Do You Want It?

[bcr229]

Along with the "Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww" reaction you get when people find out that you have snakes, I've noticed another reaction, usually delayed for weeks or even months, and it happened again last night via a Facebook message from a friend...

"Hey, my kid's boyfriend's sister's best friend has a snake and doesn't want it any more. Can you take it?"


Ok, I have dogs. I don't hear this request from people who need to rehome their dogs. I also don't hear it from people who have cats (maybe because I have dogs?). I also have horses, but have never been offered a free one, probably because anyone who owns a horse knows that even free ones are expensive.


So, why is it that if I "keep snakes" it immediately follows that I'm interested in taking on everyone else's unwanted, sick, mite-infested, rat-chewed, underweight, neglected animal?


Being the sucker that I am, I ask what kind.


"I don't know. I'll find out."


Something tells me it ain't gonna be a banana BP, or even a female. Though the normal male BP I took in from a kid going to college did turn out to be a female, so maybe I'll get lucky.

[CrystalRose]

No I haven't gotten that one yet. Doesn't mean I won't eventually lol.

[SteveySingle]

That's where I got my big "female" about five years ago, first breeder normal..paired two years with my spider male...year number three i decided to try and pop this big girl again...no hemipenes again..just the biggest sperm plug in the world. lol i swear it was the size of a pea pod.
This was my second snake, the first was a petco animal who was extremely underfed and a poor eater when I got him. Although i fed weekly I must admit i never get him more than an adult mouse. He probably lived about 4 months...I did lots of research before taking in the second one though and learned a LOT. He didn't eat for but maybe twice in the year I had him and was a very hissy snake-he has huge white scars that look like he was more than just bitten, more like gnawed on-he came from a 6x2x2 wooden box that was stood up on it's side so he had very little room to move with his 15 quart water pan and huge logs just thrown in the bottom.. now he lives happily in a cb70 rack with good husbandry and eats like a champ every saturday, he's HUGE.

I was a little dissapointed when I found out it was a male, but couldn't bring myself to rehome him even though he's "worthless" to my breeding projects. Still an awesome snake and really the one who turned me into the snake lover i am today. He's come a long way and we have a special bond, I think he know's I saved his life..
I would take any unwanted animal and at least get it into good health and try to rehome, but only if it were free really.

I hope that if you do decide to take in the snake from your friends acquaintance that all goes well, good luck!

[Addicted2BP]

my experience is exactly the same. All the time I get people who dont want their snakes wanting me to take them. Low and behold I go to get a look at one the other day and like usual shes just in an empty glass tank with a tiny piece of repticarpet one hide and a water dish with no heating elements. Then im told shes friendly shes nice yaddayaddayadda because shes freezing cold and can barely move. But sure enough once i get her home and warmed up she doesnt want ANYTHING to do with humans. freezes when you walk by her tank, hisses at you, strikes at you constantly even through the glass etc. I ended up giving her to my neighbor who is an even bigger reptile addict than me because he wanted to breed her. Otherwise terrible pet. The nerve of some people to buy such an animal and not research anything about them at all, then be so lazy as to just neglect them.

[Crazymonkee]

So far have not got it with snakes, but that's how I got 2 of my ferrets and 2 of my larger female red ear sliders.
The ferrets came directly from my best friend, the res came from a lady he worked with. Her husband couldn't understand why they wouldn't breed. Yes they are right size, age... but um they're both female.

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[Raven01]

That is how I acquired the adult (probably male) Irian Jayan Carpet currently occupying a quarantine room. This was a case of the girl that owned him had moved to go to school and couldn't keep a 5-6 foot python in the dorm. Other than not being handled for over a year this snake is in pretty good shape if a little plump and had been shedding in one piece the whole time.

[SlitherinSisters]

I do get asked quite a bit, but I have almost always said no in the end. What really ticks me off is when people have that story about someone wanting to get rid of a snake and then that person expects me to pay for their snake. I have to try and politely say "I'm a breeder, I have a lot of snakes as it is. If you need help and want me to take it in, fine, but I'm not paying for a sick and/or underweight snake". That is probably the main reason I don't have more "rescue" snakes, I'm abrasive if they ask for money and you know they will.

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[mechnut450]

I do get asked quite a bit, but I have almost always said no in the end. What really ticks me off is when people have that story about someone wanting to get rid of a snake and then that person expects me to pay for their snake. I have to try and politely say "I'm a breeder, I have a lot of snakes as it is. If you need help and want me to take it in, fine, but I'm not paying for a sick and/or underweight snake". That is probably the main reason I don't have more "rescue" snakes, I'm abrasive if they ask for money and you know they will.

I been there too

I gotten several snakes over the years this way ( down home ) with everyone knowing I had snakes and such. I went in one year from like 5 snakes to almost 30. There was all kinds of snakes from corns and Kenyans to ball pythons. ( the few larger snakes were always via phone calls to come get) I re-homed almost everyone of them with in a year and then most the time i never hear back. one person does contact me once in a while asking for rats ( brings me a bunch of mice in trade)

[MarkS]

I've been offered quite a few too and I've kept a few through the years. That's how I ended up with both of my Burms and one of my first Carpet pythons. However, I also volunteer with the MHS adoption committee so most of them will end up there and they usually find homes.

[bcr229]

Ok, according to my friend it's a "red python".

I'm thinking either het red axanthic BP, or a BCI. Most likely the latter.