A man has been banned from keeping exotic animals for two years after he was convicted of neglecting a snake at his flat. The RSPCA said Bella, an adult female boa constrictor, was seven feet long.
She was kept by James McAlonan in a vivarium which measured just 4ft by 2ft, said the charity. McAlonan , 44, of Devon Close, Brinnington, Stockport, admitted two charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 of causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of the boa constrictor when he appeared before Tameside magistrates' court on May 5, the RSPCA added in a statement.
They said McAlonan was keeping a number of reptiles at his home, including turtles, but Bella was found to be suffering from a serious mouth infection for which vet treatment had not been sought.
"Her skin was scabbed and bleeding, and she was living in 'inadequate conditions' in a vivarium whose internal temperature was too low for a snake to thrive," said the RSPCA. "The enclosure was also too small for the snake, who was seven-foot in length."
RSPCA Inspector Demi Hodby was asked to attend McAlonan's flat by police, who executed a warrant there on February 18 last year after reports the boa constrictor was roaming around loose inside. In a witness statement to the court, Inspector Hodby, said Bella was 'very cold' to touch, the temperature of the vivarium was between 13.3C and 13.8C and there was no food or water laid down for her.
She said: “She was unable to close her mouth and appeared to have a mouth infection as there was saliva around the area. There was a large lump under her chin and her skin was scabby and bleeding in places, while she appeared to be in a very bad shed.”
McAlonan allowed the inspector to take Bella to a vet, but sadly the reptile's health was so poor that she had to be put to sleep. Vet Aiden Raftery said in his expert report to the court the snake was suffering from painful mouth lesions and combined with other skin abnormalities it would not have been possible to cure her.
The RSPCA said the vet stated the snake should have been in a vivarium of at least 7ft by 3ft4, whereas her enclosure measured only 4ft by 2ft. Mr Raftery said in his report: "Failure to provide the correct environmental temperature will have predisposed this animal to infections. The area of infection in the rostral area of the mouth would have taken many weeks to reach the state it was at."
In mitigation, the court was told that McAlonen had signed over the snake to the RSPCA voluntarily. He was ordered to complete 75 hours of unpaid work and attend 15 rehabilitation activity days as part of a 12-month community sentence. Together with the animal ban, he was also ordered to pay £400 court costs.
Speaking after the case, Inspector Hodby said: "This snake died because of poor husbandry as the temperatures she was being kept at meant she developed a viral infection. Caring for a snake like a boa requires more expert knowledge and he should have done his research."
