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A pet's death is never easy, and when 7-year-old Cyrus Ballo of Federal Hill lost two hermit crabs within a week, he was devastated. He'd taken great care of them, after all.
His parents, Joanna Pi-Sunyer and Michael Ballo, wanted to continue fostering their son's caring personality and started thinking about a new pet.
Cyrus wanted a turtle, but his mom and dad weren't so sure about the amount of care turtles need to stay happy and healthy. So, after thinking for a little while, they welcomed a corn snake to their home and named him Sneaky, after the song "Sneaky Goes Dancin'."
Ever since, Sneaky has offered entertainment to the whole family. He lives in a tank in Cyrus' bedroom, and Cyrus and his dad enjoy holding and playing with the snake several times a week.
He's about 20 inches long, as thick as a magic marker, and has smooth, soft skin that is warm -- thanks to his heat lamp. There's nothing slimy about this snake.
Family members also take bets on when Sneaky will shed his skin, which he does in private. No one has yet caught him in the act, but they know he's getting ready when his skin turns dull, and they find his old skin on his bedding or draped over the tree limb in his tank.
They enjoy watching him wolf down his frozen mice, which the family purchases at a local pet store. And yes, he swallows them whole.
To have your pet -- including hamsters, snakes, horses, guinea pigs and the like -- considered for Collared, email information to sun.unleashed@gmail.com.
-- Kim Fernandez (Christopher T. Assaf, Baltimore Sun photo /May 13, 2013)
Clean out your basement then shop for cool stuff and save lives in the process. The Humane Society of Harford County hosts a two-day yard sale, Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 benefiting the adorable animals in its shelter, including Louis the rabbit (she's a girl) and Queenie a sweet 2-year-old kitty.
There are many ways to get involved. Here, the most obvious:
1. You can make donations for the sale. Bring your household items, pet supplies, holiday decor, games, books and what-have-you to the shelter. (No clothing, TVs or computers).
2. You can shop the sale.
3. You can shop the bake sale, held concurrently with the yard sale.
4. You can adopt Louis, Queenie or any of the other animals hoping for new homes.
The sale runs 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. The shelter is located at 2208 Connolly Road, Fallston, Md. See the shelter's website for more info and directions.
