Snake update

A week ago when I was preparing to get the mice out to feed the snakes, I discovered that the heat was not working in the rack system. This is where we have been keeping all the non-adult snakes, the ones who are NOT "down" for the winter (i.e. those who are being kept warm and fed). Since they were not warm, I couldn't feed them last week. Instead, I had to move them to terraria, which have heating pads that can be plugged in. This isn't as good, because the room is cold, and they really can't get as warm as they need to be.

Today, after they have been back on heat (such as it is) for several days, I fed them. Nearly all of them ate, and now I will have to keep that entire basement room somewhat warm for several days to try to ensure that they have enough heat to digest their meal.

Replacing the rack system would be far too expensive for us to contemplate at this point. We had paid several hundred dollars for it years ago in the States and had brought it with us here to Israel. It is particularly useful for housing the large number of baby snakes that we get each year from our breeding. It's also the warmest place during the winter for snakes who are not yet old enough to breed and who therefore don't need to be brumated (kept cold without eating for 2 to 3 months) during the winter.

As we thought about it, we had to fully admit to ourselves what we actually have known all along, that we have been gradually losing money on the snakes, since we cannot get enough from selling the babies to cover the costs of feeding all the snakes year-round. The time has probably come for us to begin to sell off our collection, though perhaps we will keep 2 or 3 of them. However, it will probably take us some time to find a buyer or buyers. Hopefully, this will all work out to help us raise a bit more money and to stop the slow drain, which we really can no longer afford. I'll miss the little guys, though!