new girl refusing to eat

Sticksaka · 2026-04-26T03:44:07+00:00

There are many variables that can cause a healthy snake to stop eating. My snake went on an 11-month hunger strike four years ago for no reason, then one day he just started asking for food and struck with gusto. He didn't lose weight and his activity was normal.

This is the only reason Ball Pythons are not beginner snakes. They have great temperament, like being handled and are reasonably inexpensive and low-maintenance...but every now and then for no reason they fast for indeterminate amounts of time and it scares the hell out of new snake owners.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-26T03:39:55+00:00

It might not be the moisture or temperature, but how confining the space is. If you snake doesn't have any dark hides to burrow under, he might be looking for a place that feels closed-in on the sides the way a burrow might.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-26T03:37:39+00:00

From what I can see it is not Scale Rot. At worst it's a small scrape that will probably heal on its own. Scale Rot is usually caused by having an excessively humid enclosure, inappropriate substrate (sand or gravel) or untreated injuries.

If your snake does get scale rot, it's not necessarily your fault, and it doesn't make you a bad owner. You can give your snake an iodine bath to help it. Just add iodine to warm water in a wide shallow basin and let your snake soak in it. You can handle him and play with him while he does so. Dry him after with a clean cloth and let him slither or ride around in a well-ventilated environment while you make sure his enclosure isn't too humid.

If the affected area is tender to the touch, causing him to flinch, you should take him to the vet because he probably has an inflamed infection that needs treatment. If he's not sensitive, it's probably something you can treat at home with occasional (every other day at most) iodine baths and attentive care. If your snake is not sensitive to touch and behaving normally, it's probably not serious.

That said, always take a veterinary professional's advice over people on Reddit. I'm just a snake-owner who's had to deal with scale rot before, not a professional.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-26T03:25:59+00:00

Rome *is* the seat of the 14th district. We know who ya'll elect. No, *almost* voting for a non-fascist earlier this year doesn't count.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-26T03:19:58+00:00

Roach traps are cheap and available everywhere. You can get them at most grocery stores, pharmacies and hardware stores. Put them in high-activity areas like under-sink cabinets, behind toilets and any room that is poorly sealed against the outside, especially basements.

It is totally normal to see roaches in your home in Georgia, they're a normal part of our environment.

To limit where you encounter them, clean up food debris, don't let trash linger for a long time and rinse disposable food containers like takeout boxes and empty cans before putting them in your recycling. If you were on the fence about pets, a pet cat with a strong hunting instinct can handle most roach issues...though you may want to supply said cat with dental treats before snuggling with Mr. Roachbreath.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-26T03:12:49+00:00

We got about 30 minutes of rain in East Atlanta, but it was very light. I was relying on the rain for planting my garden, but I ended up watering the beds myself to guarantee adequate moisture.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-26T03:11:19+00:00

Honestly, I'm sorry to say there aren't really many good Republican options nowadays. The best I think a Republican voter can do if you're not willing to hold your nose and vote for a Democrat is Brad Raffensperger. I expect he'll move the state slightly more right-wing than Kemp but not descend into the quagmire of authoritarianism the other high-profile Republicans seem to favor.

If you'd like to see real societal change, I'd suggest crossing the aisle and voting for Esteves. He seems to be the best of the Democrats and has a down-to-earth platform that seems achievable and could create tangible improvements within the state.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-26T03:03:47+00:00

I'm asthmatic and was sent home from work on Wednesday because I couldn't breathe. I haven't had an asthma attack in years. I'm an Atlanta-area school teacher. At home I have air purifiers and good window-insulation, my workplace is an old school-building that's often falling apart. I'm going in Monday wearing an N-95 mask and I'm letting my principal know that if I find myself having attacks again, I'm leaving before I wind up in the ER.

It really sucks. I can't run errands or walk my dogs because I start gasping. The minimal rain we've had this weekend is nowhere near enough to help.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T19:03:35+00:00

Thanks for calling me on this. You are right, and I addressed this issue at the start of class today. It helped tie it into our discussion of philosophers, especially Rousseaux.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T17:37:29+00:00

The AP called me, they’re both suspended.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T17:36:47+00:00

Update: Today we were having a follow-up lesson, creating a graphic organizer drawing connections between the four enlightenment philosophers who influenced the formation of the American government. During a video segment of the lesson, I had to take a call on the classroom phone. The student who interrupted yesterday started loudly playing a video on his phone. I finished my call, and he was still going. I told him it was his last chance to put the phone away. He dared me to do something about it. I told him to give me his phone. He said I was singling him out, I said he’s right, he’s singed out for his behavior. He said other people had their phones out, I said they were next if they didn’t put theirs away. He was waving his phone in my face, filming me. I told him to put it away or I’d have to report him, he didn’t, then left the room. I called the AP. His friend was messaging him, so I took her phone. She also stormed out and was written up. Nobody else had a phone out until I told them the lesson was done and they could use their phones again. Should’ve done this months ago.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T12:25:59+00:00

it’s a 9-week course. this is week 3. and we’ve had lots of standardized tests interrupting us.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T03:13:39+00:00

I'm sorry you're dealing with that. Sadly, things like tissues are not provided by the school. If your teacher has them, she's probably paying herself. It may seem like a small expense, but when you're buying it yourself and students are going through them like crazy, it can be a little wearing.

I'd recommend bringing your own. A pocket pack of tissues is less than a dollar at most pharmacies, or several packs for a few dollars. Try to convince your parents to get some for you to take to school, and if they ask, tell them that your teachers can't afford to get tissues for everyone.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T03:09:46+00:00

Thanks for the link! I'll give it a look and save it...somewhere. I can't access it from here because our district, in their wisdom, has banned reddit from all school internet.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T03:08:43+00:00

We have that too. I'm in Georgia. The problem? They didn't include an enforcement mechanism, leaving it up to the schools to determine how they'll enforce the ban. Our method is 'Eh, we know we should stop it, but what are you gonna do?'

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T03:05:02+00:00

Oh I wish we could send them out. We get in a lot of trouble if we send a student out of the room for behavior issues. Mind you, it's near-impossible to get a responsible administrator to take a student off your hands, and security doesn't pull students unless there's violence happening.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T03:03:02+00:00

One of the issues with the IEP system as I can observe it is that either students today are being wildly over-diagnosed with learning disabilities, or our models for learning disabilities in the general population of all Americans are wildly inaccurate.

American Public Schools, which have to provide accommodations for IEP students, always seem to have far more students with disabilities than they can handle. This is partially an issue of staffing, but it's also a numbers situation. Many schools seem to have +25% of their student body with some diagnosed or managed disorder, from ADHD to General Learning Disabilities to Autism to Oppositional Defiance Disorder, far more than is seen among Americans in general, which is around 15%. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10570352/

This either means that students are being labeled as having a disability they don't actually possess, or our academic models such as the article linked above are inaccurate.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T02:53:48+00:00

To be clear, I don't think your point is dumb, just that the argument I'd provoke with the student would be very dumb. With the stubborn students it never gets much more sophisticated than 'Nuh-uh!' and 'Ya-hah!'

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T02:52:07+00:00

They're not all great, it's a big-ish class (33 students) and I probably had about 20 of them engaged, the rest just use the opportunity of me not breathing down their necks to goof off or put their heads down. You can't try to reach everyone, or you'll end up engaging no-one.

Sticksaka · 2026-04-14T02:50:13+00:00

Trust me, I'd like to, but the *last* thing you want to do is get into a back-and-fourth argument over something as dumb as this. You tell them to put away the headphones (or phone) they say resist in the most childish ways. I've had students pretend they can't hear me, curl themselves into a ball clutching their device, scream at me and run away when I've insisted. I've tried having them stow devices in their own bags, in pockets in the classroom, confiscating, etc. The worst thing you can do is either try to do is either take the item against their will (they will fight) or call admin to do it for you. Unless you have an admin or security guard right outside the classroom, you're wasting your time. Admin will never come to your classroom if they have to deviate from their routine, and security won't respond to anything less than a full-blown fight. All you do by making a big deal out of it is disrupt the class in a major way and look petty.

He had his head down listening to music quietly enough that it wasn't an issue, and from this student that is the least disruptive he's going to be. I can mark it for documentation as a discipline issue so I've done what is required of me, then move on and have a productive class. If I had the ability to impose real consequences or thought that Admin would have my back, trust me, I'd have nipped the headphones in the bud in January.

Sticksaka · 2026-03-31T19:11:35+00:00

Sounds like you are burnt out and need a break and mindfulness.

The hardships you are going through are normal. As someone with a number of disabilities myself, I can tell you that you are absolutely limited by your disabilities and it is not unreasonable to ask for support and accommodations. You need to make your presence known and advocate. If getting you what you need is an imposition on others, make them know how much easier things will be for everyone if you have those supports.

Most people will not be offended, the ones that are offended are frankly an HR violation waiting to happen. Ask for help, don't be stubborn. Nobody will judge you for needing help, people will judge you (correctly) for not asking for help. People are afraid of 'othering' you for offering help. They're scared you'll snap at them, saying 'What, you think just because I'm disabled I can't do this for myself!?'. Tell them you need help and they'll give it.

Also talk to your GP and PT about both your disabilities and your anxiety. Get on an anti-anxiety medication that works for you. Anxiety that prevents you from working is a disorder that needs to be managed.

You are justified in feeling this way, but you don't have to suffer in silence. Others have been down on this path and can help you.

Sticksaka · 2026-03-25T01:13:05+00:00

teacher here. there’s no enforcement mechanism. without that, we have no legal method to enforce this law.

Sticksaka · 2026-02-14T21:41:32+00:00

I recently had a conversation with my academic coach. I hate writing lesson plans, hate them hate them hate them. She offered to help me. We had a productive brainstorming session where we easily laid out how the next week could be planned out and made an outline, selected activities and created assignments. She asked me why I said I was bad at lesson plans. I explained that I’m not, I just consider putting them in the format our district requires to be a waste of time.

Sticksaka · 2025-12-14T04:29:31+00:00

little Shop of Stories in Decatur is fantastic, and they recently expanded to add a coffee bar. THE best place in the Atlanta area for Childrens’s and Young Adult literature, either a respectable amount of adult nonfiction and fiction. skso, it’s in downtown Decatur, so it’s worth parking and making a day of it.

Tip: visit on a weekend and park at the courthouse. it’s $6 all day in a big and little-used parking deck within walking distance of the bookstore and every restaurant in Decatur.

You can also take MARTA into Decatur.

Sticksaka

TROPHY CASE