Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Greetings all. Not sure if anyone remembers me here. I used to post a LOT. But let me back up a bit. Back in about 2001 I got into the hobby and purchased some snakes with the plan that I would raise them up and breed them. I had 1.3 normals, 1.1 100% het for albino, 1.0 100% het for green ghost, 1.1 unproven chocolate morph and 0.1 Congo Jungle ball. I prided myself in my husbandry and had educated myself pretty well on the genetics. Even my vet said my husbandry was excellent. Things were going pretty well. That first year I was concerned because the animals went on a hunger strike but I vowed to change that by putting them in a warmer room without ANY light cues from outside.

In August of last year I had a massive heart attack.

Not exactly what you expect when you are 39. I was already disabled after dealing with three bouts of three different types of cancer but I could hold my own caring for the snakes. But not after open heart surgery. Forget it. And the bad thing is I didn't have anyone to take over. The animals suffered. Severely. I had complications that literally had me bedridden for months. I just now have recovered enough to start cardiac rehab. I am down to 0.2 normals, 0.1 Congo jungle and 0.1 unproven chocolate morph.

And there seems there have been changes in the interim with everyone looking at snakes bellies now and a whole new bit of genetic markers.

I am not posting this to elicit any sort of pity for myself. Stuff happens. Rather I would advise anyone that owns a snake or a breeding group to look to the future with regard to what might happen to them if they die or are incapacitated. The animals should not suffer and on a lesser note you can lose some valuable investments.

I only hope with a lot of TLC the survivors will thrive. Clean cages and regular diet seems to have perked them up. As to if they will grow more now that they are feeding I can't be sure.

But in any event, have some sort of living snake will set up in case something happens to you. And I sincerely hope nothing does.<G> Sorry this was so long.
Cheers,
R.W.Brennan

HI RB -

I sounds like you have been through quite a trial and it's understandable that the snakes were not high on your priority list. I wish you and them a full and speedy recovery!

Christy

Thanks one step at a time<G>
Cheers,
R.W.Brennan

I did think about that kind of stuff. I wrote out a list about each of my snakes and where my family could sell them if they had to. I put it in my safe deposit box, I also keep a list of what each is eating so they will know. They would have to sell them right away as they don't know a thing about how to take care of snakes. It is something that everyone should think about if if they don't want to.

Did you ever think about selling yours during that time so they could be cared for better?

He's blessed to be alive, period. Hindsight is always 20/20. Cancer, disability, heart attack...It's a shame about the animals but at the end of the day they are only snakes.

it is great that that he is doing better. I didn't mean for it to sound like that sorry if it did.

No problem Misty, i really enjoy your posts

No its ok I was not offended.
Understand though after you get a helicopter ride to a second hospital, they saw your chest open, pull it wide apart and then wire it back up you are in quite a bit of pain. Add to that bladder infection, epididimitis and pnumonia and you are even more out of it. And just for icing add the morphine, Oxycontin, percoset, vicodent, hydrocodone and codiene cough syrup and I literally had no idea what day or week it was for quite sometime. It was rough enough going through withdrawal afterward and a few session of CHF until they got certain meds right. But then again that is my point. When you are in that condition you aren't thinking about your snakes. That's why I advise everyone to plan ahead.
So someone want to give me a brief rundown on what I have missed? Whats with the bellies all of a sudden? My dark chocolate ball has a snow white belly. And does anyone know if they will catch up in weight and length with heavy feeding?
Cheers,
R.W.Brennan

Sorry to hear of your woes.......And sorry for your snakes!
I wondered where you went.........

I have a plan.....Small one but a plan.....
Rob C will get mine if anything happens to me.

(Hi Rob)

Sometimes I think about it, like "What would hubby DO if I was suddenly incapacitated? Would HE change the cages on the rodents that he despises so much? He WOULD water the snakes and feed them, but it would be difficult. And if I was permanently incapacitated, or likely to be, what would he DO with the snakes? Where would they go? It is easy enough to think that you'll be able to dispose of things properly, etc, but in bad circumstances, sometimes, like the above tale, it is impossible to think of the animals. Not so long ago my mother woke up, like normal, walked into her kitchen, and collapsed with a severe wave of pain. Father was home on vacation (they were supposed to be on vacation in Mexico, but the cruise ship sank), and took her to the hospital. How was he to know, or anyone to know, that she would spend the next month in the hospital fighting for her life? Ruptured colon, metastatized cancer, several resusitations later, and she's lucky to be alive, still hopeful to remain so. If she raised snakes, they would have been neglected for that entire time.

Luckily for me my step daughter knows all the particulars about the mouse and rat care, and would take care of the rodents until hubby found a place for them to go. The snakes would go to local petstores and/or hubby would contact the breeder from whom we purchased them, and work out some sort of deal on HIM selling the snakes for us.

I do think, sometimes, about what would happen if we were all killed in an accident... by the time someone would enter our house, the rodents would be dead, and the snakes would be hungry/thirsty... but people would call animal control rather than deal with them, and the animals would probably be euthanized.

Poor critters.
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~Sasheena