Snakes! Snakes! More Snakes!

     Again, if you know me, you know I like snakes. I don't like them all, of course. I only like the ones I can handle that won't squeeze or bite me. I'm a big ball python fan, and I happened to be in the right place but at the wrong time today.  Laura and I went to Exotic Pets in OKC to get crickets for the lizards, and there they were, about 20 full-grown, previously used as breeders ball pythons. They were all various sizes, but mostly fully grown to about six feet or so, and they were priced out of this world cheap! $25 per snake. Yes, that's it, only $25 per snake.

    One or two of them were slightly brown or a light golden color. The bulk of them were exactly like every other ball I've ever had, and there were darker ones as well. I preferred the golden, Laura liked it, and the darker. I really love the balls with "alien head" patterns; those are my favorite. Well, I say we were in the right place, but we had just purchased two agama lizards, which will be delivered to us tomorrow, so our last tank is being occupied. We could have bought a snake, but then we'd have had to purchase another tank. I think we have enough lamps, bulbs, hides, and foliage to create another enclosure (or fifteen), but we didn't have the tank! Oh...well, maybe next time.

    I've given up my snakes in the past because I simply can't feed live animals to them. I don't mind if they are trained to have frozen or thawed food, but I can't bear to buy them mice and/or rats knowing they're going to be eaten. I just can't do it. I mean, if Laura thought she could, I think we've been through it before. We end up with 11 mice, 4 rats, and really hungry snakes. If they'd just eat the veggies...if they would just eat kale! 

    Well, anyway, we chose not to get one and bid them all farewell. Rose was interested in them; she went with us to the pet store. She thought they were interesting, but I think she prefers them to be in their tanks, too. I'll grab a snake  out of the cage and wrap it around my arm and work, but these snakes would have taken a while to get to know. They were already fully grown. You can't expect them to just love you the moment you bring them into the house. Speaking of being in my house, my bestie doesn't like them, and would prefer that they live in other people's houses as well - so there's that.

    If I could get someone to come in once a week and feed them without me seeing, hearing, or knowing about the live rat or mice -- I'd be OK, but I just can't. I know my limits. I can't even use glue boards to catch them; I have to use live traps, and then I threaten to keep them when I catch them. That's when they start to complain and protest, so I end up putting them back outside to survive another day. It is what it is - I'm too soft.

Photo Credit: Zen Habitats.