Update on the CL boa rescue.. *sigh* I'm still appalled.

[Surrealle]

Well, let me start by saying we got the boa, and more.

We drove the 1.5 hours to Tyler, and arrived at a trailer park. As we were looking for the house, we came across the seller and two other guys burying a dead cat on the side of the road. We met up with him, and he brought the snake out. He mentioned how he wanted to get a friend's albino snake and breed it (ugh), and I did my best to suggest that he not get it unless he could feed it properly. He then said he wouldn't, and that that was why he was getting rid of this one, because he couldn't take care of it. He also said he'd prefer a tarantula over a snake. Anyways, the snake looked in decent shape, all things considered, although I didn't get a good look at him because I just wanted out of there. So we bought him, and were about to leave. My bf asked if we could take the cage too, and the guy said he was just going to throw it away, so we took it.

The snake, which I'm guessing is around 5 feet long, was kept in a 20gal tall aquarium with nearly airtight glass panels at the top, which originally came from an entertainment center. The "substrate": river rocks, and an inch or two of rancid, standing water. The heat source: one incandescent bulb. We were told it was last fed 3 chicken eggs last week. No water dish, nothing to climb, and no hide.

As we were leaving, I noticed a kitten lingering at our feet trying to get attention. They said two different families had taken that kitten in and then thrown it back out. They then explained that there were about 20 stray cats living in their area; only one person was feeding them table scraps, otherwise they were living out of a dumpster. They had to kill 5 of them last week because people hit them with cars and the kids play with them and hurt them. They also shot two pit bulls because the landlord didn't allow dogs. The cat they were burying when we pulled up had to be shot because it was paralyzed. So, we also ended up bringing the kitten home. She spent the entire ride either fast asleep in my lap, or purring and kneading against my stomach. I've never seen a cat take to a car ride that well in my life.

After we left, my bf told me that the guy's parting comment was that he was glad we were taking the snake, because if we didn't, he was going to eat it. He also wanted me to send him a video of it eating a rat because he'd never seen it eat one before.

My bf attempted to clean the tank out after we got home; the smell was so bad he had to walk away before it literally made him sick. He said it was the worst thing he's ever smelled in his life.

So, the kitten will get flea dipped, has gulped down a bowl of food so fast she nearly choked, and will probably spend tonight sleeping on top of me. She'll get a vet visit next week to take care of any other health issues. The snake is now on paper towels in a 40 gal aquarium, with a hide box, heat mat, and large water dish, and vet care will be arranged for him as soon as we can. I will post pics ASAP, but for tonight I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. I don't know whether I'll be able to keep either of these animals, but I will not even think of letting them go to anything less than the best of homes. No living thing should have to live like they were, it was truly disgusting.