye caps and restored his vision.

Within 1 month he ate his first f/t rat and I began to cautiously nourish him towards a healthy weight.

Within 5 months he was healthy enough to move out of the quarantine room and into a permanent enclosure of the proper size for his age and length.

2 years later he is not only an incredibly healthy boy but also amazingly sweet. He enjoys hanging out with anyone in our household. He's never even struck at us aside from that first day when he bit me. He travels with me to schools and nature centers to do reptile education sessions.

All in all he's a happy, healthy, beloved member of our family now.

[Homebody]

Wow! What an inspiring story! Please post some recent pictures. Before and after pictures would be even better. Thanks.