08/27/2026
Update:
I wanted to give everyone a little update on our Princess, especially since I briefly mentioned her the other night and a few of you have reached out about her. Tuesday evening, Princess very suddenly began showing some pretty concerning neurological symptoms. This came out of nowhere. She was losing control of her head and neck, couldn’t easily right her body, and for those who are familiar with the terminology, she was showing some signs of stargazing. Within a very short time, we were on our way to UGA in Athens, where she has been ever since.
They’ve done extensive examinations, ultrasounds and bloodwork, and so far her organs look perfectly healthy, which we’re incredibly thankful for. Her overall body condition is also excellent. Her doctor Tuesday night just couldn’t say enough about what a gorgeous girl she is and what a beautiful specimen she is, which of course made this snake mama very proud. We even discussed her enclosure. We went over everything , cleaning solutions, hides, temps and humidity… everything is exactly as it should be. But neurologically, something was very clearly wrong. She had very little control of her head and neck and was struggling to right herself, which is what made everything so frightening. While Jon was talking through everything that had happened with her doctor, he mentioned that the symptoms almost reminded him of a stroke. Her doctor was genuinely intrigued by that because she explained that there aren’t documented cases of stroke in reptiles. With so much still unknown, they decided to begin treating her with antibiotics. She received a dose last night and another this morning, and today we finally got a little bit of encouraging news. She seems to have slightly more control of her head. It’s a small improvement, and certainly not enough to tell us exactly what is happening yet, but the response does give us some hope that an infection could possibly be involved. We’re still waiting for the rest of her blood panels and hopefully those will give her doctors a little more information.
For now, Princess will be staying at UGA for the next three weeks. She’ll be receiving daily injections and being closely monitored throughout her treatment. Obviously, three weeks of specialized veterinary care comes with a pretty significant expense, but she’s our girl. We do what we have to do for the little lives entrusted to us, and we’re incredibly grateful that we’re able to give her this chance. We also know that the improvement we’re seeing right now could change once treatment is complete, so we’re trying not to get ahead of ourselves. We’re just taking the little bit of improvement as good news and letting that be enough for today. I also cannot say enough good things about the doctors, nurses and entire team at UGA. Everyone we have encountered has been incredibly professional, kind and genuinely caring. I have complete trust in them and I know Princess is exactly where she needs to be. Leaving her there for three weeks isn’t easy, but knowing the level of care she is receiving makes it so much easier.
I also wanted to share all of this because I know quite a few people have reached out to me recently, particularly regarding the positions we’ve opened at The Craft. Please know those conversations haven’t stopped. Morgan is still accepting résumés, we’re still looking through everyone who has expressed interest, and we’re still very much on track with finding the right person for Wednesday as well as the right readers for our space. We’re taking our time with both because finding the right people matters much more to us than filling a position quickly. The reader side will probably take me a little longer because that’s something I want to be very hands on with personally. So if you’ve reached out and haven’t heard directly from me yet, I’m not ignoring you. Life behind the scenes has simply required a little more of my attention these last couple of days.
The Craft is still moving right along, Morgan is holding down the fort beautifully, and I’m still here doing what needs to be done. I’m just also being Princess’s mom right now and making sure my little girl has everything she needs. And today, she is just a tiny bit better.
That’s enough for me today.
