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Help needed for 186 sick Pythons found in a home in Southern California!

Brionuhh

Brionuhh

Quick Learner
Yesterday there was a home in Santa Ana, California that was investigated from a horrible odor. When they went inside they found four bedrooms containing crates of live and dead pythons, over 300 of them! Please, if anyone can help with donations or are willing to rehome some of these poor babies, please go to the gofundme site below. It's so hard knowing things like this happen.


http://www.gofundme.com/6k852w
 
I heard about this yesterday. I feel bad for the guy. But people need to ask for help when lives depend on them.
 
That's what I'm thinking too Myca. Apparently, he had always been a hoarder. His mother passed somewhat recently, so I think it is connected to that.
 
I'm glad to see something positive is being posted about this and not just "dead snake" links and that there is a donation site :) I hope the remaining snakes can get help because I worry they won't get the same care as cat and dogs.

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They say a few (11) died overnight- they were too weak to transport. Hopefully the others can be saved. The vet bills so far are $11.000. (Wouldn't you think reptile vets might donate some services??)
 
Myca said:
I think he must have been too far gone mentally to ask for help.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is painfully obvious that his mother's death shattered his already fragile mental state, confirmed by the neighbor's comment about him gaining weight and lack of hygiene. He was a hoarder, plain and simple, trying to hide his grief in collecting even more snakes.
 
I'd imagine some of the vets will write off their services in the end or are discounting their rates, just as hospitals for humans do, but right now, the bigger the bills are, the more people will contribute. I've seen that happen on the cat side with similar situations. If you announce that the vet is donating their time, donations to help the animals dry up, and there are still substantial expenses in caring for that many animals.

Poor babies. I hope they can find good foster homes and lifetime homes for them. Finding people who can foster sick animals is very, very difficult because most people involved in fostering for rescues have animals of their own that they really don't want to/cannot risk. And reptiles have a lot more specific care needs and habitat needs than cats do. I can foster a sick cat in the upstairs bathroom with a cardboard box and some old towels and setting a lot of alarms on my phone to get up at night and give medicine on schedule. I can't say the same about a snake-the earliest I could be set up would be several days to get Amazon to deliver thermostats and UTHs (since I haven't found a source locally for good thermostats). I expect a lot of people who could foster will be in a similar situation. (Goes to add supplies to Amazon shopping cart so I'll have them ready when need arises locally....).
 
SCAH&R has posted on FB that vet charges have been deferred while the city seeks restitution from the responsible person, so donations can go towards care of the animals.
 
And- I've lost both my parents, much earlier than expected, and one in a flash, with no warning. It's DEVASTATING. Your life is NEVER the same. If he was already mentally compromised, I can see that being the last straw. Too bad he didn't have friends or other relatives or coworkers to say hey, things are out of control, you need to call someone for help. The whole thing is just a sad situation.

Oh, so where I was going with that is, the city is going to seek restitution? For what?
 
The Facebook page says the snakes will all be placed in classrooms, with set-ups donated by ZooMed.
 
I assume they're going to seek it from the guy for the vet bills/costs etc. I also assume they won't get it, and that either the city will end up paying the vets, the vets will deduct the care costs as bad debt,or a combination of both-but that, regardless, the rescues aren't going to be held liable for the vet bills for the animals they're trying to save. They still need all the help we can send their way, even though the vet bills are off their backs. It's going to be expensive to get these snakes healthy and to care for them until homes are available, and it may take years to get them all placed. Not to mention that any high profile situation like this makes people aware that there ARE rescues in their area, so it leads to rescues getting more "I can't care for this animal anymore, please take it so I don't have to kill it" calls.
 
I'm sure that he doesn't have the 11,000 but he will "work" to reinstate it to the vets. I'm glad that the city is offering to help though. I didn't expect it since snakes are the normal "cute and furry" pets that people go toward. They are almost at 5,000 of their goal! Although with the city taking over the vet bills, the funding is going towards feeding, housing, and other necessities.
 
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