Helloe Everyone & The STory of TAZ

Concept9 · 04-24-13, 10:16 AM

Good day everyone.

I’m new to the forums and would like to introduce myself.
My name is Stephen and I started working with snakes about 18 years ago. Due to moving about 10 years ago I had to sell my reptiles (Green iguana, Python and boa).

A few weeks ago me and my girlfriend stopped into a pet store while walk by, seeing a reptile section I just had to go have a look.
WELL . . . my eyes bulged like to little hearts and decided then and there I had to have a snake again. After a few days of reading on the internet I decided I wanted a Mexican Black Kingsnake.

After a few days of searching for one I found one at my local SPCA, I decided to get this instead on a new snake to give an orphan a home.
I found out after seeing him that he was rescued from a drug dealer during a drug bust. He was in terrible shape, is former owner never even knew WHAT TO FEED him. He was malnutrition, dehydrated; his face and head were all cut and beat up from striking the glass because he was teased so much that he would strike any time anyone would even go near the enclosure. He was shedding and it was in terrible shape, instead of coming off in one piece it was flaking off almost like burnt skin. He had such a bad attitude (Can’t blame him) that you could barely hold him, he would hiss nonstop and looked like he was about to strike ALL the time.

My girlfriend looked at the snake then looks at me and asked “Are you SURE you want to get this snake?” I got to tell you, for a few seconds I had my doubts as well. But I got him.

I took him home and put him in his new temporary home (I got him a new one now). He checked it out for a bit and went right for the water dish and drank five big mouthfuls of water, I was surprised since the SPCA said the took good care of him not to mention they had him in a 20gal tank that was dirty, cold and his water dish was EMPTY and DIRTY.

I left him alone for a few hours to get settled while we went shopping. When I got home I told my girlfriend that I had to take the chance on getting bit because I was so worried about how terrible he was shedding I want to give him a nice warm bath and give him a gentle wash down with a soft cloth to hydrate his skin and help remove some of the dead shed and any dirty he has on him.

To my surprise I was not bitten but even more surprised he had already calmed down and during this whole undertaking he only gave two LITTLE hisses. I gently bathed him for 5 days and fed him on his second day because I didn’t know when he had last eaten and wanted a starting point.

Now after 3 weeks cleaning, feeding and lots of TLC, I would like you to meet . . .
TAZ Rat Slayer, AKA Pretty Boy, AKA My Little Buddy.
By the way, he doesn’t know the rats are F/T. J

Date stamp is wrong, pics are new.

TAZ and I playing hide the Rat.