BHB reptiles/ Brian Barczyk

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Originally Posted by Maddumpling

i see, it still bothers me though because there are some who had mites and some who did not and right now im seeing a 50/50 answers. I want to buy from them because i'll have a guaranteed het but i'm worried when it arrives. Either it will be healthy or harm my other two snakes, especially my albino which i want to breed to the het.

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You can't look at just the numbers. If I asked your best friend and some great aunt who hasn't seen you since you were 3 I might get a 50/50 poll on whether or not you wet the bed. I am certainly not questioning the statements that someone got a snake with mites from BHB. With an operation as large as his there is bound to be a snake or two that got out the door with mites at some point. Unless you have pictures or videos its hard to say how bad any case might be. Its also entirely possible that the errors that allowed those snakes to get out have been corrected. You then have to ask yourself if those bad reviews are relevant to your current decision. They may be, but you need to review the accounts one by one in context.

Are we sure these mites are snake mites? They use cypress mulch, if I recall correctly, and that can lead to wood mites (which are harmless to snakes).

I have purchased a total of 12 ball pythons from BHB this year. I noticed one mite on one of them shortly after I got her. I used provent a mite on the tubs and never saw another one, dead or alive (and I keep on unprinted newspaper). I believe if it were a snake mite, there would've been more than one.

All 12 snakes I purchased were healthy and are doing well.

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Originally Posted by Maddumpling

I didnt lose respect just after hearing all these rumors all of sudden I'm really wondering is it really worth buying the het from BHB. Right now I'm stuck because I need a het albino female breeder that has the paperwork and stuff, but the only one that fits the description is BHB. But is it really a risk to take because I dont have enough room to quarantine my snakes and so far my quarantine process has been separating the snakes as far as possible in my room. So far this has been going well and all my snakes are healthy. But if I bring in the het, there will be the chance that it might have mites and that the mites can spread and infect my collection.

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sounds to me like you've made your decision. The fact of the matter is, you can contact Brian and and talk to him personally, to guarantee the health of the animal you wish to purchase. With that option available, I don't see why you're still here asking. You've gotten a plethora of different answers so the only person who will decide is YOU. NOt to mention if he guarantees the health of the animal, I very highly doubt you'd receive an ill, or mite-infested snake. BHB isn't one of the biggest, if not the biggest breeding company in the US because they've been selling sick animals for 20 years. He's done something right, and he has lots of satisfied customers.

I bought a few snakes from bhb a few years back, one of them after 3 weeks in my care developed a severe RI. I took it to vet and after a week of treatment it died. I contacted Brian and told him so in the tiny chance it wasn't my fault, he knew to keep an eye out in his own collection or if he wanted he could have the body for testing. I wasn't looking for replacement, I didn't expect anything. He emailed back told me he would send a replacement as soon as I was ready.

I will absolutely buy from him again I think he its a stand up guy that will stand behind his products

~ Karl

Most of my collection has been purchased from BHB. All of them have been healthy and mite free. As a matter of fact I was there yesterday and picked up a male cinnamon enchi for future projects. I must have gone threw 200 tubs, and did not see a single mite. :D

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Originally Posted by CapeFearConstrictors

Are we sure these mites are snake mites? They use cypress mulch, if I recall correctly, and that can lead to wood mites (which are harmless to snakes).

I have purchased a total of 12 ball pythons from BHB this year. I noticed one mite on one of them shortly after I got her. I used provent a mite on the tubs and never saw another one, dead or alive (and I keep on unprinted newspaper). I believe if it were a snake mite, there would've been more than one.

All 12 snakes I purchased were healthy and are doing well.

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Can you use provent a mite on newspaper?

Sure. I spray the tubs, wait 15 minutes and then put the paper in. Sometimes I'll spray the paper and let it dry for a while before using it. Never had any problems. As long as it dries and doesn't get in their water, there shouldn't be any issues.

I've been a member of this forum for a little while now and have lurked without posting (maybe did a long, long time ago) until now.

I purchase a female albino spider ball python from BHB weighing 600 grams to arrive Thursday November 10 during my week vacation from work. Originally the snake was listed at 900 grams and Lori checked the weight and confirmed it was 600 grams, no big deal, I was interested in the snake moreso than its weight.

I was able to get a birth date after about the second request from Lori (I think there were about 14 emails back and forth total throughout the purchase, I don't just blindly buy things typically). It seemed difficult to get answers outside of purchasing/shipping and I don't know if it was innocently over-looked or possibly the answer unknown (birth date, feeding record, what it currently was feeding on: frozen/thawed or live, etc.). Again, no big deal that the informationw was not all provided - I've found that it varies based on breeder, she did respond to all of my emails in turn and although brief was kind.

The BP arrived Thursday on time and after a few hours cooling down I took her out to take a look at her. I found around 3-4 mites on her. I've dealt with wood mites in the past (used to have pet rats) and these were not wood mites. I spayed her enclosure and aspen bedding with Provent-A-Mite but wanted to let her calm down for the first week before doing anything further. I gave her a bath the following weekend and then followed up with a Betadine bath as recommended in my online research. Removed the bedding and then layed paper towel and re-sprayed the enclosure with Provent-A-Mite.

I emailed BHB on November 21 to notify them of the goings on, that I had found mites, what I had done to treat them, and asked if they had any help/advice to offer. After all, I assumed paying over 1k I would receive some form of apology or advice/even thanks for notifying them to keep an eye on their collection that they may have an infestation. I've yet to receive a reply and at this point don't expect one.

I've only been in the hobby a couple of years now (3-4), owning only 12 snakes myself - 3 boas, 2 centralian pythons, and 7 ball pythons, so I'm still new to the hobby. However of the 10 or so breeders I've dealt with, this is the first to sell me an animal that had mites or any health defect. Part of me can look past it and say, "well they are a big company with thousands of snakes, quality control must be tough;" and part of me feels that the first half of me is letting them slide. If you purchase something you expect it to arrive in the condition garaunteed on the site and to meet standard of other "mom and pop shop" breeders. How can I not hold a big breeder accountable and expect more from a small time breeder? Shouldn't the big name breeder have better preventative measure/control?

My greatest concern at this point is that the mites may spread to the remainder of my collection. As I said, I've never dealt with mites before and have no idea how resilient, persistent, or invincible they are. Even with quarantine, Provent-A-Mite bathes, etc, will they still spread through my collection and stress or even kill my pets? I'm doing the best with what I've found online, I'm just frustrated to have been put in this predicament by a breeder who is probably the best known, or one that is greatly looked up to by small-time breeders and enthusiasts alike.

I used to be a huge fan of BHB but now I'm up in the air on it. Sad to say, that once being a huge supporter of theirs (from being a small town guy as I am) and their show, to hesitant to recommend them, makes me disappointed in this hobby.

Hopefully this helps others and although I'm not known I hope it does not damage my credibility. I gain nothing from bashing a good name nor do I breed or have any financial gain from doing so. I simply wanted people to be aware of the possibility and frustrations of a fellow enthusiast.


Sorry for the long write and good luck.


Z

I'm really sorry to hear that, Z. Don't worry too deeply about the mites. Provent-A-Mite, used according to directions, will kill them, and prevent them from spreading. Take care what you did with the packaging the snake came in, as obviously the bag may also have been infested with mites.

If you're super-worried, just give every bin in your collection a light treatment with Provent-a-mite, and that will eliminate the risk. The stuff absolutely works, and it works great.

I wouldn't excuse them for that, either. It's saddening to hear that someone who's done so much for the community may be sliding when it comes to basic husbandry and customer service. It is one of the perils of being a big company--employees who may not be as knowledgeable are relied on to do daily tasks.

Mites can happen, obviously--they can come in on bedding, items from reptile suppliers or pet stores, other animals, your pant legs....etc. They're not that difficult to deal with, and you can eliminate them fast simply by paying attention and using PAM the moment you see one.

It's really not excusable for any breeder to actually ship a snake that has mites. Any snake being shipped should at least be given a brief exam before you put it in a bag. If it's not perfect, then tell the customer what happened, and treat the problem before you send it.

The primary problem with mites that makes them more than a nuisance is that they can spread viral diseases, so prompt attention when you spot them is the smart thing to do.

I just got a blizzard corn snake TODAY from BHB and no mites what so ever :D