This Time of Year Always Depresses Me

[frankykeno]

First off a disclaimer that this is NOT a slam or whatever at any newcomer to keeping ball pythons so please don't take it that way folks.

This time of year makes me very sad. All over the snake forums I frequent are questions about hatchlings not eating and a lot of them are pet store babies sold to people with no snake experience. All the pet stores I walk into lately have these skinny baby BP's, many to a cage and yippee freakin doodle they are "on sale". Now don't get me wrong, I bought a hatchling from a pet store last year myself. However she was very chubby and to be honest, I pretty much accepted the risks and think I have a good solid knowledge of how to get her eating (and it all went beautifully).

It's just so sad to me though. Watching myself and my friends struggling to help over the internet, wishing I could just get my hands actually on these babies and get them set up quickly. Wanting to smack just about every other pet store manager for selling non-feeding babies. The worst was a post today on another forum where the pet store assured the poster these hatchlings came from a "breeder". Am I stupid or naive here folks? What decent breeder dumps new hatchlings that haven't even taken their first meal into a pet store environment! That's no "breeder" in my books!

Is that the new sales line..."oh it's from a good breeder!"? Replacing the tired old line..."oh yes! it's a great feeder!"

I know it's ultimately the owners responsibility to be well informed but most don't come to a snake forum like BPNet before they buy the poor baby. They come here when trouble hits and hopefully they learn and the snakes make it. I just get so depressed every spring/early summer wondering how many hatchlings didn't make it and hate that waste of precious and beautiful snakeS.

Sorry to be so down, I just needed to vent I guess.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

It is depressing and sadly most of those un-started BP from pet stores will likely end up in the hands of inexperienced owners.

What a tough way to get into the herp world, this is why I think it is important to get a well establish animal from a breeder that will make that first experience a good one.

[frankykeno]

Totally agree with you there Deb. A well started baby, with a breeder helping a newcomer with information to set it up properly or steering them to the right information/forums for ongoing support there as well....that's just a much better experience for both human and snake.

[CeraDigital]

Believe me Jo, I know how it is. Especially with the pet stores and shops around here in Toledo. It get's even worse with the Giant's. Pet stores will candy coat everything to make it sound like keeping them is a breeze. All we can really do is try and help the new keepers out as much as we can.

[frankykeno]

Heck yeah Andrew. I don't know if you remember that poor lady last year here on BPNet that a pet store sold a lovely albino BP for her 10 year old son's pet snake. NOT a BP...it was a Burm! Imagine the poor dear woman's shock when she found out the nice 4 foot mature snake she expected this thing to grow into was going to be much, MUCH bigger at maturity. Makes you nuts when a store can't even properly ID a snake (let alone actually give proper husbandry/housing/feeding info!).

Oh and if memory serves, they also talked her into some expensive tall mesh cage thing that was appropriate for an arboreal lizard.

[lord jackel]

I agree with you. Just today I saw a local pet store running a "FREE Ball Python" with purchase of a starter kit. (the kit was an aquarium, light bulb, CHE, half log, stick on thermometer, etc. for $99)

It is unfortunate that so many end up in inexperienced hands...but what is worse is the thought that though a few will show up on the forums trying to get help...1000's (if not 10s of 1000s) will not get help and will allow the animals to just waste away.

[frankykeno]

On the giants issue as well, I don't know about you Andrew but I meet a few people every year that when they hear we have snakes they say "oh I had a burm". Of course, I always ask "so what happened to the burm?". It never fails but they respond "oh it got too big".

Just what in holy hell did they think a burm would get?????? Bit like buying a Great Dane puppy and then being shocked it grew into a huge dog! At least that unwanted dog might have a chance to be rehomed, giant snakes...not so much.

Gawd but some humans irritate me!

[CeraDigital]

I neer caught that, and would've helped if I seen it! It amazes me what some pet stores will/do pull in order to make a quick buck. Dave's is probably the worst when it comes to it. The "Mr. know it all" of snakes in Toledo. He even called BP's and AfRocks junk snakes, and not worth bothering with!! His store is nasty too, and I think its sick he houses Corn snakes, Boa's, Burms, Balls, and Retics all in the same cage!

Heck yeah Andrew. I don't know if you remember that poor lady last year here on BPNet that a pet store sold a lovely albino BP for her 10 year old son's pet snake. NOT a BP...it was a Burm! Imagine the poor dear woman's shock when she found out the nice 4 foot mature snake she expected this thing to grow into was going to be much, MUCH bigger at maturity. Makes you nuts when a store can't even properly ID a snake (let alone actually give proper husbandry/housing/feeding info!).

Oh and if memory serves, they also talked her into some expensive tall mesh cage thing that was appropriate for an arboreal lizard.

[CeraDigital]

I meet alot of people like that. Just so happens majority of the snakes that get too big for the keepers in Toledo, wind up with me. I've even come home from work to find a snake sitting in a pillow case at my door step! I clean them up, get them fattened up a bit and back to proper weight, and find a much better home for them at a $20 adoption fee. What's sick is the size where they "got to big" is normally around 7-8' or so! That's only a 12-16 month old Burm!

On the giants issue as well, I don't know about you Andrew but I meet a few people every year that when they hear we have snakes they say "oh I had a burm". Of course, I always ask "so what happened to the burm?". It never fails but they respond "oh it got too big".

Just what in holy hell did they think a burm would get?????? Bit like buying a Great Dane puppy and then being shocked it grew into a huge dog! At least that unwanted dog might have a chance to be rehomed, giant snakes...not so much.

Gawd but some humans irritate me!

[frankykeno]

I neer caught that, and would've helped if I seen it! It amazes me what some pet stores will/do pull in order to make a quick buck. Dave's is probably the worst when it comes to it. The "Mr. know it all" of snakes in Toledo. He even called BP's and AfRocks junk snakes, and not worth bothering with!! His store is nasty too, and I think its sick he houses Corn snakes, Boa's, Burms, Balls, and Retics all in the same cage!

Well at least that hell hole over in the Polish Village closed down (there is a god apparently!) I went to Dave's once and never again. Bunch of idiots, snakes horribly kept, treated me like a "girl who will scream if she handles a snake" and I would put my last dollar on it that those purebred puppies are from puppy mills! Oh and his "small" rats for $3.99....heck I have bigger rats on their mother's teats! GRRRRRRRRR