It is with a heavy heart that I post this. Today I'm saying goodbye to one of my dear boas, Lemondrop.
As far as I know, she is, was, one of the oldest living albino boas still around. She was produced by Peter Kahl in 1998. In 2002 I purchased her and a het male (probably her brother, also from PK) from someone local. She was a huge overfed sausage and I bred them that same year, not realizing the strain the prior owner's powerfeeding and the quick breeding puts on a snake. This was her when I brought her home:
In '03 she had a litter slightly premature with 8 babies, 4 still born and a few slugs. Of those babies, half survived and I still have her son, Alpine.
She was able to lose weight slowly over the next few years and all seemed well although she never had that healthy 'loaf of bread' look and was always kind of flatish and fatty.
I did try to pair her up again but nothing came of that, I put a video up:
Well over the last year her health has declined, she fed very sporadically and not in her usual 'Gimmie that rat or I'll bite your face off' manner. She started wasting away. She no longer eats, she has moments when she seems fine, looks around and tongue flicks, especially when soaking but moments later, her spine would stiffen and eyes would not dilate properly... something was very, very wrong.
Is this her failing from the early issues and this is old age? Is there something else going on? Cancer? I do not know. So today I have an appointment for her to be euthanized at the vet and a necropsy performed. I am so very sad to see her go, she's been a good boa for the past 12 years with me but I can no longer see her suffer.
I'm posting to remember her, to honor her and as a way for me to handle this grief. Thank you for reading. Rest in peace Lemomdrop, my big yellow girl.
"My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend stopped running today" - Richard Adams