Percy came into my care in the Spring of 2002 before Riverside Reptiles was even a thought of mine. My mother had learned about Percy, a large snake who was now unwanted as a pet. The owner agreed to give her the snake, and she went straight to the house after work, took the snake, and called me when she came home to let me know what had happened.
​
When I arrived at my parents’ house, I saw this 7-8’ Burmese Python crammed into a 40-gallon tank. He was very thin and smelly with burns on his belly from an under-tank heating pad covering most of the bottom glass. He appeared to be between 8-10 years old from his length; however, because he was malnourished, he might have been a bit older. When I cautiously reached in to remove him from the aquarium, I was pleasantly surprised that his demeanor was inquisitive and gentle. I had brought a much larger enclosure and immediately set him up in a much in a more appropriate enclosure. I began treating his wounds and offering him food.
​
By the spring of 2003, my wife Sara and I moved into a larger apartment. We were able to move Percy out of my parents’ house and in with us. By then, he was healed, healthy, and ready to hit the road with my newly formed educational outreach company “Riverside Reptiles”. Over the years, Percy grew to an impressive 13 feet and 90 pounds. He was always a huge hit at all my programs because of his impressive size and friendly
disposition. Percy joined me on over 5,000 outreach programs.
​
On October 3, 2020, Riverside Reptiles Education Center had its grand opening. We were so excited to show everyone the reptile zoo that we had built! In his typical chill animal ambassador role, Percy welcomed all the visitors. By this time Percy was starting to show his age: weight loss, atrophying muscles, and cataract
development. Because of all this he was retired from educational programs.
​

By the spring of 2022, we could tell that Percy was nearing the end of his life: he was half the weight he used to be, and he could barely hold himself up. Sadly, on July 2, 2022, Percy died in his sleep.
​
Although for the first part of his life Percy didn’t receive appropriate care, he never saw humans as a threat. He had every right to be untrusting of humans.  But, for some reason beyond my understanding, he was the gentlest snake I have ever owned, and probably will ever own. If you’ve been to a Riverside Reptiles program, you’ve probably met him. Percy helped us educate tens of thousands of people on the importance of snakes, and why we need to learn to coexist with them. He was the perfect ambassador for his species, and he is
deeply missed by me and everyone else that has worked with him here at Riverside Reptiles Education Center.
​
Although Percy's story came to an end, there are many unwanted pet reptiles just waiting for theirs to begin. Please help CERR take in more unwanted animals, care for the ones we have already rescued, and continue to educate everyone on these beneficial, fascinating creatures by making a tax- deductible donation or sponsoring an animal today.