to be really scared and pissed off with the RSPCA.

[HelenaDove]

Last Weds night a snake found its way into my kitchen. It was on the wall above the cooker.

I heard the saucepans ding and saw it, I freaked out i called the RSPCA. They asked loads of questions. They said it was a corn snake Im incredibly phobic. They told me to go round all my neighbours at midnight and ask if its someones pet. They refused to come out. So did the police when i phoned them. In desperation i phoned the council and got my third refusal. So DH tried to catch it to put it outside It was too fast and got through a hole in the kitchen floor. We filled the holes at the instruction of the RSPCA. My 65 year old husband with a heart condition had to try and deal with it I was and still am a wreck. RSPCA phoned at 8.30 am the next morning (Thurs) to ask if it was still there after telling me to "leave it" (they didnt give a fuck about the cat i told them i have) Didnt ask whether i have young children or a baby in a cot. During The Thurs morn phone call she told me to call again if the snake comes back. Well at midnight DH saw it trying to get through the venty bit in the window of the communal hallway and managed to gently shove it outside.
Phoned RSPCA again who again told me that they cant come out at this hour and can only come out during the daytime. Ive been living in fear since last Weds. Woman on Thurs promised me they would come out if it appeared again.

The guy on the phone tonight warned me that if the snake gets hurt i would be prosecuted.
But they WONT come out Im petrified Snakes are nocturnal FFS! My nerves are fucking bad. DH has had to take extra GTN spray


I googled earlier and found this. And they had the cheek to tell this couple it was "crossed wires" And like this couple we are in Essex too.



www.express.co.uk/news/uk/493358/Man-removes-five-foot-snake-from-kitchen

[HelenaDove]

Anyhow the snake is back with its owner and ive managed to get through to the HA finally to tell them its all resolved.

[HelenaDove]

No Crabby She said it was likely the snake was wild. I didnt mishear or misunderstand Neither did DH

[CrabbyTheCrabster]

Then it must be b) or c) of my options, Helena.

[chlo95]

Is it still there? Post of RFUK page on facebook and I'm sure someone local will come and remove it for you ??

[chlo95]

Oops sorry just rtft

[Lurkedforever1]

I agree lost I'm the first to insult the rspca as an organisation, but I'd rather they were slagged for the right reasons, not for a situation that isn't their remit. And again i do genuinely believe it is unreasonable to blame a third party for your own phobic response.

[LostMySanityCanIBorrowYours]

I still firmly believe that in this instance the RSPCA should have acted.

It is too cold for a corn snake in most parts of UK, they had no idea how long it had been out, whether or not it was injured or how long ago it had been fed. The OP's phobia is neither here nor there. The RSPCA failed to act in the best interests of an animal again.

Had the owner called them to report his missing snake and advised them it was fit and healthy and had eaten recently, then I could see their point for attending within a reasonable time frame, but OP is not qualified to tell them whether the animal was healthy, which as it turns out it was not. Luckily for the snake and the owner the OP had managed to find help before it was too late.

[kali110]

Glad snake is safe now op!
Shame to see you getting a load of crap though!
I think the rspca should have come out too, poor snake could have died in our shit weather.
I'm petrified of spiders, if there was a huge spider in my house i would have a giant panic attack!
I'm safe if there are any escaped snakes though, my dp would be over the moon

[kali110]

I'm glad you didn't do what was advised about trapping the snake on spikes, that is just horrible. That is somebody's pet. I wouldn't even do it to a rat.

[Sleepsoftly]

The RSPCA are awful. They want to see animals abused, dead, starved so that we lift up our phones to pledge donations, text messages, sign Gift Aid forms. I know this from first hand experience of starving ponies near us when they told the vets in attendance they needed one to die for the publicity.

Terrible charity. So many others corroborate my experience.

[SilverBirchWithout]

OP - if you need help and support AIBU is not the right place. Yes I do feel you lacked self-reliance and had a false expectation about RSPCA coming out in the middle of the night. This isn't anything to do with your neighbour not being self-reliant at all, you don't know what steps they were taking to look for the snake or not.

I do sympathise it must have been a horrible experience for you with your phobia, but I'm glad to hear it is all sorted now and I hope the snake is recovering well with TLC from its owner.

[ohtheholidays]

I love snakes,but I know a phobia or fear of something can be crippling.

Feel very sorry for yourself and your poor DH OP.The owners must be bloody morons,if like you said they knew they'd lost a snake and heard you calling out about the snake in your kitchen.

And what responsible pet owner doesn't go round they're neighbors knocking doors looking for they're lost pet?

If you see them out and about,I'd be tempted to have a word with them if I was you,mention about your poor husbands medical condition and what a nuisance it was for you both trying to get someone to deal with the snake.

I hope they never let it get out again! [flowers.

[HelenaDove]

The snake handler was great. He was also very understanding.

[HelenaDove]

I stayed awake last night monitoring the snake while it was curled up in the eaves above the closed window I forfeited a full nights sleep to keep an eye on it. I spent today a bit dazed.

just because i have a phobia does not mean i dont care or wish the snake to be ill or in pain.

[HelenaDove]

Thanks holidays I dont know what they look like so i cant.

[tomatodizzymum]

How on earth did they know it was a corn snake? Considering you were the only one who saw it, and it doesn't sound like you are a snake expert (not being rude!). I wouldn't be happy with someone THINKING it might be a corn snake. You are right, a lot of snakes are nocturnal and most are dusk hunters.

Don't worry about your cat, cat's kill snakes. If you want to find it, use the cat. My cats have killed three deadly ones in the last four months (yes we do have them wild). Also the snake is more scared of you than you are of it, I promise you.

My advice is close your bedroom door and seal the bottom with clothes, close all the doors of the house. Wear boots and turn all the lights on when you walk. Personally I wouldn't do that, but you have a phobia. Call them in the morning or call a reptile rescue centre to come and find it.

Calling the police was a bit OTT! But you probably know that right?

[tomatodizzymum]

didn't read the second page! Glad it's resolved.

[HelenaDove]

no probs thanks for taking the time to post.

[Moreisnnogedag]

I can totally understand why a person wouldn't go knocking on doors telling people they'd lost a snake. Can you imagine it?! There'd be spiked traps aplenty and sleepless nights. How would that go 'helloooo I'm from number 10 I've lost the object of your phobia - it could crawl into your house, sleep tight, byeeeee'. It's not the same as saying as losing a kitten.

[tomatodizzymum]

Draft excluders make great anti snake doors, just incase the moronic neighbours "lose" their snake again!

[Lokidokey]

My RSPCA experience....

Me - "hello, here is a copy of a Gumtree ad offering three week old puppies for sale. Must go today or will be put down, can you do anything?"

Rspca- "that breaks no laws, we cant do anything "

Me -"They are three weeks old!"

RSPCA - "oh, ok then that isn't good but we don't have enough to go on "

Me -"you have a copy of the ad, complete with rough location and the phone number "

Rspca-"sorry, we can't help, we don't have enough info"

And there ended my last involvement with them I'm afraid.

[HelenaDove]

Sleepsoftly thats

[sweetgrape]

Loki that's terrible, "we don't have enough to go on??" what the hell do they expect. That tells me that they can't be that bothered by animal cruelty.

[HelenaDove]

Three weeks old FFS

[Janethegirl]

My experience with the RSPCA was not good either. I certainly won't bother again and they are getting no more money from me either. Complete waste of space.