Several years ago when I was first starting out I would respond to local ads for snakes. I rescued rosy boas from one breeder that just stopped taking care of them. I recognized him from the shows. He was getting married and his fiance had him move the rosy's out to the garage and then he just stopped taking care of them. I thought that one female was going to die before I got her home. I had to give her water with a syringe. Her first meals were 1 day old pinks, just one. I was able to save that group. I also rescued a pair of pueblan milks. The owner of these kept them in a small tank. He would drop 2 live mice in the tank and walk away. The female was missing an eye due to a bite. Both had scars all the way up and down their dorsal area. No excuse, they switched over to frozen thawed immediately. 6 months of heavy feeding and they finally were able to shed in one piece not tiny bits and pieces that also required soaking.
I also rescued a ball with a skin disorder similar to blister disease. She stayed completely out of my house. I could find no info on the disorder, no help, and so eventually she was put down.
I stopped doing rescues several years ago. My collection grew larger and required more of my time. Also, this is very important, you MUST consider the risk. I can no longer risk my collection or the collections of my customers. Even if you are willing to risk your collection. If you handle rescues, you could possibly be putting a customers collection at risk when you sell something out of your collection.
John Q

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