snakeysue

Well just over a year after my Mum went to heaven my Dad decided he didn't want to be left behind so yesterday he went to meet her. It was a blessing for him and for us as he was so unhappy.

Well that't the family stuff.

Back to snakes:
Poor Kevin the Rainbow Boa, seems to have developed something called Crytosporidia, his body developed a large egg sized and shaped swelling, my vet took an xray and reckoned thats what it is. I looked on the internet and found that some success had been had treating reptiles with some strange sounding chemicals so took the info to my vet who ordered something for me to try, it's actually something that is used on humans (who can catch this too)well what with the family problems I haven't been able to give him the dosage as regularly as I'd hoped and there doesn't seem to have been much change, he won't eat so I have been mixing the medicine with critical care formula to give hime some sustenance. He is probably about 20 yrs old so it may be just one of those things and he may have to meet his demise at the hands of the vet. He can be put out of his suffering - sadly Dad couldn't.
Still also worried about Liz she ate 2 rats in June but has refused food ever since, she is still very strong and doesn't seem unwell but it is a bit too long to go without for my liking.

G and I went on our first proper holiday for 15yrs, to Greece, we generally had a good time except that our case was stolen on the trip back to Athens.

Signing off now.

Many people find my blogsite before my website so here is my website address to contact me - www.snakeysue.com

Well, the beloved Amy and Sam have left me with some beautiful babies: Cats, Nats, Isis, Hera and Moses so unbelievably 5 babies have taken the place of the 5 boas that have gone to snake heaven - Harry, Wills, Sophie, Sam and Amy. How odd, I was only going to keep two babies...........
I had a strange dream of Lizzie the Carpet Python with wings and turning into a large bird with her same colouring.

Sophie came to me in a dream many years before flying around but without wings and as if the air were water, flying...swimming???

I have taken possession of a beautiful snake an Albino Burmese Python, I have named him Ra - Sun God. He has been through a difficult time.
He is 10ft long but was very thin, I have fed him 12 rats in 6 weeks - his time came to slough but it isn't good, bits and pieces of skins all over the place instead of one big healthy shed.
I truly wasn't going to take in another Boa or Python after the IBD problem but he needed me and I have quarantined him upstairs out of the way of the other snakes, so the sanctuary spreads to other parts of the house..........
That's all for now, I only seem to find time to write this in the early hours and it's time for bed at 2.20am - good night.

 I took the wonderful Liz to the Adam and Eve photo shoot, she was great until she started to climb up a tree at the roof garden of the Trafalgar Hotel what a naughty girl we had great fun getting her down. The photos will be on my website soon, of the Adam and Eve not Lizzie climbing up the tree
Since my last write I have had to take Sophia to the vet with a sore bottom, I don't suppose anyone would guess that a snake can get a sore bottom. She had to have antibiotics and is waiting for the last shot, her bottom is much better particurlarly since I daubed a dollop of Manuka honey on it, she just needs to shed her skin and eat a rat and she will be back on the way to good health.
Last week I was considering taking Wills to the vet to end his suffering, when he suddenly became a bit lively and yesterday ate two small rats I'm over the moon, I was sure he was not going to get better.
I must admit when Sophia became ill as well as William I decided to perform 7 days of candle and crystal magic for healing purposes and it looks very much as if it worked as well as dosing them all up with Manuka honey in warm water, I'll try anything to heal my darlings when they're not well.
I came home 4am Saturday morning after a gig in Winchester with Lizzie and found Amy having given birth to all her babies, I scooped them up and placed them in a boxful of moss to help them with the umbilical cords, I haven't counted them yet; today I have set up a vivarium to put them into; I'm writing this while I wait for it to get to the right temperature then I can count them and put them in.
One of my little cornsnakes "Betty" has laid 9 eggs unexpectedly as I thought that "Snowdrop" her little live in friend was female and it turns out he is a male always difficult to tell with Cornsnakes. Male snakes usually have longer tails but Snowdrops tail is a distorted little squiggle thats why I kept him instead of selling him on.
Must go now to sort out the baby Boas.

After the 3 min wonder clip on TV someone emailed me to take in the Brazilian Rainbow Boa. She is now at home with me, not yet in the Sanctuary as I have to make room for her vivarium, I can make room but the problem is that the vivs are building up in front of the windows now and blocking out the light so the electricity bill will rise because of having to have some lighting on all day.
The tortoises and turtle are out of hibernation and demanding their food and the fish in the pond.
I have yet to discover how to place more photos on the blogsite, just haven't had the time, it's enough just to write something!!!!!!!
Still there are lots of pics on my website www.snakeysue.com that's another whole job. Wills doesn't appear to be improving I gave him some Critical Care Formula as I don't think he has been drinking, his water bowl doesn't empty at all.
The building work continues very slowly, but at least I have a separate office space now 
and I'm slowly clearing out the junk too.
Well that's it for now, I'm going to see if I can load up some photos, it's the changing the sizes that takes time.

As usual I have been working 3 days non stop and trying to care for the bods and eat and do the washing, cleaning etc and all. the bods being my snakes of course.
I had to force feed William today as tempting has produced no results after his medication. I hate force feeding so much but it has had results lately with one of the baby Cornsnakes which ate only once since they hatched in August. I force fed him mouse legs 3 times over 6 weeks and now he is eating on his own - twice since!!!!
William is an experiment now :-{ since I lost Domino and Harry without force feeding and trying to tempt, he hated it but his tum was gurgling so much I couldn't stand he will die anyway if I don't try.

Had an awful gig on Sat night. I was really looking forward to it having a really good email rapport with the person who booked me.
But having eaten at lunchtime and arrived at the event at 6.30pm and performed at 11pm (approx, could have been later)no refreshments were offered and no way of getting anything (I had a job finding a glass to drink water from!!!)No-one spoke to me all night about what they wanted or maybe how things may have changed. (I was booked to dance for 25mins; well, you can't change it unless someone informs you or you're out of contract) while I was on stage someone kept popping out and trying to talk to me whilst I was performing!!!!!!!!!!! God, please where do they come from and please don't invite them into my life again..............
Of course I was tired and HUNGRY so the show wasn't good, to myself anyway, having been 39 yrs professional and I had to cope with a total mess going on stage "the DJ treating me as if I was some 16 yr old girlie" Ohhh we'll let you have one more track!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank goodness the money was good, but it still wasn't worth being degraded at my level of experience.
Two children's parties today, they went great and I feel good about the interaction between the children and snakes.
I'm not sure when next I'll write as I and the snakes have two full days on Tues and Thurs at a school, so busy, busy, busy.

Someone opened their van door while I cycled past this Tuesday and knocked me off my bike so what was supposed to be a nice day for a ride turned out to be a day in hospital.
Luck was on my side as I had no broken bones and hadn't been squashed by any oncoming cars.
Anyway this is supposed to be a snake diary so............
I took William to the vet this week, I was given some medicine to encourage his appetite as he is sadly becoming thinner by the minute.
Once he has finished this - 6 days powder mixed in 25ml of water - if he doesn't eat still I will try to force feed him to get his stomach juices going.
The snakes and I were very busy for two days this week doing presentations at a local school 8 classes Monday and 9 Thursday considering I was aching all over from my fall I managed well, the snakes managed famously, I took 8 snakes and used only 4 for each presentation, trying to give 4 a rest, although it doesn't really work as once they are out they want to stay out not go in and out all the day!!!
We also had our channel 4 - 3 minute wonder film this Thursday but I was so out of touch with reality after my fall that I forgot to ring important family members to tell them and even missed the first minute myself because I was giving William his medication:-}
Since one of the Spotted Pythons died the other is much better behaved, talking to the guy that bred them it seems that, from his experience too they are better living alone. The learning process continues.

Last week whilst in a dreadful state of mess in the house because of having a new kitchen put in, wow I can't believe the 40year old kitchen has at last bitten the dust, and suffering a horrid cold which will not go away no matter how much garlic I ingest (working with children doesn't help I catch everything going) my latest rescue Boa died. She came to live with me in June and 8 months later she's gone, no apparant reason, except that this is the 3rd time this has happened when taking in an older boa, they must be too sensitive about the change of environment and the stress of the move hits them hard. She had to move in with 3 others whom I have kept for 8years or more. I would like to have space for a quarantine area but this just is not possible at home.
I have asked the angels to give me a larger place to keep them but nothing has turned up as yet.
A larger place could also be public so that schools etc. could visit us instead of me having to transport the snakes everywhere.

I thought this would be a good way of keeping a diary of the snake sanctuary and be able to go back over past happenings.