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 The following may NOT be appropriate for certain non-minors over the age of 21. It contains relatively graphic descriptions of events as well as somewhat unretouched pics which may cause slight gastric and/or anginal discomfort to those individuals who are just a tad sensitive to things which happen day and night in the wild and don't want to imagine what might happen to their poodle or German Shepherd if Bernie lives a few years more. |
I got Bernie, a Ball Python, on 24 January 2001 -- quite by coincidence, as I was NOT looking for a scaley slithery pal -- the same night I adopted the female tarantula, Hillary. Things seem to happen that way a lot of times, making life just a tad more varied and colorful than if what happens was sort of expected.
Hillary has always had a hearty appetite, and gobbles grasshoppers by the dozen in a couple days -- then looks at me with those all-knowing political eyes she has, as she waves her hairy legs at me, asking for more!
Bernie on the other hand has been more friendly with the at least half a dozen mice I put in his tank up until now, and they usually died of boredom in 3 days rather than by his snakely charms! I was getting frustrated already!
That is -- UNTIL JUNE, and NOT eating a freekin think for over 4 months! Maybe it's the hotter weather or something. The guy at the pet shop said the record for not-eating, in an otherwise healthy specimen, is over 100 months! It sure sounds like as good a weight-loss plan as any out there!
In the last 2 weeks I have given him 5 miceys and when I later looked they were gone. I checked under the stuff on the bottom of the tank and behind the water dish, but they were nowhere to be seen. I was naturally somewhat inquisitive to see just how he did the deed.
Two days ago I was shocked to see him grab the poor defenseless mouse by the head, and at the same time, in a split second, he got the thing in a coil hold and completely disabled it. Not even a squeek from the rodent! Unfortunately I didn't get out of shock fast enough to take any pics.
Hey I had loads of snakes, the local woods variety when I was a kid -- NOT exactly quite as long or cute and lovable as Bernie -- although a black snake I caught about 15 years ago was over 5' long, and was the largest ever caught in PA! It just wasn't the same thing, nor quite as exotic.
OK, so today I got Bernie another mousie. This time I waited to watch what he would do with the baby. The last time he already had it half swallowed before I checked.
The pics were from OUTSIDE the tank looking through the glass, and I tried to get the angle right so the flash wouldn't show up in the pic.
The mouse must have been in the tank for less than 3 minutes when Bernie grabbed the thing by its head with his VERY elastic mouth. In a split second he had his coil around mousey and it appeared rather listless -- needless to say! Notice the somewhat awkward position of the snake at this point. I couldn't eat like that!
OK, so I opened the top to try to get a better shot and I scared Bernie and he dropped his meal. I guess Ball Pythons don't like voyeurs when they are eating.
I went to my desk and allowed him to settle down, and when I returned, he was positioning himself to grab the now motionless mouse by the head again. He must have known that he didn't need to strangle it in his coils, so he just grabbed it, gently.
As I went for my camera and returned, the dumb snake was now positioned in the middle of the tank and mousie was FAST disappearing -- so I had to take as good a pic as I could, under the circumstances.....
So, for all those who enjoy a good piece of tail, there you have it! In another couple seconds even the tail was history! Notice the smile of satisfaction on Bernie's scaley face!
At this point Bernie is arched in the center of the tank and you can see how extensible his upper body is as he deep-throats his meal. Ahhhhhhhhhh!
I later decided that his old accomodations were just a tad small, so I cleaned an old LARGER tank for him. Hey, and for only the second time since January, I actually held the baby in my grubby little hands and lovingly placed him in his new lodgings!
He has been moving more than he has up until now, and seems ultra-happy in his new digs. PLUS, he now has a much larger bowl of water to splash around in if he wants to -- although all he did was sort of slither through it a couple times
I still DO NOT want to keep either of these critters for a whole lot longer, so if you know anyone who might like some loving and exciting companionship in their solitude, they are welcome to them for a slight monetary donation to my personal food fund. NO tanks OR batteries included!
Hillery is about 6 years old, and is a female, as they are supposed to live longer than the males -- and someone I know has one that is 14 years old!
Another friend had an ENORMOUS Ball Python that he said ate entire full-sized CHICKENS, but he recently gave it to a zoo and it took SIX men just to carry its rather large tank! I really don't want to wait for Bernie to get quite THAT large!
Anyone interested in adopting these lovable critters may email me at CRITTERS.
YES, I still have Bernie and Hillary. Bernie now gobbles up 3 mousies at a time, and Hillary loves those big fat crickets! They ARE a real delight, but I still would like to find them new homes BEFORE the end of the year (2001).
OK, these seem to be trying times. BUT, Love, brotherhood and tolerance toward those with somewhat opposing views is certainly observed all over the place -- even in the snake and mouse world!
These pics demonstrate that, even in the lower animal world, sleeping with the enemy can have its positive side.
After feeding Bernie 3 mousies, he seems to have had his fill with just two. Perhaps he is going into his no-feed stage again and won't eat until next spring/summer? Anyway, Bernie now seems to have a neato fuzzy warm pal, who creatively made a comfy nest with a shed skin and seems quite happy -- at least until his slithery friend gets hungry again!
15 August 2002 - Hillary is molting again! She did it twice after I first got her -- probably because the former owner did not feed the poor baby enough and I did.
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The new Hillary is on the left (as seen through the glass of the aquarium) she spun a surface web in the corner where she molted -- she rarely spins webs, and they are not usually as extensive as this one -- I wonder if it to protect her new delicate body from some sharper stones during the molting process? her old shell is on the right, and a piece of her old head covering is still attached to her rejuvenated body near the top is her water source, a faux rock-like plastic thing with a sponge from which she drinks |
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In this pic, a view from the open top of her apartment you can see the old shell on the left and the new, larger and lighter Hillary on the right -- still with that piece of old head-top attached Her new self is somewhat lighter in color, but a day later it is more or less as dark as she was before I shall give her a few days to harden her new exoskeleton, and then bring her a new ration of crickets Yes, Bernie the ball python is still thriving -- and still gobbles up 2 mice within a couple minutes -- I think he would devour 3 or 4 if I gave them to him! I may try 3 the next time I still want to find a new home for them! |
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16 February 2003Bernie was basically a loner, just like
I am -- and maybe he, as in my case, might have liked some lovable
companion in his abode to share experiences and life with. He
always watched me as I made photocopies near his home, slowly
slithered through his large ceramic dish of water, and basked
in the Sun streaming in -- Bernie loved the warmth of the base of the
halogen lamp on my desktop -- This morning I found him croaked, and thought he just might be faking it -- he was not -- Bernie was stone cold dead! Although the winter has been a lot colder than the last two, I do not think it was the temperature that did him in -- and I did not see any obvious anomalies anywhere on his limp body to indicate he injured himself, which would have been extremely difficult anyway. So I was finally able to do two things I had wanted to do for a long while -- see how long Bernie is and weigh him. Actually, he was somewhat longer than I thought he might be. I have not told Hillary that her neighbor of the same adoption date is no longer with us -- as if she would care -- all she has been doing for months is spinning webs all over the bottom of her aquarium, and I sort of think it is to catch the crickets easier. I shall really miss you, Bernie, you lovable, easy to get along with, friendly and non-complaining or judgmental snake in the grass! -- one of the only other life forms that shared the room I spend most of the waking and snoozing-at-the-computer hours of my days in. [sniff] Above is the rest of Bernie's story. |
  
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