|
I hate to drag up an old thread, but this is the first time I've been on here in 2 years, so I thought I should update in case anyone was curious. The G-stripe and my original ball python did well for a few months so I thought they got lucky...but in November of 2008, they both started showing signs that the virus finally kicked in. Knowing what kind of violent illness and painful death they were headed for, I couldn't let them suffer, so they were frozen just as the rest had been. I thought freezing my entire collection was hard, but that paled in comparison to having to pick up my beloved Spoon, that I had since I was 19, and put him in a pillowcase and into the freezer, knowing it was the last time I would ever hold him. That is still something that hurts even now, years later. I had no way of compensating my friend that loaned me the g-stripe, but he understood that there was not much that could be done at that point. I don't even know where he is these days. That was the last of my reptiles, so those that were accusing me of sneaking back into breeding (Tosha) -- you were highly mistaken. I disappeared from the hobby -- stopped visiting any forums or websites, stopped talking to everyone. It was far too painful and depressing and I didn't want to be around it. I'm sorry if that hurt those that stood by me and supported me, and I still thank you for that. My life has been up and down since then, which is a different story, but I've made it through. I never heard anything more from Dr. Jacobson in Florida, other than a fat bill that came in the mail. The last thing I heard was that he wanted to go more into mapping the DNA and testing for drug resistances, but there just weren't enough funds for that kind of research. To this day I still have no idea what exactly that virus was, how it was transmitted, or if there was anything that could have been done outside of what we tried. I would love answers, but there are none to be had, so I moved on.
About 10 months ago a friend moved overseas so I took in his ball python and carpet python. It had been 14 months and I had no caging or supplies or anything left from the experience, so I felt it would be safe. They thrived and did well, but the carpet became too much for me to handle as he was a bit nippy, so I rehomed him to another friend with large python experience and he is still doing well. So now I'm left with my little one-eyed female normal, who lives in a glass cage just like when I first started out with Spoon. She has never had any signs of illness and eats very well, which is a relief. I recently started talking to a breeder in Iowa who sought me out on Facebook to see how I was doing, and am thrilled to hear about the new things that have proven out. Ball pythons are still some of the coolest animals I've ever seen and I'm glad to see the economy hasn't completely ruined the hobby. He offered to help get me going again, which was very generous, but I still harbor too much fear and too much sorrow. I looked through my pictures the other day for the first time since my last post here, and it was extremely hard. It would never be the same. So for those that continued to be against me, you have nothing to worry about. What happened must have been for a reason, and it must not have been meant to be for me. I'll watch from the sidelines. I wish everyone the best, and I hope everyone learned well from what I went through. I hope this was the last time something like this had to happen.
|
Linear Mode
