Me and Jake, a Rescue Story

[FoxyJama]

The story of Jake and I goes back several years, to around 1995.-96. I was running a reptile rescue and rehabilitation organization out of my home (first a dorm room, then once I got kicked out, an apartment) At one point, I had 14 snakes, 7 lizards, and 4 frogs (and a vet bill that rivalled my semester tuition). I have always been concerned about animals sold as pets to unsuspecting and uninformed buyers who are more concerned with the "cool" factor of owning a reptile than the effort and care it takes to raise such an animal properly. I have some horror stories to tell about the neglect and abuse snakes have suffered before their owners, neighbors, or girlfriends brought them to me. I've been in tears at the vet when told that a 3month old burmese python that hadn't been fed since hatching "to keep it small" had to be put down because of the neurological damage caused by malnutrition. One of my saddest rescue cases was Leia, who was a 6' burmese python being kept in a 10 gallon aquarium (she touched all 4 sides of the enclosure), who had rubbed half of her face to the bone in repeated attempts to escape.

It was during these years that I met Jake for the first time. I was one of the few "reptile-sitters" in town, and I often cared for animals while their owners were out of town for extended periods of time. I kept and cared for Jake for almost 2 years while his owner was "getting back on his feet". When he was employed and moving to Houston, he came to pick up Jake and I was sad, but fairly confident that he was going back to a good home that cared for him.

2 months ago, however, I got a call. The owner was looking for someone to take Jake, because he can't care for him anymore. I didn't hesitate, and I said "I'll take him!" I knew this would cause problems for my hubby, who had already made his wishes regarding snakes abundantly clear. But when I heard the shape Jake was in, I couldn't help it. After very much coaxing, bribing, and pouting, Mike agreed that we could keep Jake "until he was better and could find a home".

Jake arrived today, delivered to my office by the former owners. In a soiled and smelly pillowcase, I couldn't help but gasp as I pulled him free. All these years later, he should be 4-5 feet long and close to 10-15 pounds. He's smaller than he was 8 years ago, he's maybe 3 feet long and weighs maybe a pound or two. He's too weak to shed all of his skin, so he has half-shed skin hanging off of him. The enclosure is well cleaned, has all the necessary lights and heaters, and adequate space and water. He is so malnourished that I worry about his ability to eat on his own or shed. His spine is clearly visible and the vertical wrinkles on his skin are the snake equivalent to a human's ribs and sternum showing. He's the same snake, but he looks frail and old, when he should be in his prime. I'm heartbroken.

Jake and I have a long road ahead of us. I'm not sure how to feel about his owner because at least he did finally admit that he wasn't able to care for him and brought him back to me. He tells me that Jake hasn't been handled in a few years, and that the cats they had tried to get in his cage and eat him. The once docile and plump snake I remember now looks pale and skittish. He hasn't struck at me, but I suspect it's only because he's too weak to.

I was going to come home and take some digital pics of him to show with you guys, but he's in such bad shape I don't want to share. I will, however, keep you posted on his condition and temperment, and post pictures as soon as he gains some weight and gets rid of this unhealthy skin. He was once one of the prettiest snakes I had ever cared for, and with some TLC I believe he will be again.

I post this information with an important message to everyone: if you have a pet you can no longer care for, please be honest and admit it, and get the animal to someone who can give it a good and loving home. All creatures under the sun deserve a home with basic necessities and loving care, even if they aren't classic fluffy pets.

[Lauri]

The message you bear is very important, Foxy. I wish you and Jake well on his rehabilitation.

[Maephina]

I am at a loss as to what to say other than this is a very well written and deeply touching story and I second what Lauri said. I wish you the best of luck in rehabilitating Jake.

[Tarryk]

Thirding the motion: this message is definitely important (and why I own no pets).

Best of luck in giving Jake the care he deserves. Please keep us updated!

[Darth Bootay]

My heart is breaking. This reminds me in the most painful ways of the ball python owned by my ex-friend, ex-room mate, ex-impersonator. His name was Hector and he came to her as a beautiful adult, fat and healthy and as affectionate as snakes get (He liked nothing more than to sit on a person's shoulders and watch what they were doing.)

She was a basicly lazy, extremely unobservant and very careless person with animals and got Hector because she figured since you don't have to feed a reptile every day she could just leave him in his tank and chuck a few mice at him once a month. Predictably, when she was living with her boyfriend, the onus of feeding, cleaning and caring for Hector fell on him. And Hector did okay in those days.

But like anything else in this girl's life, the relationship fell apart due to neglect and abuse, and she moved out of her boyfriend's house and into the basements and couches of a string of other friends for about a year. Then she came to live with Cam and I. Hector wasn't looking too hot anymore. His cage was filthy. So was he.

She was asked to either start taking care of her snake or to give it up for adoption. She refused to do either, citing that there was nothing wrong with "her baby" that a little vita-mist wouldn't cure. Mind you, the full bottle of vita-mist sat behind a growing pile of empty soda cans and used tissues for a month before I caught on that she wasn't using it.

I caught on because the smell from the room she was inhabiting was creeping down into the general living area and I took matters into my own hands by going up there armed with Lysol, several trashbags and my cleaning arsenal. Privacy is sacred, but stops being so if it brings a really bad smell and an aggrivation of my allergies.

I only got a little ways into cleaning the disgusting mess she had turned the room she was renting from us into when I saw how sick Hector was. He was, like Jake, so skinny you would swear he shrunk. His skin was a godawful mess and he looked like he hadn't shed his eyecaps for a few moultings. I've seen flat freeway snakes that looked less miserable than Hector did.

When she got home, I threatened her with vet and adoption or humane society. She got pretty pissed off in a very loud way but after about twenty minutes, she understood that even if she moved out, I'd sic the humane society on her ass about the snake. So she made a vet appointment and tried to appease me by taking Hector out of his tank and giving him a bath. Which was when huge sheets of his skin just fell right off in the tub, revealing these horrible sores.

Nothing deserves to suffer like that. The poor thing looked like a leper. She freaked out and started wailing about how "her baby" was going to die when she caught my look. I told her she was going to pay the extra fees for an emergency visit to the vet and this time there was no arguing. She was bright enough to know she was looking at my eviction and an attempt to see criminal neglect charges pressed look. Anyone who knows me even slightly knows how I view people who hurt animals.

The vet looked pretty unhappy when he saw Hector. I didn't think he had a very good chance, but the vet was sure he didn't have any. The sores were infected and septic. The only real mercy would be to put Hector down. But this ex-friend, ex-room mate put on the tragedy show for the vet, wailing and crying and acting as if the world was going to end and begging him to let the snake live out its last few days with her so she could "say goodbye".

The vet wasn't having any of it. He gave her a very stern lecture about reptiles and gave the poor thing mercy without her say-so, then told her she should be glad he wasn't going to call the authorities about it. She buried him in our backyard in my best, largest tupperware container and made a big show of mourning until the vet bill arrived the next week. At which point, she blamed me, pitched an almighty hissy and tried to get Cam and I to pay the vet bill since we were "the ones so worked up about the damned snake that we had to force her to take him to a vet instead of letting nature take its course".

Needless to say, we kicked her out. Needless to say she and I are no longer friendly.

I'm sorry for the long and brutal story, but Jake's story brought me to tears for memory of hector, who deserved far better than he ever got.

And maybe it's a lesson as well, that people think too little about the needs of their pets and the huge amount of responsibility a person assumes when they buy or accept a pet of any kind. They're like little kids that have no way of telling you what they need, when they're hurting and when they're unhappy. Even babies can shriek and cry when they're unhappy or in pain. Reptiles can't. A person can argue that animals don't have emotions or thoughts, but they still feel pain. And slow starvation is a painful, horrible way to die.

I still regret bitterly not being a nosey bitch in this scenario. I don't know if it would have saved Hector or not, but the possibility haunts me even now, years after he died. It makes me feel partially responsible that this happened under my roof and I didn't see it until it was far too late. It's one of the very few true and heavy regrets I have in my life.

I'm going to go cry now.

[Vallikat]

These are both such horribly sad stories.

Boo, I'm so sorry about Hector.

Foxy, I hope it all works out for Jake. I will definately want to hear what happens with him.

*tight hugs for both my friends*

[Xtrophic]

Aww

I do wish Jake the best of luck in his recovery, and I am confident you will do your best Foxy.

And Boo, I feel sorry for the treatment given to Hector.

*hugs to both of you*

[FoxyJama]

I bought a scanner yesterday and I pulled out a picture of Jake that I had in one of my albums. This was Jake in 1997. Jake just ate today, so I'm not handling him for a few days, but I'll post a picture of him now as soon as I can. In the interest of informing the public at large, I'm going to do a before/after/after of the effects of Jake's neglect and recovery.

[Rowenael]

that is a beautiful looking snake.

I hope you can restore him to his former glory and i'm sure you'll do it with care and love

[Innari]

Can we get an update on Jake, Foxy? The story is incredibly touching and your devotion to reptiles is wonderful.