Bringing home the newest member of the family...

[wodesorel]

He is a snot! No one told me that king snakes were hella smart with an insane memory when I got him. When the store ran out of his normal sized food and I had to buy two smaller ones, for the next four months every time I opened the lid after his meal he was expecting that second one. Nearly got my face that first time! And he did the same when I forgot to latch his lid one night and he got out, he tried the same spot over and over for months thinking it would happen again.

Oh, and he's probably the only king in existence that has a sensitive stomach. He started bringing up meals (NOT a pretty smell, I had to scream at the top of my lungs the whole time I was cleaning it up to keep from getting sick myself) so that meant it was vet time. And since he's a reptile, that meant a specialist. ($$$) I got lucky that one that works for a lot of the zoos and has been practicing longer than I've been alive is somewhat nearby, but it was still a three hour round trip. And they did bloodwork on him. And the answer? Sensitive stomach. The prescription is smaller meals (which means he's always hungry) and I can't quick defrost, I now have to thaw in the fridge, like, right next to the milk. Urp.

Like I said, snot.

(Oh, and for three months out of the year he attempts to mate with himself and is in such a frenzy over it that I can't safely get near him. That is always a great time. I've seen more of him then I have ever wanted to.)

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[Hermias_mom]

He is a snot! No one told me that king snakes were hella smart with an insane memory when I got him. When the store ran out of his normal sized food and I had to buy two smaller ones, for the next four months every time I opened the lid after his meal he was expecting that second one. Nearly got my face that first time! And he did the same when I forgot to latch his lid one night and he got out, he tried the same spot over and over for months thinking it would happen again.

Oh, and he's probably the only king in existence that has a sensitive stomach. He started bringing up meals (NOT a pretty smell, I had to scream at the top of my lungs the whole time I was cleaning it up to keep from getting sick myself) so that meant it was vet time. And since he's a reptile, that meant a specialist. ($$$) I got lucky that one that works for a lot of the zoos and has been practicing longer than I've been alive is somewhat nearby, but it was still a three hour round trip. And they did bloodwork on him. And the answer? Sensitive stomach. The prescription is smaller meals (which means he's always hungry) and I can't quick defrost, I now have to thaw in the fridge, like, right next to the milk. Urp.

Like I said, snot.

(Oh, and for three months out of the year he attempts to mate with himself and is in such a frenzy over it that I can't safely get near him. That is always a great time. I've seen more of him then I have ever wanted to.)

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I feel for you Wode! What a character!

[GotButterflies]

That is hilarious!!! That is the kind of King Snake I was referring too. He is beautiful! We also have the kind that looks like a coral snakes. I think they even kill them. Red touch black friendly jack.

I feed my ball python frozen rats. I thaw them on the pool deck. We have brick pavers, so I just put it there and let it thaw for a day. It's always amazed me how a hawk has never picked it up.

[robinwhiskers]

Very cool!!!

[C_fiesta]

He is a snot! No one told me that king snakes were hella smart with an insane memory when I got him. When the store ran out of his normal sized food and I had to buy two smaller ones, for the next four months every time I opened the lid after his meal he was expecting that second one. Nearly got my face that first time! And he did the same when I forgot to latch his lid one night and he got out, he tried the same spot over and over for months thinking it would happen again.

Oh, and he's probably the only king in existence that has a sensitive stomach. He started bringing up meals (NOT a pretty smell, I had to scream at the top of my lungs the whole time I was cleaning it up to keep from getting sick myself) so that meant it was vet time. And since he's a reptile, that meant a specialist. ($$$) I got lucky that one that works for a lot of the zoos and has been practicing longer than I've been alive is somewhat nearby, but it was still a three hour round trip. And they did bloodwork on him. And the answer? Sensitive stomach. The prescription is smaller meals (which means he's always hungry) and I can't quick defrost, I now have to thaw in the fridge, like, right next to the milk. Urp.

Like I said, snot.

(Oh, and for three months out of the year he attempts to mate with himself and is in such a frenzy over it that I can't safely get near him. That is always a great time. I've seen more of him then I have ever wanted to.)

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Bleh. Not a snake-as-pets fan, but I can't stop you nor shall I try. You are an very intelligent and kind person and can make your own decisions.

Anyway! I just thought maybe you could get a mini fridge to keep all your animal food in so the human fridge (with the milk) isn't funky? They are usually pretty cheap around this time as recent college grads are dumping theirs and stores will have them on sale for new freshmen soon.

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[wodesorel]

Thank you.

I have thought about doing a small fridge for them so long as it had a nice sized freezer. Right now we are so tight on space that I can't see adding to the problem until we move. It's on my wishlist for sure!

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[EPAS]

I live in Tucson, Arizona and I would suggest you looking up Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum for more information.
Glad that beautiful snake is living at your house.

[LadyJinglyJones]

Ah-Hahaha hahaha! Just read this story now.
That is great. Like, in an unmitigated way. I may have choked slightly while laughing at that.

[wodesorel]

Losing Sage right now, we have an appointment to euth but I m not sure he's going to make it that long. His Paget's went downhill quickly the last few months and I thought we had more time but I found him comatose a little while ago. I think the nerve damage got to the point where it cut off basic functions. He saw two specialists this year but they had no idea how to treat him. I wish we could have done more.

[RiNiKy506]

I’m so sorry, wodesorel. Sending you love and prayers. <3

[Hermias_mom]

So sorry, Wodesorel. It's so hard to lose them. Sending you virtual hugs.

[wodesorel]

Thanks.

I suddenly realized I had never updated. It turned out after we got him that he had a degenerative bone and nerve condition that is closely related to if not actually Pagets. His spine was softening in some places and fusing together in others. It's been a battle to get him to eat and he lost the ability to climb. Up until now he's been active and curious, so we kept with pain meds and adjusting his enclosure and gave him UVB. The vets thought he was doing well overall despite his condition.

[Hermias_mom]

How heartbreaking. It's hard when there's nothing you can do to fix what's wrong. At least you know you did all you could.