Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've posted or talked about my little snake, Oro, but I am in dire need of advice and ideas.
I am leaving to move to Maryland with my Grandmother this Friday to help get me out of a somewhat bad situtation. My little corn snake lives with me at present in Pennsylvania. Now, I have just gotten back from taking a nice long christmas vacation from the 17th of December, to just last night. I was visiting friends in Florida and my mother in Colorado.
When I got back to check in on my baby I was in shock. Not only was my room a disaster zone thanks to no one cleaning up after the 8 dogs, but the snake tank was a disaster. There was poop everywhere and poop caked on his tank decorations. He had no water and his heat lamp was sitting broken on the radiator next to his tank. Even worse, he had never tried to bite or hiss or rattle his tail at me before but when I put my hand in the tank he was really scared and freaked out. It took me a couple of minutes of keeping my hand absolutely still before he felt comfortable enough to crawl into my hand and let me pick him up. As soon as he was in my arms I immediately began trying not to cry at how poor conditions he was living in. I put him in his feeding container (teasing I know) temporarily so I could clean his tank out, clean the decorations and give him water. BOY was he a thirsty little guy, he drank nearly half of the dish!
Now here's my main problem. Living with my grandmother means no pets allowed and she's also very scared of snakes and anti animal/pet owning. (She just doesn't like being restricted to taking care of something, which I respect of her.) The people I'm staying with are the people who helped me get money for him for Christmas a couple years ago, and I know they've been feeding him, but he's not their top priority. So even though they've stated that I can leave him with them at least until May while I look for a place of my own, I think you'd understand while I'm none too happy or comfortable with the idea. Making matters worse right now my relationship with some of the people in the house went from being their adopted child into the family, to non existent. >:
My mother has a friend who used to breed snakes and has a pet boa of her own. She'd be more then willing to help my mother take care of Oro until I was on my feet. My friends in Florida say they could store him away for me safely if I could find a way to get him there. So I somewhat have options? But still, none I know how to achieve. I've never really considered the idea of snakes on a plane, more then a movie.
My mother's friend suggested in the worst case scenario, to put him into hibernation by doubling his feeding once, then placing him in a pillowcase and into a backpack with some spare clothes for warmth, then hiding him like that for about 4 weeks, in the hopes I could find an apartment and job as quickly as possible. While it is a great last stitch idea, I'd be worried my grandmother would try to put said clothes in backpack, in the washing machine on accident.
I love Oro like my child, and I lost one corn already, I don't think I could really bare losing another one. So please, if anyone has ideas or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate the advice. Heck, even well wishes and luck work too. Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to make sure I was properly explaining everything.
I am leaving to move to Maryland with my Grandmother this Friday to help get me out of a somewhat bad situtation. My little corn snake lives with me at present in Pennsylvania. Now, I have just gotten back from taking a nice long christmas vacation from the 17th of December, to just last night. I was visiting friends in Florida and my mother in Colorado.
When I got back to check in on my baby I was in shock. Not only was my room a disaster zone thanks to no one cleaning up after the 8 dogs, but the snake tank was a disaster. There was poop everywhere and poop caked on his tank decorations. He had no water and his heat lamp was sitting broken on the radiator next to his tank. Even worse, he had never tried to bite or hiss or rattle his tail at me before but when I put my hand in the tank he was really scared and freaked out. It took me a couple of minutes of keeping my hand absolutely still before he felt comfortable enough to crawl into my hand and let me pick him up. As soon as he was in my arms I immediately began trying not to cry at how poor conditions he was living in. I put him in his feeding container (teasing I know) temporarily so I could clean his tank out, clean the decorations and give him water. BOY was he a thirsty little guy, he drank nearly half of the dish!
Now here's my main problem. Living with my grandmother means no pets allowed and she's also very scared of snakes and anti animal/pet owning. (She just doesn't like being restricted to taking care of something, which I respect of her.) The people I'm staying with are the people who helped me get money for him for Christmas a couple years ago, and I know they've been feeding him, but he's not their top priority. So even though they've stated that I can leave him with them at least until May while I look for a place of my own, I think you'd understand while I'm none too happy or comfortable with the idea. Making matters worse right now my relationship with some of the people in the house went from being their adopted child into the family, to non existent. >:
My mother has a friend who used to breed snakes and has a pet boa of her own. She'd be more then willing to help my mother take care of Oro until I was on my feet. My friends in Florida say they could store him away for me safely if I could find a way to get him there. So I somewhat have options? But still, none I know how to achieve. I've never really considered the idea of snakes on a plane, more then a movie.
My mother's friend suggested in the worst case scenario, to put him into hibernation by doubling his feeding once, then placing him in a pillowcase and into a backpack with some spare clothes for warmth, then hiding him like that for about 4 weeks, in the hopes I could find an apartment and job as quickly as possible. While it is a great last stitch idea, I'd be worried my grandmother would try to put said clothes in backpack, in the washing machine on accident.
I love Oro like my child, and I lost one corn already, I don't think I could really bare losing another one. So please, if anyone has ideas or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate the advice. Heck, even well wishes and luck work too. Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to make sure I was properly explaining everything.
