I know not the bigbox stores but....

[NOLAcuber]

I was picking up some supplies at my local bigbox store and there is a baby pinstripe that hasn't feed since they got it back in Jan. I was talking with the sales associate, they said they would give me 30% off. I passed because that would still put it at over $100. Should I go back on Monday and ask to "rescue" that animal, as in free? Or maybe offer them $40-50? Stressing the point that it hasn't had a meal in almost 5 months and might not make it for another month of not feeding. It's super skinny and has very bad stuck shed due to low humidity. I was thinking of rehoming it to a friend if I can get it cheap and it survives. TIA

[JodanOrNoDan]

Maybe 40 max. I'd offer 20. If you really want it, I'd tell them something is better than nothing. Putting the emotional issues aside a pinstripe is not worth the risk financially. If you do not have a lot of experience with constrictors you may end up with an animal that ends up costing you more than the original asked price in vet bills. It also could be a danger to any other reptiles you may have. If you have the resources to spend on a charity case and that is your thing, go for it. Otherwise step away. Too much risk.

[Hammertime1977]

I was picking up some supplies at my local bigbox store and there is a baby pinstripe that hasn't feed since they got it back in Jan. I was talking with the sales associate, they said they would give me 30% off. I passed because that would still put it at over $100. Should I go back on Monday and ask to "rescue" that animal, as in free? Or maybe offer them $40-50? Stressing the point that it hasn't had a meal in almost 5 months and might not make it for another month of not feeding. It's super skinny and has very bad stuck shed due to low humidity. I was thinking of rehoming it to a friend if I can get it cheap and it survives. TIA

Be careful with this one, I got into a similar position keeping fish.

They ended up offering me fish all of the time that were either sick, half dead or just bullying a tank and killing everything else.

You'll become a rescue real fast if you take in freebies.

[NOLAcuber]

I'm not really WANTING it. it's more of it looks super skinny and wanting to help save it and give it a better life. I do have some experince with snakes. Lived with 2 adult balls in the past and have a 1 1/2 yr old pinstripe. it would get quarantined away from the other ball and lizards. After it is back up to a healthy weight, hopefully, it will be giving to a friend who is kind of wanting a snake. So I guess it would be a bit of a charity case. lol And I think I would be ok with being reptile rescue.

[bcr229]

While it sounds cold-hearted I would only take it if it were free. Wholesale on common single-genes like pinstripes is under $40 so they would still make money on it.

Unfortunately big box stores won't change their practices until they start losing money on critters. It has nothing to do with how much the employees and even the store managers care about the animals, the bean counters call the shots.

[JoshSloane]

Call your local reptile rescue, call any animal rescue. Big box stores are notorious for awful animal care. Last week a store associate at Petsmart tried to sell me fish that had ICH. Wasn't until I pointed out to him that there was a big sign on the tank saying they were treated with meds that he actually realized what he was doing.

[DennisM]

I'm not really WANTING it....

then don't get it. You can't save the world. They will just replace it with another snake to neglect once they've moved this one.

[Hammertime1977]

^^ What DennisM said...

A few years back, I was almost hired away from my company to join the big red and blue Pet Mart with the S in front of the Mart.

When I started to see their policies and how things were done in store, as someone in the hobby...I was disgusted.

Essentially with losses in the live pet area, they struggle to break even. But in a store like that, the sum of the overall 20 parts will always equal a profit.

They really don't care for their animals, they simply throw dead ones into as garbage container and order a new one.

Not saying that their breeding isn't on par with any basement breeder out there, but you can be guaranteed you're not getting a quality bred animal that has been paid attention by a knowledgeable person. All of the ones I have seen in store, the attendant is too afraid to pick them up as they say this one is "bitey". Yet when I present myself...rub it on the back third and then scoop it up, it's happy and flicking it's tongue exploring. Or just curled up in a ball because my hands are warm.

Sometimes in life, you just have to let nature take it's course.

[Slim]

If it goes out the front door, even as a freebie, it goes on their books as a sale. Which will automatically trigger a replentishmet request in their system. Then they'll have another one they can mistreat.

[Jabberwocky Dragons]

If it's not a case of wanting a free or heavily discounted animal, and only looking out for the snake's interest, why not offer to help with their husbandry? Take temps, offer advice, help with feeding etc.

There's a lot of big box store bashing on here and not all are the same. Some treat their animals very well and sell healthy good looking animals with sound genetics. I know we have members on this site that are employees for big box stores and can corroborate this. I know we also have ex-employees that couldn't stand their stores. Not everyone is identical. I've also seen independent places that make the worst chain store seem like animal heaven.

The bottom line is this... the pet stores want to sell animals and make money. If they can make more money selling healthy, well taken care of animals, they will do so. As pointed out, "rescuing" only perpetuates the cycle of neglect for the animals at that store. Strike up a relationship there and teach how to properly care for the animals. Then not just one snake is "saved" but all of them will be. The big box stores don't inherently want to mistreat their animals, it's almost always out of ignorance. As corporate sees the stores that take the best care of their animals become more profitable with a better reputation, the protocols and husbandry will spread to more stores with more animals benefited.