Help Karma is soooooo sad

Ever since we had to take the snake to the reptile store and give him to the rescue yesterday, Monday she has been very sad. She won't play she just lays on the floor. My DH said that while I was at work today she hid in her paper bag for 4 hours. Every once and a while she will go and sit on the couch and look up to where the snakes tank was and look back at us with a very sad look on her face. She doesn't want to cuddle or really be around us. She didn't even sleep with us last night.

She is eating, not as much, drinking water and using the litter box.

We never knew she loved the snake so much. Its like she lost her best friend. I know our mood is effecting her, we are both sad about it too. We have been triing to tell her that he is okay and getting the love and help that he needed. She won't lisen though, every time we sat his name or say the baby snaake she walks away.

We don't know what to do for her. We want to help make her fell better. Just looking at her is making us sadder because we can see how much she is hurting. What can we do. I have tried everything, wet food, her favorite toys, cuddleing her. Nothing seems to work. I don't want her to get worse, you know to the point where she stops eating. How long does the greiving process take?

aww thats so sad, I suppose its just a time thing, as you've mentioned lots of cuddles and playing will help

Give Karma a scritch from us

Let us know how she goes on

I think that she will be ok, just keep giving her attention, and if she sees ya'll sad that just reminds her, maybe act happy, I don't really know though.

Keep us posted on her.

Bless her heart she loved the snake! Its time for extra cuddles and rubbins' for Kharma. Just keep reassuring her. Please let us know if she starts to feel better.

AWww I kinda look at it this way. The "snake" was her tv and she liked watching it. You took her tv/entertainment away from her and she's sad.

Why not get one of the bird nature tapes they make for cat (I think if you go on ebay and look up Cat or Bird Video you'd find it). I've seen it at cats shows and its kinda cute.

Do you have a treehouse near a window that she can watch live action outside?

Karma seems to be doing a bit better today. She still is not playing but has stopped looking at the area the snake use to live. She still won't cuddle but will let us pick her up. She slept on the couch last night again. I hope she sleeps with us tonight.
She attacked my DH last night and left three nice little scratchs on his forehead. He said no to her but did not get very mad, we know its because she feels we took her friend away.

We are going to just keep giving her lots of love and sttention. We went out and bought her Sheeba wet food, I know its not good for her, its like giving a kid Mcdonalds but she loved it. It was chicken and duck flavor and she ate it all. It helped her to feel special and thats all that mattered to me.

Thank you everyone who replyed and sent love her way, its helping.

Something I've heard helps is to sit down and explain to Karma what happened. To let her know that Snake isn't coming back and that you still love her.

Why did you have to give your snake to the rescue?
I have to give up my male python due to space and the fact that I have a baby on the way and all those pets are to much for me (no help from dan ).

Its a sad story really. WARNING A BIT GRAPHIC AND SAD

Last weekend Karma had jumped on to the lid of his tank and cause the screen to colapse. We decided to get him a new on when I got paid on Thurs. Well my DH used duct tape to hold the lid together. We really did not think he could climb because of his breed, he was a Kenyan Sand Boa, not really known for doing anything but staying in the sand. Well somtime sunday night Karma must have gotton back up because the lid was completely sunken in. He(the snake) decided somtime after that to try and climb out. Well he got stuck in a peice of the tape that had seperaated from the tank. We found him because Karma was sceeming at us and looking at his tank. My DH lost it, he is no good in these situations. So I grabbed to scissors anc cut him loose but the tape was stuck to his back. I rushed him in to the bathroom and started trying to get it off with babyoil. It was working butt I could tell it was bothering him and he kept squerming and getting reattached. I ried as hard as I could not to tear his skin but because he wouldnt stop moving and my hands were slick, I did. As soon as it happened and I saw the blood and flesh under where his skin was I knew we had to do something fast. We rushed to the Humain Society and met with the vet. He told us that in situations like this they usually just put the snake to sleep. If we wanted to save him we should go to a reptile store. We rushed him to the store that is owned by the breeder that we donated our tortoises to(because we did not have the time they needed). We know them and know they do anything they can for reptiles, the way we are with cats. We rushed him into the store and went straight to the owner. He took the snake, put him in a bowl, covered him in mineral oil and after about 15 minuets the tape came of with no more damage. He said it happens all the time, even to him, thats how he knew how to do it. We cleaned him up and took a good look at the damage. Alot of skin had come off, normally not a bad thing but it was new skin, he had just finished shedding. The owner told us he would probably need some medical attention and alot of time dedicated to cleaning, because he lives in sand. He also knows that we will try everything we can for our animals but that this we could not afford, and we don't have the time to dedicate to rehabing him. We had to make the decision to turn him over. It was one of he hardest things I have had to do in a long time.

I have been very upset because I know I caused him so much pain trying to save him. I know he is alive and doing well but it had to be the most terrifying thing in the world. My DH tells me not to blame myself because we didn't think it would happen and that I tried. He also says Willie the snake knows I love him because I stayed calm and held him the whole time. Its just I can imagine how I would feel if someone pulled my skin off. It had to hurt so much . Plus now he doesn't have us anymore and that has to be scary. Anyone who thinks snakes don't know love is wrong. He would come up to the edge of his tank whenever one of us tapped on the glass, just to say hi.

I am truly sorry I could not do it myself and had to say goodbye. I know he is getting what he needs but I just feel so guilty for causing that kind of ordeal. I don't blame my DH either he didn't know it would happen, he is the last person in the world who would harm an animal. Even the owner of the store told us not to feel bad, these things happen, at least we got him help because we loved him so much, I guess some people just let them die.

As for Karma, I think she is a bit tramatized from it all. We were going nuts at first, My DH was crying and very upset while I was in the bathroom. She is the one who found him. We ran out of the house guickly and than came home without her buddy. Later that day we removed his tank so she knows he is gone.

We have tried telling her that he is okay but she still does not want to hear his name or the word snake.

Aww bless his snake heart poor guy! And poor Karma! Now I see why she is reacting so bad. Its not just the loss of her pal, but there was some drama when she last saw him. She'll heal. But you both did the right thing by taking Willie to a good home that will help him get the healing care he needs right now.

Well she seems to be doing better. She is playing a bit again, not as much but its a start. She still won't cuddle but she has started watching tv again and has stopped looking for him so I think she is slowly forgetting him. We are no longer getting attacked and I got kisses when I came home from work. I know she is getting better. Thank you for all the support and advice.