The Mystery of the Ball Python by Jessica Lee Anderson

Author:Jessica Lee Anderson [Anderson, Jessica Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: animal rescue; reptiles; snakes; veterinarian; clubs; sibling stories; chapter books; friendship stories; best friends; new friends; Texas; mysteries; pythons; pet rescue; pet ownership; animal adoption; fostering
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2022-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

BIG MISTAKES

Snake fact #7: A snake uses its belly muscles to lift and lower scales, pushing them backward to slide forward. This makes them look like they glide easily!

“Mom left you two a note,” Dad said the next morning when Nolan and I came into the kitchen for breakfast.

There was only one cinnamon roll left. Dad cut it in half for Nolan and me to split, then got to work preparing eggs and toast. Nolan leaned over my shoulder as I read the letter.

Good morning! I sprayed Fin and put the ointment on before I left. Can you please set up the humidity box later? I’d like to get that done before feeding him this afternoon. We won’t want to handle him while he’s digesting.

Love you!

Mom

“You’re the one moving Fin, not me,” said Nolan.

“Of course,” I said. “Thank goodness those mites are dying off and the ticks are mostly gone.”

“Can we not talk about this stuff before we eat?” Nolan said.

Mites and ticks weren’t too bad compared to some stuff we talked about. Mom had some gross stories as a veterinarian.

“Do you think you’d be okay having a pet snake?” I asked.

“The idea is growing on me. For a snake, Fin’s not too bad,” Nolan said.

That was a compliment coming from my brother.

“The little guy is getting under my skin too,” Dad said. “Get it? Under my skin since he’s got all that stuck shed?”

Nolan and I looked at each other. Then we burst out laughing.

“I have a feeling you’re not laughing at my joke,” Dad said with a smile. Two slices of bread popped up in the toaster. “Time to eat!”

“I’ll get some butter,” Nolan said. But when he opened the fridge, he screamed. “What in the world?”

I raced over and peered into the fridge to see what was wrong. There, sitting on a plate right at the front, was a frozen-looking mouse in a plastic baggie.

“I forgot to warn you about that,” Dad said as he served up the eggs. “Mom’s friend dropped off some food for Fin last night. Mom set that mouse in the fridge to thaw out for later.”

“I thought parasites were bad, but that’s disgusting!” Nolan said, shutting the fridge. “Forget the butter.”

I sat down at the kitchen table, thinking things over. I didn’t love finding a mouse in the fridge, but snakes needed to eat too. If I ever got a pet snake, I needed to think about what sorts of things I would have to feed it. A snake that needed to eat live snakes or lizards would not be right for me.

“Maybe I should design kibble for snakes. You know that crunchy stuff dogs eat?” Nolan said.

Dad served us breakfast. “You’d probably be a millionaire if you could figure out how to get snakes to eat kibble. Zoos and animal sanctuaries could feed it to birds too like hawks and owls. But I have a feeling that you’d be disgusted by your job as you perfected the recipe.”

Nolan pushed his plate to the side.

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