For the past few years I have had a longing in my heart for a pet snake. Joe and I would stop into pet shops here and there and hold the ball pythons and every time we would leave I would feel a piece of myself being left behind. On Tuesday, July 10, 2012, I arrived home to find a little baby ball python chillin' in his deluxe new dessert oasis. Joe had surprised me!
Little Julius
When I told my sister, Rebekah, about our new pet, she said she remembers(she remembers everything!) me being jealous of our friend, John Rickenbacker, when we were younger and he got a pet snake. So apparently this has not been just a recent thing.
From the beginning, Julius had a hard time eating. He started to get really small and then he started breathing out of his mouth and we thought he might have a cold. Joe took him to the vet and Julius was diagnosed with a respiratory infection. Before Julius went to the Vet, we didn't actually know whether he was a boy or girl. Dr. Funk(yes, that is his real name) informed Joe that Julius was a boy(good thing since we gave him a boy name!) and so Joe got himself an idea. Joe went to a local bakery and had them bake a cupcake with blue icing in the middle. I got home one day after work and this was in the fridge....
I really thought that Julius was a boy, not for an actual legitimate reason but because I feel like all snakes are boys.
Julius is a BOY!!!
We love Julius.
In the excitement of all of this, Julius was still sick and we were still worried about him. For two weeks we would take him out of his cage while I held him and Joe gave Julius one little drop of antibiotic. He seemed to be getting better and he even started to shed.
This past Friday I got home from work and was resting after a long week. Joe arrived home soon after with Julius in his portable box and I knew something was wrong. He told me he found Julius with his neck bent all crooked in his cage and took him to the Vet immediately. Joe was informed that Julius was brain dead and dying. He knew I would want to say goodbye so he brought him back home and I got to hold him one last time. I was holding him when he took his last breath and turned cold. Heartbreaking.
We loved Julius and his calm personality. He never struck at anyone and put up with people of all ages holding him. We really wanted him to make it and did all we could to give him his best shot.
