Both kids have been asking for ages whether they could have a reptile, and for ages I have said no. The main reason is that previously the request was for something like a Bearded Dragon, which just felt like it was going to be another bind on our time given they need daily care and we already have Bertie and the Guinea Pigs to look after. This had morphed into '"Maybe a corn snake", which I was also reluctant to agree to, mainly because I couldn't really see the point of something that sleeps for the vast majority of it's time. They kept asking and so I struck a deal - keep your bedrooms tidy until Christmas and we will see. Immediately both of them disappeared upstairs and soon I could hear sounds of a proper clear out and (miracle) the sound of the hoover! They clearly meant business and so when 3 days later they were still keeping everything tidy I decided that rather than make a mistake I would try and speak to someone who is more knowledgeable than I and could point us in the right direction. I found a reptile rescue bloke on the Internet and gave him a ring and agreed we would go and meet him on the Friday given the kids had the day of school (Founders Day, also know as 'Teachers Christmas Shopping Day').... I should have known it would only end one way.
We drove over to Bracknell, fighting normal Friday traffic with the kids super excited, Abi especially so. We finally found his house on an estate - it was pretty obviously him as he had a concrete alligator sticking out of his porch roof - bit of a give away! We knocked and a big bearded bloke in a heavy metal t-shirt and shorts answered - kids getting to see a side of life they don't normally experience if nothing else. We went though to the conservatory / lean to at the back of the house, past the enormous tortoise in the kitchen ("Tank") and the tank of turtles which took up most of the room. Outside the space was filled from floor to ceiling with reptile tanks housing everything from small Bearded Dragons to 10ft Pythons and a bunch of scaly things in between. We got chatting and it was inevitable that if he was prepared to give us one of the snakes he had for re-homing, we would be taking one. We looked at the 3 he currently had and Abi immediately fell in love with a beautiful silver male corn snake. Essentially he has varying numbers of these at any time dependent on what has been dumped in his porch - he has a reputation for taking them in and so they come! We then went to his garage where he provided a second hand Vivarium and some bits and pieces to set it up - all a but grubby but in working order and better than the plastic box it was currently living in. Somewhat unceremoniously he popped it in a pillow case, tied a knot in the top and off we went, a £50 donation paid towards his costs.Because we didn't have some essential bits and Abi needed the toilet, our journey home then included a detour to the motorway services and to Pets at Home, both times with a snake in my handbag in a pillow case - slightly bizarre!
We got him home and set it all up and immediately it was clear the Viv was too small for him, and also clear that Izzy, who had been wavering previously, was feeling very left out. So, knowing it was going to be a MUCH more expensive outing, I suggested we go to the nearest specialist reptile shop in Oxford on Sunday morning to see what they advised. This time we had a much more professional experience but that comes at a cost and so, 2 hours and hundreds of pounds later, we exited with a new Vivarium, all the proper equipment you need for a vivarium rather than a plastic box and another corn snake - this time in a bag with a zip tie!
This meant the rest of Sunday was taken up with building the vivariums, kitting them out properly and finally at about 4pm, putting the snakes in. They both look very happy in their smart warm homes, and the girls love them - let's hope that lasts. They now have to practice some patience and let them settle in, but early signs are positive. Most importantly, their bedrooms are still tidy!
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