#WIZARD WITH LOTS OF SNAKES UPDATE#

Lizards aren't particularly my thing, generally, but the crocodile-like appearance of these, coupled with their red eye masks (hence their name) really struck me, and I actually think they look more like miniature wingless dragons, with their prehistoric features and ridges of horns down their backs. These are very much the result of a chance encounter - I'd never even heard of this species before, and just happened to spot a picture of one which gave me a definite case of 'wow' - I'd never seen anything like them! Ok first up, say hello to Tick and Tock, the Red Eyed Crocodile Skinks ( Tribolonotus Gracilis).

#WIZARD WITH LOTS OF SNAKES UPDATE#

My free time is still at an all time low, so to update you on everything over the last half of the year would be as painful for you as it would be me - so I'll do things one bit at a time, and give each of the new residents their own introduction, which will keep things short and sweet. As well as hatchling season coming and going, and looking after 65 little snakes, there has been lots of other work going on, with LOTS of new residents joining me. Well I don't know what to say! The last 6 months of this year have been absolutely crazy here in the Reptile Room (notice it's no longer just called the Snake Room? You'll see why). A few weeks later I was happy to sign her off with the all clear, and stop treating her as if she had a confirmed case of the Bubonic Plague, and I could EVENTUALLY enjoy come cuddles with Cuddles. Knowledge is power and all that jazz, so no panicking here, just some basic extended quarantine practices, and simple treatment - my method of choice on this occasion was Frontline flea treatment coupled with the condemning of her vivarium, as thankfully, her new vivarium arrived a few days into her treatment. Those of you that have read my previous blogs know that I know a thing or two about snake mites, about how they live, and how you can treat them and prevent spread - yet I have never had an outbreak amongst my own animals. The last thing i was to deal with is treating 40+ snakes for mites. Fortunately, and down to basic good practice, Cuddles had been in isolation since her arrival, so the risk of contaminating the rest of my animals was minimal (but real). Somehow, I was not surprised, in fact I'd go as far as to say I was expecting them. It could not come quick enough.ДЄnd it doesn't end there. It was a guilt racked two weeks waiting for the new vivarium to come whilst watching Cuddles (as she had suitably been named) sitting in an enclosure that she was almost twice as long as. The very least I could do was strip it down, give it a bloody good scrub, and fill it with fresh substrate - and immediately raid my piggy bank to order a brand new 4' x 2' vivarium (and matching cabinet). The next problem of course, was that I could not immediately remedy her bleak conditions - I did not have a suitable vivarium to immediately house her in, and unfortunately had to take the stinking 3 foot vivarium too. As a compromise, I offered the seller a lesser amount than agreed for the snake, and even this was a bitter pill to swallow for me. The difference here, is that I had not gone to 'rescue' a neglected animal - I had gone with the intention of buying a snake that I believed was housed correctly - and I didn't want to leave without her, despite my annoyance at both being lied to. I know it's a touchy subject, and not everyone agrees with me, but that's just my view on it. This in turn provides the seller with the opportunity to buy more animals, and repeat the cycle. Ethically and morally, I do not believe in rewarding neglect, in terms of handing over money for animals that have been abused or intentionally neglected by their owners, as I feel this sends the message that it is ok to purchase animals on a whim and fail to look after them properly as the option of selling them at a later date is available. I had immediately become quite attached to this snake - both figuratively and literally, as she had wrapped herself around my shoulders and had made herself comfortable.

This presented me with a bit of a problem. which is all well and good, but that didn't explain the overwhelming smell of stale urine or the presence of fresh excretes. I was assured that this absolutely was not what she was being housed in and was just a spare that I could take if I wanted. On arrival at the sellers house, I was quickly spun a line about how the vivarium that she was supposed to come with, had been damaged (yet was no where to be seen), 'but it's ok, you can have this vivarium instead', and was pointed to a 3' x 1' vivarium, which despite being completely inappropriate for housing a 5'+ chunky bodied snake, had certainly seen better days.

Wizard with lots of snakes