desertanimal
03-08-2006, 11:40 PM
Greetings, all. If this is the wrong place for this thread, please move it, but I figured it would be sure to get read here.
I have been reading around this site for a few weeks and found the lovely put-your-snake-in-the-bathtub-for-a-swim-and-a-poop threads. Seemed like a famous idea, as I really abhor poop. And a good opportunity for a little snake work-out as well.
So I'm watching my new little 05 normal motley swim, swim, swim. Try to get up the side, slide back down. Swim, swim, swim. I love the way they look when they swim. Happy, happy, happy, swim, swim, swim. Then he sees something. Stops. What is he looking at? Ain't nobody here but us chickens. :shrugs:
Before I know it, he's up the side of the tub far enough to get his head into the drainage hole under the faucet that keeps the tub from overflowing! It was fast! I knew where he was going before he got there, but I wasn't fast enough to catch him before he got his head in! Once his head was in, forget about coaxing him out--it's not a very big slit between the tub wall and the metal cover thing.
So I call my beautiful wife in the kitchen asking for a flathead screwdriver to take the metal cover thingy off.
"Do you need it this second?"
"Umm, Well, sooner would be better than later."
"Ok. Here."
"Actually I need a flathead. A big one."
She sees what's going on.
"Oh my God, Stephanie . . ."
She brings me a suitable screwdriver and disappears.
So there I am, crouching over the edge of the tub, one hand holding the snake to keep him from going in any further, the other trying to wrench the screws free without slipping and cutting the poor little snakey in half with the screwdriver. Now, if you are like me, you probably don't periodically take those metal cover plates off from time to time to make sure the screws can be easily loosened in case of such emergencies, and your screws are probably COMPLETELY frozen in by hard mineral deposits.
I got one screw loosened, but not the one by his head. Then I tried to work on the other, but the whole cover-plate thing just spun. OOPS! Bad idea. Put the free screw back in to keep the plate from spinning and catching him between the plate and the edge of the hole. TRYYYYYYYY to free the other screw without slipping with the screwdriver which is only an inch away from what is now the middle of the snake (try as you might, it's darn hard to hold a half-inch thick snake still without squishing the life out of it). TRYYYYYYY some more. No luck.
Again, the beautiful wife saves the day.
"Honey, can you help me?"
"(Sigh) Ok."
"Ok. Just hang onto him and try not to let him go in any farther." She leans over me leaning over the tub to hold the snake while I try with both hands to free the frozen screw. TRYYYYYYY to get it free without slipping and cutting the snake or wife's fingers in half with the screwdriver. No luck. Fortunately, the toolbox is nearby and I am able to use an adjustable pipe-wrench-type thingy to hold the end of the screwdriver and get more leverage on it. Dangerous because of less control over the business end of the screwdriver, but it worked.
Snake is saved. My hands are shaking. Wife is rolling her eyes about the ridiculous things that can happen with snakes.
No more little snake baths until that thing is taped over with electrical tape!!!
Unbelievable. I don't have much advice to give to you people who know lots more about keeping snakes. But I will say this: tape up the overflow drain cover thingy before giving baby snakes a bath!
Whew!
Regards,
Stephanie
I have been reading around this site for a few weeks and found the lovely put-your-snake-in-the-bathtub-for-a-swim-and-a-poop threads. Seemed like a famous idea, as I really abhor poop. And a good opportunity for a little snake work-out as well.
So I'm watching my new little 05 normal motley swim, swim, swim. Try to get up the side, slide back down. Swim, swim, swim. I love the way they look when they swim. Happy, happy, happy, swim, swim, swim. Then he sees something. Stops. What is he looking at? Ain't nobody here but us chickens. :shrugs:
Before I know it, he's up the side of the tub far enough to get his head into the drainage hole under the faucet that keeps the tub from overflowing! It was fast! I knew where he was going before he got there, but I wasn't fast enough to catch him before he got his head in! Once his head was in, forget about coaxing him out--it's not a very big slit between the tub wall and the metal cover thing.
So I call my beautiful wife in the kitchen asking for a flathead screwdriver to take the metal cover thingy off.
"Do you need it this second?"
"Umm, Well, sooner would be better than later."
"Ok. Here."
"Actually I need a flathead. A big one."
She sees what's going on.
"Oh my God, Stephanie . . ."
She brings me a suitable screwdriver and disappears.
So there I am, crouching over the edge of the tub, one hand holding the snake to keep him from going in any further, the other trying to wrench the screws free without slipping and cutting the poor little snakey in half with the screwdriver. Now, if you are like me, you probably don't periodically take those metal cover plates off from time to time to make sure the screws can be easily loosened in case of such emergencies, and your screws are probably COMPLETELY frozen in by hard mineral deposits.
I got one screw loosened, but not the one by his head. Then I tried to work on the other, but the whole cover-plate thing just spun. OOPS! Bad idea. Put the free screw back in to keep the plate from spinning and catching him between the plate and the edge of the hole. TRYYYYYYYY to free the other screw without slipping with the screwdriver which is only an inch away from what is now the middle of the snake (try as you might, it's darn hard to hold a half-inch thick snake still without squishing the life out of it). TRYYYYYYY some more. No luck.
Again, the beautiful wife saves the day.
"Honey, can you help me?"
"(Sigh) Ok."
"Ok. Just hang onto him and try not to let him go in any farther." She leans over me leaning over the tub to hold the snake while I try with both hands to free the frozen screw. TRYYYYYYY to get it free without slipping and cutting the snake or wife's fingers in half with the screwdriver. No luck. Fortunately, the toolbox is nearby and I am able to use an adjustable pipe-wrench-type thingy to hold the end of the screwdriver and get more leverage on it. Dangerous because of less control over the business end of the screwdriver, but it worked.
Snake is saved. My hands are shaking. Wife is rolling her eyes about the ridiculous things that can happen with snakes.
No more little snake baths until that thing is taped over with electrical tape!!!
Unbelievable. I don't have much advice to give to you people who know lots more about keeping snakes. But I will say this: tape up the overflow drain cover thingy before giving baby snakes a bath!
Whew!
Regards,
Stephanie