#rescue reptile

[fbwzoo]

First x-ray was October 2023. Second x-ray was March 2024.

We found his bones!!!!

Ed's bloodwork came back all in normal ranges too, and his broken leg has healed! Metabolic bone disease can't really be "fixed", but we've absolutely stopped the progression. His bones are still a little soft, and his growth was stunted, so he'll stay smaller in size. But he's come SO far and the vet was as thrilled as us with his progress!

Looking forward to many hopefully healthy years with this boy now.

[marblemartian]

to anyone looking to get a ball python:

please either rescue or adopt. the saturation is fucking Insane and giving more money to breeders who have Hundreds of these snakes in itty bitty barren racks their entire lives only perpetuates the suffering of innocent snakes. the practice is no better than that of puppy mills more often than not.

thats not to mention the number of surrendered ball pythons is insanely high BECAUSE of this over-saturation. first time pet people go to expos, bring home a snake they dont know how to care for, get bored of it and surrender it. those snakes deserve love.

if you do decide to purchase from a breeder, please make sure theyre a small scale breeder with proper husbandry practices and actual enrichment for their snakes.

make sure you meet their breeder snakes, that theyre in good health, and ask for photos of their enclosures. they dont have to be giant terrariums, just enough for them to Actually move and stimulate their brain and allow thermoregulation. so many Large ball python breeders have a bin that is large enough for the snake to sit there. thats IT.

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Hey, love the blog, it's been super educational :) I'm planning to get my first snake at some point (when life circumstances mean I can responsibly) and one thing I've been wondering about is getting a rescue/rehomed one rather than buying from the breeder. Are there practical pros and cons to this? For example from a breeder you'd get a baby snake versus a rehomed one would probably be an adult and I'm not sure what's easier. Thanks if you have any insight and all you do on the blog!

Hello hello! It's entirely up to your personal preference. It's possible to buy adult snakes from breeders and to find babies at rescues, but you're right that generally speaking a rescue will be an adult.

Getting a baby snake from a breeder:

You know the snake's history exactly, from birthday to the ability to get the snake's lifelong food records, etc.

You get to watch the snake grow up!

You might have to change adult enclosure sizes as your snake grows - you can put a baby snake in its adult enclosure, but personally I find it way too easy to lose, say, baby cornsnakes in adult-sized enclosures

Babies can be a bit more fragile! You'll want to ensure your husbandry is already looking perfect before you bring your new baby home

Their personality might change as they grow - usually, it's for the better, such as shy babies who might become more outgoing, but you never really know!

Getting an adult rescue snake:

You know less about the snake's history, including potential history of abuse or neglect (the snake might be nippy, not like being handled in their enclosure, etc.)

You'll be ready to move them right into their permanent enclosure

You'll have a good idea of what their personality will be like

Adult snakes are rock-solid compared to babies and much easier to care for. They also tend to already be good eaters!

It's completely up to your preference! It's fun to watch baby snakes grow up, but adopting from a rescue feels great. If you decide to go the rescue route, I have a list of rescues I stand behind 100% in my pinned post!

[cursedcadaver]

"there's a snake in my pocket," or whatever Woody said

[cosmicoriole]

Cashew is safe and happy in a brand new home! He is still malnourished, but no longer lethargic or dehydrated. He's eating very well so I have no concerns about his recovery. A vet check is next on the list for him! Thank you to everyone who donated or gave advice to get him well again! For the full details and story, check out my reddit u/cosmic-oriole. To thank the community, I will be making some freebies for everyone who helped out in addition to the commissions I took to fund his transition!

[confirmedgeckos]

Nugs is feeling festive!

You may notice that Nugs has nubby toes. She is one of my rescue babies. Her original owners just didn’t want her anymore and stopped caring. ALL of her toes are nubby, and on some feet she’s missing some completely. But she’s happy and safe now.

[i-m-snek]

RESCUE MISSION TIME On my way to come get this poor guy. I’m glad my town knows me as the reptile lady, he’s been running around since yesterday around one of the schools. This is also a PSA because bearded dragons don’t usually just ‘escape’. DO NOT RELEASE YOUR PETS INTO THE WILD. FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING. For one: They are not resistant to the parasites around here like the wild reptiles are. For two: They cannot survive the cold winters most of the time. And for three: -If- they survive they can be very damaging to wildlife. Also they have no idea to run from predators, considering they grew up around humans. Beardies especially. I’ll keep y’all updated on this guy.

[duskythesomething]

I MAY... HAVE BROUGHT HOME A NEW CHILD..........

this is Snickers Pie the One-eyed Guy! poor lad was so on sale it was ridiculous and i couldn't help it, so Cheesecake Banana Snake gets a new sibling.

[her0isms]

🎶✨OH IVE GOT SSSSSPUUUUUURSSSSS✨🎶

Vegas "Murder Worm" Valentine my Ball Python is jingle jangling his spurs as Courier Six from Fallout: New Vegas!

all proceeds from the purchases of this design (shirt or sticker) will be going to the North Texas Reptile Rescue!

link here: https://her0isms-creations.creator-spring.com/listing/courier-vegas

you can also enter NTRR for 15% off your order! (i will still receive the full profit for the purchase!)

[omg-snakes]

So, do all diffused corn snakes have to have patternless sides or is it another gene that can have levels of expression? I'm buying a pewter corn hatchling soon but it has those patterns. And another completely unrelated question (didn't want to send 2 asks) but lets say one snake is het for charcoal and the other snake its being paired to is not het for charcoal. Does that het pass on to the hatchling at all?

Hello friend!

Diffused corn snakes should have some level of diffusion of pattern on their sides (that's where the name comes from!) that gets more pronounced closer to the tummy, but there are definitely levels of quality at play. A snake with no or very light side patterning is obviously going to be a higher quality Diffused than one with more normal-type side patterning. It's become pretty common to see these popping up in the hobby, though, as folks just mash snakes together without regard for morph integrity. :(

Personally, I know "pet only" is a bit of a trigger phrase in the reptile hobby, but if a Diffused has normal, undiffused patterning on their sides or any checkering on their tummy, I certainly wouldn't consider them worth breeding. They can still be a gorgeous lovely pet! There's absolutely nothing wrong with keeping snakes as pets and just, like, not breeding them! You don't need to breed them to love them! You don't need to breed them please stop breeding them I beg of you please the market is so saturated please do not

Anyway,

If a het [insert favorite gene here] is paired to a non-het, the resulting offspring will be 50% likely to carry the het gene. We call these "50% het [gene name]" until proven het or non-het.

[slutdge]

these two goths near me do little rat taxidermy courses in the basement of this one antique store and I made this little dude today, he's like... kinda wonky but i had a really good time doing it (plus a little heart i made out of the tailbones)

[fbwzoo]

Please excuse the mess but

He was fully standing on his back legs!!!

Look at that power stance!!!

He ate half of a big salad yesterday, including butternut squash for the first time! He got roaches as a reward when I got home. He'd been fully pancaked under his slate, till I tipped the bowl to show him. Quite literally about 1 second later, he was next to the bowl and nabbing bugs! He moved so fast!!! I need to try and get a video!

[picturesoffishandotherthings]

We got a little stowaway on our last delivery from Italy. Fell right from the forklift, it's a miracle it didn't get squashed.

He/she went home with me, they aren't native here and would die as soon as it gets too cold.

It's been a while since I had geckoes, but thankfully I kept most of the equipment.

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Sorry if this is a weird question, but... if you could just take all the snakes that currently belong to someone like the Jay's Prehistoric Pets guy who goads them into striking a lot (which I assume means he's scaring them?), would you expect to see lingering fears or behavioral issues? I'm thinking of how you have to be mindful with, e.g., dogs that come from abusive situations and wondering if snakes can have issues like that.

Great question. Yes, if a snake is routinely scared, malnourished, or even abused, that can cause lingering issues.

A great example of this is my rescue snake Fucking Fred. He's a sweet little ball python who is also one of the snappiest snakes I've ever met. Before I got him, Fred was in a home with a child too young to be handling snakes, and he learned that biting was a quick way to get out of uncomfortable and scary handling. He's gotten better over the years but he's still very prone to biting.

Snakes who were malnourished at one point are often absolute garbage disposals, and might be tricky to handle because they'll try to eat anything. Snakes who were handled roughly or even hit are often a bit snappy and fearful of people - sometimes this gets better with time, sometimes it doesn't. My old blood python Frankie was hit in his first home and was very defensive when I got him, but with time he became one of the gentlest, sweetest snakes in the world; I've also met snakes from abusive past homes who were so bitey they could only be handled with hooks. Plenty of snakes will have triggers related to rough things that happened to them - I used to have a cornsnake who was badly bitten by a rat in her previous home and until the day she died she was terrified of rats, would only eat mice.

This question brings up a great point - when adopting a rescue snake, it's always smart to learn about what their life has been like, and accommodate for any issues they may still have. Rescues will usually be good about letting you know if a snake you're looking at has any behavioral quirks.

[typhlonectes]

Every fall, as temperatures begin to drop in the Northeast and the Atlantic Ocean gets chillier, sea turtles instinctively head south toward warmer waters. But each year, a few of the cold-blooded reptiles get stuck in Cape Cod Bay, stymied by the long, curving arm of the Cape Cod peninsula. As their body temperatures drop, the reptiles become weak and inactive, a condition known as “cold-stunning.” Without intervention, many of them eventually die...

[cosmicoriole]

Yesterday my neighbor found this poor guy outside near the trash cans in a filthy tank and no food or water. It was like 40⁰ F all day. Today during work, im just trying to get him warmed up under a lamp. Hes a lil stinky and he seems VERY thirsty, so I was periodically giving him water drops with a syringe. I'm trying to cobble together a setup and a vet appointment for him. I got lots of great care advice from owners across the internet, but he still needs supplies.

Please consider purchasing some of my art to help get him seen by a vet and into a large enough tank. I'm even open to taking requests for prints/stickers you'd like to see in the shop. Thank you. I'll keep posting updates on him. I'm also taking name suggestions