Starting a refuge for BP (and other easy to care snakes)

[Ufoo9k]

I'm pretty new to actually have a snake and learning hands on how to care for it but I still want to get more and if I had the money I'd buy them all. I had an opportunity to get one or two snakes (bc and bp) but both died a month or so appart because the person that had them decided he did not want to take care of them anymore (even though his reason for not giving them up was because he really wanted to keep them) and let them die of hunger/dehydratation. The friend that told me about it will try to have him give me his tanks and other stuff so I'd have a lot of things I might not need but also things I could use in my rack. Another friend told me that they bought a cornsnake from someone that had a BP to give, a few months later he learned that snake died because the owner did not find someone to take it. These are only two instance in 2 years, and I know that there are not many refuges in Quebec City that can take snakes, so I though I might offer myself to take those snakes and care for them until I can find someone that will really care for it as it should be cared for.

That is one big wall of text, but it is why I thought it could be something I could do. I dont want a big collection of snakes, a few of my own and already snakesitting one. I'm not too much interested in breeding though it could happen one day. I have the space for more and so many snakes seem to die because they are "only" snakes.

Pretty much, what I wanted to ask is : Should I try or would it be too much?

For now I already saw 2 snakes for free on classified ads and asked about them. One I got no answer while the other is being sent to a petshop. I dont want them to end up dead because they were "only" snakes...

[Asherah]

The decision to give a home to a snake is totally up to you. Take as many or as few as you want so long as you can provide proper care for them.

My fiance and I have often in the past taken in snakes that nobody wanted. Several have been sick or otherwise injured. We have either brought them back into health and found them new homes or they have stayed with us as pets.

It's often rewarding work, but you should also be prepared to lose an animal.

You don't have to classify it as anything specific either.

[bcr229]

My list of free snakes is now at:
1.2 normal baby ball pythons
0.1 normal/common adult BCI
0.1 adult arabesque BCI (described as very cage-aggressive but she's never given me any trouble)
0.1 adult dumerils boa
1.1 baby normal hognose
1.1 adult brazilian rainbow boa

Only the male ball python and the female BCI were legitimate "rescues" from abuse or neglect situations. The others were healthy and could have been sold, but were given to us because their owners wanted them to go to a good home after they were no longer in a position to keep them, and they knew we wouldn't just flip them.

[Reinz]

Keep in mind that the total amount of snakes from each location will need their own quarentine room.

That can fill up most places fast.

[ItsAllNew2Me!]

+1 with what reinz said, quarantine is very important. There is a local guy to me that actually has a storefront and he rescues reptiles. He has a huge store but he ran out of quarantine space for all the rescues and eventually he just started storing them all in the same room. Lets just say the illnesses and mites got out of control. So I don't visit anymore. Last I heard, he is selling the place. Very nice guy, very good intentions, his love and willingness to help any reptile overwhelmed him and he folded under pressure. He was spending hundreds of dollars every month on enclosures, mite killer, anitbiotics, etc. I liked going also because he sold exotic knives. Sad to see. So be careful and always plan. Sometimes you just have to say no to an animal in need in order to protect what you already have.

[Ufoo9k]

Thank you for the help guys!
I'm kinda happy to not have been shot down, I'm already sceptic of the idea myself with all the "rescues" happening with cats (and dogs) that and up being byb, I don,t want to end up with more then I can take...

I was more planning of taking in a few at a time (I have 4 rooms that can have snakes since any other are the cats rooms) maybe 2-3 (including my own new aquisitions) and during that time figure out if I am best to wait 3, 4, 5 or 6 months before having them all in my rack(s). I'm also thinking of keeping my snakes in another rack since I do know I might do breeding with my own and would not want to get stuck with missing space with tanks or whatever. I really do not have the space to make it a full blown SPA and take in any of the reptiles that need saving sadly, more the ones that are most likely to be left to die if no one takes them. Maybe one day I'll have the space to get more, but I'll see when that time comes and how it goes. Like, one of the BP that was for free was so becasue the person thought it had respitory infection. When I asked about it they told me they did not think they had any and found a petshop that would take it. I asked if they went to a vet and they never answered so I'm sad for that snake if it does not get the treatement it needs if it is sick.

That is many snakes bcr229! Were they from people that knew you, or they got to you another way?
I don't want to publicize that I'm interested in getting snakes, it could go so many ways and a lot of them would not be good for me or the snakes as I am not looking in getting overwhelmed in snake caring.

[bcr229]

That is many snakes bcr229! Were they from people that knew you, or they got to you another way?

Friends, friends of friends, and friends of customers (we have a home-based business) who have seen snake enclosures in the office.