Horrible looking BP

i have never seen a BP this bad... Hell, I've seen Dead BPs that look healthier than this

Aye that is a pretty sad looking animal I would definately see the amanger and if a change want made on the spot next call would be a HERP rescue or ASPCA even though I am not fond of them. But if we jsut sit on our hands nothing will ever change. I recently called corperate on a Petsmart in the area and it seems to have made a difference Temps and humidities were correct the next time I stopped in and the animals looked a lot better.

I hate a lot of pet shops

I know there are alot of rescues and great people out there but sometimes I really wish there was more the herp community could do to stop the poor treatment of reptiles. I've never been to a pet store that tries to sell puppies in a comparable degree of health... Thankfully for puppies, but not so much for our reptile friends.

If it were me I would demand to speak with the manager and to have the # for the corporate office. Upon securing this information I would then call any local rescue organizations if not the police and or ASPCA.

It is appalling to have an animal in such condition up for sale and to be doing nothing to rectify the situation. I would also be curious to know if the snake was in that condition when it came to them or if it became that way whilst they had it. Seeing as how snakes can go so long with out eating and not come close to looking how this snake does I can only assume that a) it has been there for a very long time to become this way or b) the snake came to them in that condition and they did nothing about it...

Either way I'd be demanding that something be done about the situation.

I rescue exotics so this just peeves me off big time....

Instead of rushing to the cops or ASPCA, or demanding anything... I would talk directly to the manager of the store. Explain CALMLY all the signs that the snake is in very poor shape(mention how to tell it's so thin, the retained shed, etc). Explain the snake will possibly DIE without the issues being rectified, and if it died after someone bought it, it would be a black eye on the store's reputation, plus money out of pocket.

Then explain the minor changed needed to make the snake healthy. Feeding schedule, a way to keep humiidty in a tank(even if it's a damp towel on top, that's easy and CHEAP to do). Don't go all out with the "two hides, thermostat, one snake per cage" stuff. Stores have to DISPLAY the animals for sale, so stick with proper heat, humiidty and feeding.

If you do all this calmly and rationally, you have a good chance of informing the manager of how to ensure his reptiles have better care, leading to animals having a better life.

If he says "I don't care if it dies" you can always fall back on being demanding, going to the cops or ASPCA. Trying first to educate and get the store to change it's practices is always preferable. Many of the people haven't ever seen a python in good condition and could think a python being thin is normal and that "all" snakes have bits of shed stuck on them, etc. Teaching them how to soak a snake in a secure tupperware with a warm wet towel is super cheap, makes the stuck shed leave, resulting in a healthier, easier to sell python.

Oh my gosh that is terrible. In that condition they should be giving the snake away to someone that can take care of it.