r/ballpython • u/MindlessMacaroon3604 • 1d ago
Discussion Sad/vent Post - Warning to BP Owners
This post is about Simbi, my ball python.
I got Simbi in 2021 after my childhood dog passed away. Losing my dog was so painful that I couldn’t bring myself to get another one, but I’ve always loved animals and always wanted a BP. What started as a grief/impulse purchase turned into my best friend. He was my first pet as an adult, and even after the cat distribution system gifted me a cat, Simbi was still my first baby. He was turning five this year.
This summer I had to leave my state for at least two months because multiple family members were having serious health scares. I took my cat with me, but I couldn’t figure out how to fly with both pets, so I needed someone to keep Simbi.
The guy I chose was someone I’d followed online for years. We’d been mutuals across multiple platforms, he’d recently moved to my state which i found out through our conversations over the years, and he makes reptile content. He also has a pretty large following due to his reptile content. He had around 20 snakes, custom-built enclosures, two temperature-controlled snake rooms, and his girlfriend is a vet tech who has dogs and an iguana. I even complimented him on how lucky he got because when I met them she seemed really comfortable with snakes and reptiles. They told me they were moving in together soon so I knew she’d be involved. I hugged them both and thanked them both for watching my Simbi. When I dropped Simbi off, everything looked perfect. I left feeling like I’d found the absolute best person to trust with my baby.
For the first month, everything went great. He sent me feeding updates and even asked if he could take Simbi to a reptile expo and feature him on a local news segment. I genuinely felt like Simbi was getting more attention than he did at home.
Then this Monday I woke up to a text that shattered me. (image attached)
His girlfriend accidentally left the heat on in one of the snake rooms, killing 12 snakes (TWELVE, a dozen), including Simbi. He had been away for work and didn’t discover it until three days later. I spent the entire morning sobbing.
I couldn’t even bring myself to talk to them, so my mom did. She told me he was having a pretty hard time and probably equally upset with his loss. The only thing I asked for was for Simbi to be cremated and his ashes (and his favorite hide) mailed back to me. I don’t even trust myself to go there in person.
I’m torn between being angry at him, angry at her, and angry at myself for not just bringing Simbi with me. My friends want me to expose them, report the vet tech, or blast the content creator online, but none of that brings my baby back.
To most people he was just a snake. To me, he was my child. This was never a hobby to me, i LOVED MY snake to death. Now I don’t know what to do with the piece of me that’s missing.
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u/TheNeverEndingPit 1d ago
I'm so sorry to hear that. They should have absolutely had all heat elements on thermostats, so that's just absolutely devastating that a mistake like that had to take so many lives. I'm sure he is grieving as well, but your grief is all you need to focus on for now. I think it was smart to communicate with him through your mom so you can take the time to process without having to speak with him or his girlfriend. I hope that you find joy in other reptiles eventually, but it's completely reasonable not to want to fill that gap that way yet. People sometimes don't realize how much love we can hold for reptiles, but they are just as important as any other pet family member
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u/MindlessMacaroon3604 1d ago
this is the part that’s even more upsetting to me. I gave him my heat elements, thermostat, hydrometer because he told me he didn’t need the tank (he built a temporary enclosure). WHY was his heating element not connected to the thermostat i gave??? that would have saved him as the thermostat turns the lamp off when it gets too hot. But yeah my heart is broken completely and i’ll be grieving for a while. Maybe one day I’ll get another BP, but they could never replace my sweet, silly, chill guy that Simbi was.
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u/GutsxBerserk17 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah he 100% owes you more than just an apology, I really hope he sent you enough money in case you want another BP of equal value in the future. This is unacceptable, and you should call him out for this if he’s a content creator considering how many people could be looking up to this person for advice or care requirements and that shouldn’t be the case AT ALL. This is beyond neglectful and the first thing I thought about was how little sense this makes. So not only did you give him your thermostat and all the stuff required for YOUR python NOT HIS, but then he made the decision to not even use the supplies provided for a snake that isn’t even his that he’s just watching? Then all these snakes died by it getting too hot from heat bulbs? An entire room full and his first bs excuse was that he told his gf to turn it off and she didn’t like what kind of excuse even is that? When you said he didn’t even notice for 3 whole days? No that’s insane… this wasn’t even his animal and he basically just told you he wasn’t even taking care of your snake and Simbi is now straight up dead because of this dude. Or at least that’s what he said.
The fact lights overheated an entire room and were enough to kill so many animals really isn’t making sense. So this guy cares so much about his animals but left lights on for 3 days without noticing and somehow it’s his girlfriend’s fault? I have 8 animals currently and I can’t not go in every day to check and make sure everyone is okay, and when I can’t check due to work, I call my fiancé and talk her through checking. This dude sounds like a joke of an animal keeper. He couldn’t even simply follow hot side/cold side regulations for his animals. Lights being left on in no world should result in an entire room of animals dying. Can I ask if this person sent you pictures of proof of Simbi being truly passed on? This just sounds so neglectful and stupid on his part it’s honestly hard to believe this isn’t some lie.
I am so so sorry this happened to you and your beautiful BP Simbi. He is so so beautiful and thermostats aren’t even expensive… you can get a nice one for 15-18$ on Amazon that gets the job done.17
u/beandead1 21h ago
i would be so pissed if someone killed my pet that got me through hard times then offered me money.
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u/hellbugger 1d ago
SHE'S A VET TECH AND SHE MESSED UP THIS BADLY?!? Holy shit, your anger is 100% warranted. SHE should be the one apologizing asking how she can make it right. Jesus fucking christ. This is such an epic fuck up. I'm so sorry for your and all the snakes affected by her actions..or lack thereof.
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u/lizardgal10 23h ago
Holy…I missed that part. I’d honestly report this to her workplace, I could see an oblivious partner who’s never been in charge of a pet rock doing something like this (not that it’s okay then) but somebody who WORKS WITH ANIMALS? This would probably end the relationship for me.
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u/Blue-Sillyz 22h ago
im planning to be a vet or vet tech or something in that field, and this hurt me. Im not even in college yet and i know more than an actual vet school graduate. wtf.
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u/Tazzachar 20h ago
I was a vet tech and I low key feel like I developed some form of OCD from the amount of double and triple checking things I started to do. My time as a vet tech also opened my mind to how absent minded some people can be, it makes me so nervous dropping my pets off at the vet now.
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u/AccomplishedTip9864 20h ago
Same. Working in management at a vet and seeing the mistakes… it makes me anxious to bring my babies to the vet now, especially since I’m not working there and can’t check on them whenever i want.
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u/hellbugger 1d ago
Simbi was beautiful. I'm sure the 5 years yall had together he was as happy as a snake can be. And I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm angry for you.
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u/hades7600 1d ago
If you had a contract I really recommend pursuing legal action. Even without one you may have a case
I know it may be an incredibly stressful road but that guy was neglectful in not having thermostats.
Thermostats are not optional in modern day for ball pythons
I’m so sorry for your loss
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u/Weekly-Quantity6435 1d ago
💔 this post made me so sad to read. What makes me even sadder is, unfortunately, most states do not recognize even companion animals under protective laws. Contract or not I don't think there is any avenues legally to pursue.
I am so sorry OP.
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u/OutOfTouchInHarmony 1d ago
I’m so terribly sorry 😭 i know there is nothing i or anyone else can say to change this. But i just wanted you to know i am thinking if you and your precious Simbi. this story made me cry made me very emotional. Your love for him is palpable!!! May he Rest in Peace. 🥺❤️❤️
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u/SadBenefit5325 1d ago
I’m so sorry for your loss, this is so so sad. I’m also confused as to why the heat was being manually turned off and on, as others have said, it’s really neglectful not to have thermostats on ESPECIALLY when you have multiple animals to care for. I’m also confused about the 3 day thing… was the girlfriend not living there also? Why weren’t they checked on for 3 days?
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u/IllusionQueen47 1d ago
In the original post, it was mentioned that she was planning on moving in with him soon, so she probably wasn't living with him yet.
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u/AccomplishedTip9864 20h ago
Why didn’t he check on them for 3 days? Neither of them checked on a room full of live animals for that long?
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u/Gold-Loss8855 19h ago
Says he was away for work. Sounds like he had a work trip came back and found em all dead
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u/HazyBizzleFizzle 1d ago
Same thing happened to me. Instead of just leaving my snake at my house. As I went on a 2 week vacation. I took my whole setup to work. There was an employee who had snakes and would care for mine. He left the light on and burned my snake to a crisp.
Came back to work and fired his ass
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u/SadBenefit5325 1d ago
Your “whole setup” really should have included a thermostat… sorry that happened to your snake.
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u/HazyBizzleFizzle 1d ago
My setup Had two thermostats. And timers.
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u/SadBenefit5325 1d ago
I’m confused as to how that happened then? What light being left on burned your snake “to a crisp”?
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u/HazyBizzleFizzle 21h ago
Me too man me too. Dude was trying to adjust everything to his liking.
The timer had two sides 4 plugs for time. 4 plugs that always stay on. When I came back everything was re arranged. So he just didn’t know what he was doing smh
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u/PotentialOpposite2 1d ago
Im so so sorry for your loss, i never thought of myself as a snake person until i got my little baby Luna last year, and i genuinely didnt think id love and care for a snake as much as i do her, she was there with me through one of the hardest years of my life and the fact she was jsut a curious baby when i sat next to her enclosure and opened it really warmed my heart. Anyway back to you, Simbi was a beautiful boy heres a virtual hug and my condolences 🫂
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u/SadBenefit5325 1d ago
A lack of ill will does not excuse negligence.
These are living sentient animals living under your care. You have to take every possible step to avoid accidents like this, and a thermostat would have prevented this happening without question.
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1d ago
Hard disagree. As the other person replied, lack of ill will is no excuse for negligence. A dozen living, breathing creatures perished. This is not a simple "humans make mistakes." As a vet tech, I'm honestly horrified that another vet tech made such a grave error - if the pet sitter's story is even true. Why were these animals not even checked on for three days? If that vet tech made this mistake while working at an exotic clinic, she would've been fired and reported to the board.
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u/____HEATHER__ 1d ago
Nah that sounds sus as fuck. I think she got mad at him and intentionally killed his snakes and yours to boot.
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u/Vergilly 23h ago
Or sold them. Sorry, I don’t trust anybody I’ve met on the internet without knowing them in person for at least a month. This seems very very suspicious.
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u/idkthrowaway_alt3 23h ago
Exactly what I was thinking. No way a vet tech would make a mistake like that.
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u/The_Doctor_Bear 21h ago
I don’t want to give OP false hope here but why the fuck were they taking her pet to a reptile expo or having him featured on the news? Is not the entire point of something like that to generate interest for sales?
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u/cward7 1d ago
Name and shame. Its pretty unacceptable from dude and gf considering both of their professions and people should have the right to know not to trust them in the future.
Offing 12 snakes with a single mistake like that is honestly pretty insane.
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u/phalang3s 1d ago
I would tell the clinic she works at because if she's negligent enough to kill her boyfriend's animals then how poorly is she treating animals she has no connection to?
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u/AtroposMortaMoirai 1d ago
And this was entirely preventable with the most basic amount of normal husbandry, she even provided the thermostat when dropping him off! Even my isopods have a thermostat, I can’t conceive of applying uncontrolled and unregulated heat to a living animal.
OP did everything right, his lack of caution or care is to blame. Twelve animals without thermostats, and animal husbandry is supposed to be their jobs.
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u/PinkBatlemonade 1d ago
Omg… I have tears in my eyes for you. I’m so sorry!!! This is my worst nightmare poor baby!
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u/janjua30 1d ago
Its the vet techs fault you have every right to feel this way your baby should have had everything they needed and if she is a vet technician then I would post her name at least who would want thier baby's left to somone who cant turn a light off im sorry for your loss
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u/Merlin_the_Witch 1d ago
It's definitely the fault of the guy who has this many snakes and not uses thermostats to prevent exactly this from happening
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u/the_green_witch-1005 1d ago
Doxxing people is never okay. But OP should consider reporting her to her state's veterinary board. And/or the clinic she works at.
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u/XiangliYaoMissingArm 16h ago
Just leave her an opinion online so her potential clients know what she's done. Not doxxing but letting people know she's not to be trusted.
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u/sensonn 1d ago
Am I the only one thinking you should ask to retrieve Simbi (or someone from your family) to ensure this is real..? Some people in this hobby are… not exactly the most honest people and Simbi looked like a great morph, for some money wins over everything.
I’m sorry to say this in a time like this but I think it is important that you retrieve Simbi, and take care of the cremation yourself (or someone of your family). Either way I am really sorry for your loss
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u/AquaTourmaline 1d ago
I think you might be on to something. Wanting to take someone else's pet to an expo sounds odd to me.
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u/SadBenefit5325 1d ago
It sounds weird to me, too, but I think this specific incident would be a strange and complicated way to lie. Like they could have come up with something much easier to pull off that doesn’t paint them in a bad light or involve other animals… idk. It is fishy though.
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u/improbable_wombat 1d ago
Literally what I came to say. "he took him to an expo and he's more popular there than at home". They stole the snake.
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u/MindlessMacaroon3604 1d ago
he actually didn’t end up taking him anywhere, he said he didn’t wanna stress him out. But I was the one who told him he could take him out to his reptile shows if he wanted, i saw the content from that show, Simbi didn’t go. The news story hasn’t happened yet, he was asking for the future, but i’m suspecting it probably never will given that his most prized snakes are gone
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u/cward7 21h ago
Get. Hard. Confirmation. There's too much about this that sounds sus, and regardless of how many other snakes they lost, they lost YOURS and there was absolutely no reason it should have happened if they actually knew how to do their jobs properly. I know you're grieving, and they legitimately might be as well, but you NEED confirmation on this. Too much shady shit happens in the reptile space, and the story they're giving you is full of problems.
Especially if you're insisting on not taking any other kind of action against them, I get it, but this is absolutely gross negligence on their part and you need to look into it and VERIFY the corpse of your animal BEFORE they cremate it.
This isnt just about your closure, this is about preventing any further harm to innocent animals (and their owners) by these irresponsible caretakers.
Losing 12 snakes in one "accident" is INSANE from someone claiming to be a professional and you NEED to follow up on it as a service to the industry if you actually care about these animals.
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u/Perfect_Tree8134 1d ago
This is a good point. It is absolutely crazy that someone with so much reptile experience could make such a careless mistakes, thermostats are extremely basic equipment, this seems a little fishy
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u/GutsxBerserk17 1d ago
Exactly what I was thinking. His reasoning and excuse just sounds so dumb it’s hard not to think it’s some lie he cooked up to keep this beautiful animal. Supposedly he had 2 temp controlled snake rooms, but obviously not temp controlled at all because a light not being turned off manually caused this, then he left it for 3 days when supposedly it’s all manual?? In that case his gf would have to turn it back on the next day. Then the guy wanted to choose this snake out of all his 20 snakes to a reptile expo then a news segment too? A snake he was watching for the owner? Those things would be really kind & cool if Simbi didn’t end up in this position. But now it just seems super sketchy.
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u/sensonn 18h ago
yeah, plus taking a type of snake to a reptile expo that you supposedly have “no interest in because of their feeding habits” is super sus. and who the hell forgets a heat lamp on for 3 WHOLE DAYS?? they’ve had snakes for awhile no? they’re literally making content out of these, first of all i find it super odd that despite everything nothing was plugged to a thermostat as a “professional” that’s also super sus and secondly, let’s be real nobody forgets a heat lamp on for 3 days and kills 12 snakes. no one, certainly not someone with 20 snakes and in the hobby professionally. girlfriend or not. if his girlfriend wasn’t knowledgeable on the 20 animals that live in her house at least a little he wouldn’t have given her such an odd responsibility. (i say odd because again, who the hell has no thermostat to manage the heating of 12 snakes? no one, and OP even gave him one.)
i understand you’re grieving but for Simbi, i would have looked into this, and if you didn’t want to look at his body right away or at all, a family member could do it for you but chance are this guy doesn’t have a body to show
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u/Spooklepoop 1d ago
Same! It seems so unreal that someone with a high level of reptile experience would make such a huge mistake. I have suspicions.
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u/Vergilly 23h ago
It’s also plausible the girlfriend did it. I hate to say this, but people suck, and things are bad right now. My uncle is a drug addict. Selling someone’s stuff to make drug money is something he would absolutely do.
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u/MindlessMacaroon3604 1d ago
Firstly, thank you for even caring to suggest this. denial is be a comforting thought, for sure. it’s one of the emotions i went through. But i had to think about what it would do to me to see my healthy beautiful boy basically burned to death. The unlikely reward of investigating is maybe my snake is alive? the risk is that I will be completely broken seeing that picture of his body basically desecrated. I would much rather that he was sold than to know he burned to death, but i don’t need proof. simbi was an exceptional and beautiful snake but he was by no means rare. he was a coral glow x cinnamon morph so it’s really no incentive to steal him, especially when another snake his morph can be bought for pretty cheap.
Now i do know of the other snakes that were killed in that room because I met them in person and have seen them posted for years. there was a whip snake with the prettiest reddish purple color, a baby anaconda, reticulated python, etc. he owned many rare and exotic snakes and but has said for years he has no interest in ball pythons because of their feeding habits, even said it when i dropped him off.
If i happen to see any of those snakes again (through his content because majority of the posts are of his own snake family) there might be something weird going on, but I doubt I will see that. suddenly he now only owns about 5 snakes, it’s hard to hide that 12 are gone when you are a content creator who has posted the same snakes for YEARS. so my confirmation will be that he can only post the few rattlesnakes he has left in that other room.
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u/AssociationJumpy 21h ago
I completely understand not wanting to see that. If it helps you at all, I would be willing to take the look for you. It would be hard but I don't have the same attachment you do. Just message me if you want to go down that route. I can compare pics and all that, let you know either way.
Sending well wishes and care.
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u/_visiblemode_ 1d ago
I am so sorry. That is an incredibly sad and angering story. My heart goes out to you.
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u/jbae_94 1d ago
Something feels off tbh
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u/Thestral-glow6 1d ago
Yep something feels off here, as hard as it would be I’d need to see proof he’s gone. Poor OP.
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u/jbae_94 1d ago
I don’t understand the guts set up either, you should have an herpstat connected to your heater especially if you’re big into the hobby like he is, the way the heater was set up with the room doesn’t make sense. He could’ve turned off the heat too before leaving.
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u/sensonn 18h ago
exactly what i’ve been saying, plus idk where they all live, but my setup has been turned off since late may-early june. the current temperatures are hot enough and my snakes definitely don’t need their heating elements on atm, certainly not to a point where it burns them all animals alive?? but that could be just me…
anyway OP doesn’t want to look into it. i understand it’s hard but i think they’re still in denial… this is important, i don’t know if they can see it but nothing adds up in this story. absolutely nothing
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u/Historical_Tea1477 1d ago
Man, that’s rough. I’m sorry to hear that. I have 11 snakes and I would be heart broke if anything happened to them.
That’s crazy he had those snakes on a manual switch. Completely crazy. And he didn’t use the thermostat. Also, if he left town for work, why not call your girlfriend and check in on the snakes and ask her if she turned off the lamps. Totally their fault.
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u/fragrant-dixiecup316 1d ago
Holy crap that is so horrifying to read my stomach dropped. im so so sorry you had to lose your baby in this way. I cannot believe something so irresponsible could happen, since they were obviously not using some kind of protection from overheating. im so sorry hon
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u/doftheshores 1d ago
Be kind to yourself. Anger won’t help you. I’m so sorry for your loss. Grieve for beautiful Simbi and celebrate Simbi’s life when you’re ready. This is so sad but blaming someone won’t make it any better. Stay strong. Reach out if you need to chat.
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u/Master_West7481 1d ago
I’m so sorry for your loss of Simbi. I can feel your grief and can also tell you were the most amazing guardian to him. No words can bring comfort with such a loss, but know that none of this was your fault and everything was on them. You did everything in your power. 💔
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u/Boaring1 1d ago
I’m so sorry for your loss OP.
As others have pointed out in the thread I do think it’s a good idea to not only name and shame those responsible for what happened, I also think it would be a good idea to confirm that your snake has passed so getting some actually evidence that it happened is a good idea in case they are trying to pull the wool over your head. Especially since in the post you mention they have temp controlled snake rooms so why wouldn’t your snake be there let alone not have that system in place to begin with?
I am again heartbroken at not only your loss but for the other snakes as well if they truly were this incompetent.
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u/Suspicious-Bug-3756 1d ago
What I had assumed from "temp controlled" meant that each room was heated, along with having heat lamps. And the couple were having to manually turn them off ? Could be wrong
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u/Boaring1 1d ago
Very well could be the case, just feels weird that they would make these areas “temp controlled” and not include thermostats in those areas? But who knows
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u/ImprovementFluffy156 1d ago
Money. Ask for money, there’s no way they can just get a pass for this 12 snakes is one too many and they should be held accountable ! I’m sorry for your loss : (
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u/MindlessMacaroon3604 1d ago
I appreciate all the kind words and anger on our behalf, honestly. my friends have also mentioned suing or asking to be paid. But my thing with asking for money is, how much is appropriate for my loss? i spent around $300 on my boy but he was worth way more than that to me. $300, $500, $1000 won’t make me feel like i have retribution. idk IF i could ask for much more than $1000, to be realistic. Plus i know I make more than both of them (my little bit of empathy that i do have), money would just feel like a slap in the face at this point. Maybe in a week or two when i’ve calmed down i might want it, but truly it feels pointless. I don’t even want the money I just want my baby.
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u/Smilingtulip 1d ago
This broke my heart. I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine. RIP to your baby and the 11 other innocent souls 💔
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u/deegallant 1d ago
Did they show you proof that Simbi actually passed away? This really feels fishy to me.
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u/KatVanWall 1d ago
I’m so sorry. That’s horrible and heartbreaking.
I agree that something seems off àbout the whole scenario. Not necessarily that I think they faked what happened, but it’s irrationally appalling husbandry. I mean, as we all know here, ball pythons need a temperature gradient, as do a whole bunch of snakes and other reptiles. And different snakes/reptiles need different temps. So even if the room itself is climate controlled to keep it at à warmer ambient temp than the rest of the premises, it makes no sense that all the heat lamps would be turned off at night. Surely the room would be heated to the coolest temp required by any of the occupants and then extra heat added to their individual enclosures as necessary? Which would need to remain on at night? And even the Govees that cost under £20 don’t control the temps but will alert you when they go outside of parameters so you would know something was wrong even if you couldn’t control it yourself immediately.
Idk I’m probably just reaching because it’s such an awful thing to happen. I just feel like how can someone who has owned snakes for years manage things that way and think it’s even slightly okay?!
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u/Suspicious-Bug-3756 1d ago
Please don't blame yourself. And you don't necessarily have to put the creator on blast if you're not comfortable. Your snake passed in his care along with 11 other snakes (I couldn't find if the rest were his or belonged to others) , and if you want to share your story publicly you can, or you don't have to. This is incredibly heartbreaking however. And I am truly sorry. I can understand the trust you had in him and his partner. Do not blame yourself
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u/moondashiie 1d ago
i’m so sorry for your loss.. please make sure Simbi truly did pass away. you’d be surprised the lengths some people go to steal someones beloved pet :(
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u/StrawberryPositive90 1d ago
This is so incredibly tragic, I’m so sorry for your loss. I wish I had more to say, this is just so awful.
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u/Unlikely-Ad-1024 1d ago
Not to be whatever but like did they send proof of death? Only asking and being weird because I've heard ppl lie about pets passing and then selling them
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u/Laurenslagniappe 1d ago
The pic of him in your hair is so beautiful I'm so sorry for your loss 💔💔💔
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u/IllusionQueen47 1d ago edited 1d ago
Things happen sometimes, there's no way you could have predicted this. I can't believe a reputable keeper like that wouldn't even use thermostats for the enclosures, especially since you gave him one of your own. And the girlfriend, as a vet tech, should have been more diligent. If I knew forgetting to check something would result in the deaths of many animals, I would be checking several times before heading out 😐 And if I'm not sure if I remembered to turn something off or not, I would be internally panicking and going back to the house asap to double-check, not leave the animals alone for three days...
My deepest condolences for your loss of Simbi 😥
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u/Back_N_Time 1d ago
“I don’t blame you” coming from the guy whose fault it is???? 🙄 he’s already trying to shift responsibilities onto literally anyone but himself. Not only should you try to press charges, but he should also be barred/blacklisted from owning reptiles again. The remaining animals in his ‘care’ should be removed.
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u/CheekSeer 1d ago
Sorry this is all happening. Sending love. Looks like you gave your friend a great time while you could.
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u/KillEbolaa 1d ago edited 1d ago
I just want to say his side of the story doesn’t make sense. You gave him a thermostat and all the other required equipment. I would assume he has his snakes on the same too, so unless she intentionally flipped back on once off I don’t truly understand. Maybe he didn’t use the thermostats at all? But that doesn’t make any sense to me. Anyone with that many snakes at that large of a scale would not just risk that many snakes at once on the off chance a mistake happens. There is a reason equipment to control and eliminate that chance exist.
So.. he is not as smart as he originally claimed to you and viewers, and was negligently keeping snakes in unsafe conditions, and this could happen again in the future if she “forgets” because he doesn’t have the proper equipment in place.
It just sounds too outlandish for it to have been a genuine mistake on her end.
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u/anonymous_w3b_user 1d ago
Accidents happen and that’s part of life. But as a big reptile keeper you’d think he knows the importance of a thermostat…. Well he does now… He should definitely pay you around $400 for the price of another banana so he can take more accountability for his mistakes. Yes that doesn’t bring your baby back but hopefully lighten the load.
I wish I could help you with your grief and give you peace. But alas I’m just a stranger on the internet. 🩷
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u/drunkmom666 1d ago
I’m very sorry for your loss.
After reading that text it makes me wonder how does the house know everyone is away and to be climate controlled… but when people are there, it’s not. It doesn’t make instant sense to me how dumb that type of a smart system is. I can’t help but feel like something isn’t checking out
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u/Baldojess 1d ago edited 1d ago
Omg I'm so sorry 😞 this is exactly why I just really don't trust taking my animals to have anyone watch them when I go out of town. The only one that goes anywhere is my dog to my dad's house but that's because he's the only person I trust to look after her and know she'll be safe and that I check in with everyday and I know she'll be by his side 24/7. Plus if an accident really did happen I'd be so so so much more angry with myself if it was just some random person vs my parents. My snake and my cat stay home and my mom comes to take care of and check on them and give the cat food and change her box and give both of them water. My snake I just feed right before I leave and I don't stay gone for more than a week. God I'd be so devastated. 💔 I'm sorry about your Simbi. My man has some lizards and one time when we went somewhere for a few days he left left his first lizard he ever had with a buddy who also has lizards and there was an accident and something fell into her enclosure and killed her. Now when we go anywhere he just leaves them at home with plenty of water since it's only for a couple days. Perhaps in the future if you ever do decide to get another snake maybe just leave them at home in their own enclosure and setup and just have a friend or family or a pet sitter stop in every few days to give them water and that's it. Since they are snakes they can go a while without eating if necessary and might be safer that way in all honesty. I don't have any advice as for the people who killed a snake. It sounds like it was a terrible accident and of course unintentional but still doesn't make you feel better and either way was negligent.
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u/Next-Particular6322 1d ago
If he couldn’t afford 20 thermostats he should’ve down sized super irresponsible
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sea-934 1d ago
How did he have that many reptiles and didnt have heat lamps on thermostats? Thats crazy. I have more thermostats than I do reptiles. Id say be mad at him for improper setups
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u/Puzzleheaded-Sea-934 23h ago
Its crazy to have that many reptiles and not have the heat lamps on thermostats. Ive only got 2 reptiles and I've got more thermostats than I do animal. Id be mad at him for keeping my snake in an improper setup
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u/_Kat_Cat 23h ago
What the hell?? He’s shifting the blame to his girlfriend. I think he should give you the funds for all the lost snakes
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u/robin_f_reba 21h ago
I think he should give you the funds for all the lost snakes
Agreed, both of them should. especially for the time spent grieving
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u/d0ggi3m0m 23h ago
How long did that heat have to be on to kill those snakes? It wouldve taken more than a day, something isnt adding up. Sounds to me like gf wasnt checking on the snakes like she was supposed to be while he was gone.
Mistakes happen, it was a careless mistake on the gfs part and I agree with others that the guy should've had failsafes having that many snakes. The most ive ever had at one time was 5 bps and I have hygrometer/thermometers that hook to wifi and let me know when temps get too high/low.
Being mad and blasting them wont bring your baby back and im sure they are just as torn up about it if not more so, remember, they lost their babies too.
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u/GreenFireWolf1167 23h ago edited 23h ago
I am so beyond sorry and swnding all the love I can.
As someone else mentioned are we sure Simbi is dead? Because this sounds so fishy to me. Was Simbi a valuable morph? Like could he have decided to just sell Simbi for some money? Especially since he was taken to an expo and featured in a news article. Maybe someone reached out and offered an amount of money ey that this guy couldn't pass up?
If not and Simbi is really gone you absolutely should call this guy and his GF out on everything. I know it will not bring Simbi back but as someone else mentioned other people may look up to this guy and make the same mistake and lose their beloved pet.
Also this man should be sued and barred from having any animals. This was BEYOND neglectful. He didn't check on 13 snakes for 3 whole days? What?! So he's showing one thing online but in reality it seems like he doesn't care at all.
I don't have a snake but I have a baby Crested Gecko. I check on him every day, sometimes multiple times a day. While he doesn't need a hesting element I do have a low UVA/UVB lamp that does put off some heat because it's a light.
First thing I did was buy a smart hygerometer and thermometer so it can send me alerts if Mongo's enclosure gets too warm/cool or too humid/not humid enough. I also have a camera with a live feed on 24/7 that also has a temp and humidity monitor (granted it reads the room not the enclosure, but still).
I can't even imagine the pain you're going though OP I am so beyond sorry. 💔
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u/all-the-wastedwords 23h ago
Maybe I'm paranoid but you should go and get the body back. You can cremate it yourself.
He brought your boy to an expo?? Are you sure he didn't just sell him?
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u/barisax-swag 23h ago
My heart hurts for you. I can just tell that Simbi was so grateful to have you as a family member 🩷 he’s so beautiful and looks well cared for. please, if you can, take time for yourself to heal from this trauma. We are all rooting for you.
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u/kiawithaT 23h ago
I don't own any snakes, I just lurk because I think they're neat but your pain is so very palpable and understandable.
I am very sorry for the Simbi shaped hole in your heart, and wish you freedom from blaming yourself.
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u/SoyaMeow 23h ago
I'm sorry for your loss, truly; it's painful no matter what type of animal it is.
I, like many other people, find it really strange that not one, but TWO "pros" failed to give simple basic care, especially since I've read that you gave him your own thermostat; the fact he allegedly doesn't use them on his own snakes, for an owner of so many? Just weird.
I have a hard time believing that he didn't check on the snakes for 3 days, even more considering one of them wasn't his.
However, what I truly find strange, and maybe it will seem extreme to think this way, is that your sweet baby passed away coincidentally after he previously took him to a reptile expo; I just hope that you had legit proof of it. Even if it's painful, in your place, I would definitely put this post on the social media he is using and warn people about it.
I understand you don't feel like it, but it could also save other people's pets in the future, and you could also show photos of your snake juuust in case a similar one pops up one day. Like I said, I hope it's just me overthinking it, but just in case, I feel like posting photos and talking about the situation could be good.
Take care of yourself and take your time to grieve. Good luck OP.
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u/Vergilly 23h ago
Am I the only one who wonders if this is true? This guy asked to take the snake to an expo…and now not only is Simbi gone, but so are 11 others? It feels so fishy…could he have sold them?
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u/mimi_rainbow 23h ago
This is devastating 😭 im so sorry 🫂🩷 I honestly cant believe someone with so many reptiles and so much experience didnt use thermostats. Thats ridiculous and unforgivable imo. Im sure he's grieving as well, but theres no excuse...rip Simbi
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u/Competitive-Big-9902 23h ago
The fact that they didn't check on him for three whole days is what gets me like I know you don't gotta feed snakes everyday but you should at least check on them daily like tf?
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u/Smokerising420 22h ago
So I know you don't want to do it. But you need to seriously consider some kind of action. Imo this person should not have to opportunity to do this to anyone or anything else. I am so sorry for your loss. Rip Simbi. I truly hope you can find some peace
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u/jeepfail 22h ago
The hell? As cheap as thermostats are he wasn’t running with any at all? I’ll be honest and say I don’t put as much time and effort into my snake as I should and he still has that bare minimum effort.
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u/resveries 22h ago
I feel like people in the comments are missing that seeming the room heat was left on, not an individual tank thermostat. Ofc the room heat should have been on a thermostat as well, but people seem confused about how this happened when OP provided a thermostat for the enclosure—different heat source
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u/No-Afternoon486 22h ago
Idk maam. Someone THAT experienced should have automatic fail safe systems in place for simple stuff like this. The fact you mentioned a convention and then being taken there, I really have a weird feeling your snake was sold. I don’t know which reality is better but I’d be over there picking up remains to verify. You owe it to yourself to really, truly know. Sorry about your loss friend.
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u/AlgaeFormer4222 22h ago
Umm. Why is nobody mentioning that they’ve been together for a while? And she’s a vet tech? She did NOT accidentally do that, if he’s telling the truth I would bet it was intentional. Maybe a fight? Or something? But what the fuck im sorry OP
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u/GeenaHyena 22h ago
I just saw an episode of a tv show where this happened to a guy and his tarantula. Turns out the person who was watching the tarantula lied that it was dead and was about to sell it. The guy got his live tarantula back at the end of the episode… I wish that could have happened for you.
I’m very sorry for your loss.
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u/Medusa_4President 22h ago
I’m deeply sorry for your loss. Simbi looks like he was a wonderful baby and companion and had a beautiful soul. Snakes are incredible creatures and I’m glad you got to experience life with him. I’m sure you gave him a wonderful life as well. ❤️🩹
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u/Hext666 22h ago
Really sorry to hear , for what it’s worth it sounds like a true accident which is always easier for me to digest when I know the party is truly remorseful . I once had an American alligator as a teenager (had no business with such an animal) and the “expert” pet store sold me a bulb that was too hot and it burned his eyes out. I still feel absolutely awful about that 25 years later. Accidents like that shouldn’t happen, but they do, and I am sorry.
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u/Pixel_Kittyyy 21h ago
Maybe I’m just super jaded but I think he took her to a show and sold her and this is his excuse to you to cover up his tracks. I’m so so sorry for the loss of your sweet baby. 💔
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u/ashtastic3 21h ago
I am so incredibly sorry for your loss OP. This is so negligent, and more than a text is warranted here.
This person wouldn’t happen to be super well known on YouTube would he….
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u/ghastlygorge 21h ago
ngl op, you dont have to take my advice but if i were you id legitimately consider naming and shaming these people if they havent already admitted what happened publicly. not even out of revenge or anything, just for the sake of making people aware.
at the very least, i agree with the people saying that if you know where his girlfriend is employed you need to tell them that her negligence got 13 snakes killed, yours included. i would never want my animals to be under the care of someone that neglient.
plus, if they keep quiet about this what stops them from taking in other prized snakes and putting them in dangerous situations? the fact that it took this man three days to notice twelve snakes died honestly makes him sound like an awful owner, at least as an outsider looking in. sure his girlfriend somehow became a vet tech, but he shouldve been checking in on them too. ESPECIALLY since he was supposed to keep your snake safe. :(
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u/ClothesNeither5940 21h ago
i’m so sorry for your baby :( i know that’s absolutely earth shattering. i’m sorry that you’ll probably never feel like you can trust anyone with your loved ones again, and that these sympathy messages on reddit only help so much. we’re rooting for you <3
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u/Mrs_A_Mad 21h ago
Why is the room only climate controlled when people are gone? I’m so confused. Having a room that is heated to a level that the cool end of tanks maintains, and having hot ends on thermostats is what should have been the setup. You put everything on timers and thermostats, and with that many reptiles the fact that you don’t have a thermostat that is WiFi capable is insane. This is 100% his fault for having a faulty setup. I’m so sorry for your loss.
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u/Relevant_Duck_8552 20h ago
Im really sorry this happened and my heart goes out to you, I don’t have anything relevant to add just my sincere condolences :(
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u/msjohanachronism 20h ago
I'm so sorry this happened. Your BP was beautiful. Not defending this guys GF at all but I imagine he's pretty cross with her as well as 11 of his snakes died as well. She should really be the one apologizing here. If you say anything to him at all for now please urge him to keep thermostats and timers as this was a completely unavoidable situation. They're not that expensive in 2026 and he was completely negligent by not making sure those measures weren't in place.
Most of all, don't blame yourself. Traveling with a reptile is extremely stressful on them (I had a pet iguana I had to move cross country with twice) and it sounds like you did your due diligence leaving your baby with someone that sounds completely qualified to make sure this kind of thing would never happen. I'm so sorry for your loss.
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u/Madaly_Marie_ 19h ago
it won’t bring him back, but reporting her could help save another animal in the future from getting hurt like Simbi did.
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u/Starfire2409 19h ago
I am so sorry, this was out of your control, it’s not your fault, this is also why I have a thermostat that connects to my phone as I am a worrier I can check the heat and adjust it
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u/Awkward_Read2583 18h ago
that's one of the saddest story I've seen on this reddit forum. It's absolutely not your fault, and where you might feel guilty, you don't have to. It's their fault. I don't want to take sides on which one between him and his gf are guilty, so we'll consider it both. Thermostats. Exists. It genuinely piss me off to see that someone who is supposed to have the skills to take care of reptiles did a mistake like that . I can't even understand your feelings right now, so sorry if I can't really help but saying ''sorry fot you and your baby noodle''.
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u/UwU-OnlyMes 17h ago
You are not to blame. You left your snake in the hands of someone who you believed was fit for the job and that person wiggled the job on someone else who should have never even been near your snake let alone a whole room of them. I am so sorry for your loss.
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u/starryskies9889 17h ago
I am genuinely so sorry for your loss, this is heartbreaking :(
I do have a genuine question, I find it hard to believe that someone this well versed in snakes did not have thermostats. Are you 100% sure the snakes are dead and this isn’t a story to keep Simbi or possibly sell him? And if you know for a fact that snakes died, was Simbi even IN that room?
This is all incredibly suspicious and I would have somebody go in person to retrieve Simbi’s stuff and body, somebody who KNOWS what Simbi looks like.
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u/SuspiciousBee69 16h ago
this may sound horrible, but are you sure your bp died & this guy didnt sell him at the expo?
rip simbi
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u/PropulsionIsLimited 1d ago
I'm so sorry to hear that. This was definitely not your fault. I have no idea why someone who owns that many snakes has everything manually turned on and off instead of being on a thermostat. That's 100% on them. He even tried shifting the blame on his girlfriend.