Marshmallow book- more content

After that day in PetCo I became a regular loiterer, I constant fixture asking day after day if I could hold their new and unusual reptiles. I quickly befriended some of the more experienced employees there, some of which were snake owners themselves, and fed off of the tricks and tips to snake husbandry that they gave me. One particular employee gave me the names of 2 reptile breeders; one close by but smaller, the other quite a drive, but one of the most renown in the area. My boyfriend and I made day trips out to each. The first was the smaller one, which was slightly hard to find, tucked away in a refurbished industrial building. It was there that I drooled over more boas, very similar to the Colombian red tail that I held at PetCo. I was also introduced to corn snakes, a breed of colubrid snake that is known for being a great beginner pet. I enjoyed it, and although its checker-boarded belly and orange coloration were very beautiful, I missed the girth and impressive size of the boas. A few days later we took a trip to Plaistow NH, to visit zoo creatures, the brain child of Kevin McCurley, a world famous reptile breeder. The second you walk in the front door of the pet shop, you realize that it is so much more than your everyday PetCo, wall after wall are covered with cages and enclosures filled with animals. There were vine snakes, bearded dragons, water monitors, boas and so much more. But out of all these wonders, my eyes honed in on one particular display, located at the front of the store; baby ball pythons. I had never seen one before, however I had heard that they were Kevin’s specialty, and the reason he is known through out the world is his work with these animals and their genetic mutations. There were around 20 in the display case, each given it’s own clear plexiglass box to lay in. These animals were small (being they were only a few weeks old) and covered from nose to tail with color. Each genetic mutation carried with it a different color combination or pattern, all were astoundingly beautiful. They had these adorable tiny faces, with holes known as heat pits dotting their upper jaws. I opted to forego the tour of the facility  that was offered to me, and instead had one of the staff members teach me about these animals. I was immediately in love, the second one was placed into my hand, a tiny, fragile, scaly ball; I knew I had to have one. The employee, sensing I was certainly a potential buyer went into the back of the store to bring out some of the more interesting animals. The first one to be handed to me, ended up being the only one that was handed to me. A small ball of yellow and white, laying perfectly motionless in my palm. After a few moments of cradling her, letting her absorb the heat from my hands, a small face, with deep pink eyes poked it’s curious head out from under its own coils. In that moment I named her, she looked like a lightly toasted marshmallow, so that is what I would come to call her. After that the employee offered me other animals to hold, but I didn’t want to look any further. I placed a down payment on her that day, and planned to return the following day with the rest of the funds and take her home. The rest of that night, all I could think about was her precious little face, and how much I wanted to bring her home.

The next day I watched the clock move at a glacial pace as I awaited the end of my shift. I practically sprinted out the door when my time to leave had finally arrived, I had to be very careful not to do a burnout out of the parking lot; I was too excited for my own good. After a 45 minute drive, and 30 minutes to pick out our supplies and her enclosure, we were on our way back home, with our newest addition to the house hold. 

It took no time at all for me to get used to seeing her cage in our room every morning. Occasionally I would wake up in the middle of the night and see her exploring her cage. As weeks past I hardly noticed how quickly she was growing. There was one day I saw her mid section and tail sticking out of one of her hides; she had tried to squeeze herself through it, not realizing that her very recent meal consumption had drastically effected her girth. It took nearly 15 minutes of prying to get her out, and she was less than thrilled with the whole endeavor, but I got a kick out of it. 

After my ex and I broke up, I knew I had to find somewhere for her to stay, (she had been living with him since I live in student housing and pets aren’t aloud) but I needed to make sure she was safe, happy and well cared for. I found her a temporary home in New Hampshire, but her stay there was fleeting, she lacked the proper care that I knew I could provide. I came to the sad conclusion that I was going to have to sell her. I had no choice, She couldn’t live with me or my ex, or my friend in New Hampshire; I needed to give her the home she deserved. I texted one of my best friends Angel, and told him the sad news. Though Angel had never met Marshmallow before, and didn’t really care much for snakes, he knew how much she meant to me. Without questioning, he offered to house her for me in his apartment in Haverhill. I was so grateful to him for even offering that I broke down into tears, so happy that I wouldn’t have to give her up. I knew with Angel and his Fiancé she would get the proper care, and she was close enough that I could visit once a week. Since then I have watched as Angel began to slowly bond with her, as he got used to the idea of having a snake in the house, he not only learned to care for her, but gained and appreciation and even a certain level of caring for her. 

It is through all these experiences that have caused me to feel the way I do about snakes, but my pet snake in particular. If I could share something with those around me, I would love nothing more then to share my love of these animals and show people that not only is there nothing to fear from them, but that they are wonderful beautiful creatures in their own right, who deserve our admiration and respect.