[drache]

thanks for your empathy - it helps
also - I got a lucky break last night as well
when I discovered Jasper, I'd just taken a snake out of the tank next door to put into a feeding enclosure
then I discovered Jasper and got busy with him and upset and posted here and all that
I don't know how much time that took, but when I went to return the snake from the feeding enclosure I found that I had left her enclosure (sliding doors) wide open - with three other snakes in residence
these are my three girls I've had the longest (Sammy, Whizzy, Thing) and I went into a small panic when I saw the door open
apparently they are so used to captive life that the open door held no attraction for them
they were all piled up in the hide
whew!
of course I felt like an idiot for my carelessness - even if it was because of an emergency
I could have ended up with a heap more grief and upset and I'm super grateful that didn't happen