here is the story you asked for about chance and the reason i am so against live feeding.
this is copied and pasted from another site. the story is to long to write again.
chance was as rescue and her old owner fed her live. my nephew owns a petshop and the previous owner walked in and threw a pillowcase on the counter. she said 'i dont want this snake it is aggressive' then she walked out. my nephew pulled the snake out and she had lumps on her head and a big bump on her back. he called me and i went there. the snakes eyes were solid white. not like a in blue color but solid white. she was way under weight. i started going to the petshop everyday and caring for her. i would soak her everyday. the first time she went into shed she shed from the tail up! i got layers of eyecaps off. i went for a month and cared for her. a month later it was my birthday and my nephew gave her to me.
i immediately took her to my vet for the lumps on her head. it was infection due to old rat bites she had to have them lanced. her back had also been broken and heeled over.
she had to have baytril shots for 2 weeks and antibiotic ointment on her head 3x a day. she was 7 foot and only weighed 14 pounds.
this is the first part of her story. and these are the pic of the first surgery.
well i ended up getting 5 layers of eyecaps off her and i got her shedding right. but a few months later the bumps returned. back to the vet. hence her second surgery. baytril shots this time for 2 more weeks and ointment again. i would set my alarm and check on her every hour. she slept in her tank right next to my head. by this time she was up to 19 pounds. she looked better in that sense.
let me say...i have never loved anything but my kids as much as i do her. i dont have pics of her second surgery.
well many months after that new lumps appeared all from the old owner feeding live. i made another vet appointment. but the night befor her surgery i noticed one eye turned totally blue! infection went behind it. i rushed her to an all night vet. he lanced it to relieve the pressure. next morning off to my vet. this time she had to be put under for the surgery.
i was suppose to be able to go in with her till she was sleeping. the other vet on call wouldnt allow it. when they tried to take her from me she hung on to me for dear life. i burst into tears! eventually i managed to hand her to them and they took her away. i cried for the whole time they had her. i refused to leave and come back.
surgery was finally over and they brought her back out to me. this time they packed the wound with hardening antibiotic gel.
i went home with her and wasn't home a half hour and she started puking blood. i went crazy. called brett in hysterics...he said it was expected from the anestetic. i then called the vet and he said the same thing.
this last surgery was in december and no lumps have re appeared. i think we have finally beat it.
i named her 2nd chance. chance for short. her name is that because i feel this is her second chance in life. and i will do whatever i have to to make sure it is a pain free happy life.
chance is 8 foot now and 35 pounds never has she shown any signs of aggression. she is the most beautiful thing i could have ever asked for.
pictures of 3rd surgery and blood she puked after surgery coming up.
if her story isnt enough to make you switch to F/T then maybe thinking about a 1,000.00 to keep her alive might. people just remember this thread is in the boa section and that is what i am talking about. i dont know if hots are any different but i do know anyone can switch a boa to F/T. i have helped many people on other sites switch. i have helped them on forums and on yahoo. if anyone is having a problem switching thier snake over i can promise you i can help.
3rd surgery pics and what she puked up after the surgery.
when she started puking all this blood it was the most scared i have ever been.
a kiss from the mom after the surgery always helps. actually after her kiss i relaized i could have given her germs excuse the way i look i had been crying for hours.
her one eye will never be normal. it will always have a blue streak. the other eye the scales will never grow back over it.
if i could have one wish it would be to meet her old owner. i would show that woman what real pain is. one x-ray showed her back had been broken from getting hit with a blunt object like a bat. here are a few more pics of her eyes and stuff.
the eye that will always stay bluish. it is the opposite eye of the surgeries
this is the eye that the scales will never grow back on. if you look the top part of her eye is missing. you can see her eye move around in her head
okay finally the last of her story. she is 8 foot and 35 pounds. a touch over weight her vet said. lol. she is an amazing snake. i guess cause of all the pain she has been through she never ever leaves my side if given the chance. if i am on my comp. she has to be on my lap. if i lay in the couch she has to be on the same side as me. sometimes she takes my computer chair and i have to sit on her big soaking tub. in the pic of us laying on the couch i am laying on her. if i move to the opposite end she find her way there too.
she is really one spoiled snake. she gets her way about anything and everything. okay pics of how she looks today and how spoiled she is.
even with all her head trauma she still will let me rub her head for as long as i wanna
since the surgerys she has won 2 herp contests
one of the contests you had to send something about chance. wr***e a good friend of mine wrote this about chance and this is the pic she won the contest on.
Arguably the most spoiled snake in the world, Chance arrived injured and unwanted at a relatives pet shop. Upon meeting her, I knew I had to take her home and attempt to bring a little comfort into her life. Regardless of ill treatment and open wounds, Chance was still trusting and friendly. Her continued friendly attitude, while undergoing surgery and regular medications in the battle to get her well, endears her to everyone she comes into contact with. Chance runs the house now, ensuring the best spots, be it on my computer seat, the lounge or the bed, are hers. She only has to crook her tail and her every want is fulfilled. If snakes could smile, I know she would be smiling now.
here are pics of her a week ago. she is 8 foot and about 50 pounds now.
The Dangers of Live Feeding
