Goodbye...

I can only imagine how rewarding a healthy snake must be. I thought "star gazing" was turning to the side/ rolling over? He never really rolled over or anything. I don't know what it was.
I'm going to try and get a refund but honestly I have a feeling that may involve him jeopardizing if I can get live feeders in the future and it's very possible he wouldn't refund me. If not, I'm prepared to eat that loss. If I can get full paperwork, I will go with that. If not, I will be seeing Corey - I talked to my boyfriend about going to Red Deer and he said it sounds fine to him if I will end up with a healthy snake. It'd be even better if I could get one used to eating F/T already :P

Maybe I'll ask the breeder if I can get a refund now and say I'm waiting until after I move and everything to get another snake. I don't know, I just don't want to start some kind of drama, you know?

I totally understand your desire to not make waves with someone who has the potential to make even bigger waves back atcha.


If I were you, I would not even suggest that you want another snake after you move. He may just offer "store credit" in that case and tell you to come back whenever you're ready. I would just tell him the experience has put me off owning snakes for awhile and could I just please have my money back? He doesn't have to know you're going to buy another one from Corey later.

That's what I was thinking of doing now. If he won't give me a refund, I'll eat the cost, whatever. It's not worth a second unhealthy snake to me.

Sometimes it's hard to by-pass a snake that's poorly. In fact, sometimes it's the hardest thing you can do. Last year I went into a reptile shop in a town nearby. I wanted to buy every reptile in the shop such was the disgusting condition they were being kept in. Filthy vivs, household lightbulbs for heat which didn't seem to be attached to any temperature control, and worse, all the snakes were curled up in their water bowls which were filthy and several contained no water at all. I knew if I'd bought them all, apart from hefty vet bills, I'd only be lining the pockets of the shop owners and condemning even more animals to a life of hell. We turned on our heel and left. Both my husband and I were reduced to tears at the plight of these poor animals. I still remember the pleading look from the poor rat snake, pushing the door with his nose in a desperate bid to get out of the hell-hole that was supposed to be a viv. I just hope some kind person bought him. I let my friend who does reptile rescue know about it. She'd been kicking up a stink with the RSPCA for a long time about that shop, trying to get it closed down and had been liaising with one of their inspectors.


I have two rescue snakes. One is a BP who I got from my friend who does reptile rescue. He had originally been a healthy snake, but the people who had bought him knew nothing about snakes and couldn't be bothered asking for advice or learning then they just got fed up with him. My friend got him just in time and nursed him back to health. He had three sheds on him, several layers of eyecaps and was starving to death. It was touch and go for a while and when we gave him a home, he was still very triangular. He is a very healthy snake now but still very shy. He's a good eater and sheds perfectly every time now. Our other rescue is a Cornsnake. I have a post under Cornsnakes about him. He had at some point been quite badly burned (unguarded household lightbulb) and has some bad scarring along his neck. He was sold for £10 - the price of a couple of pints of beer by the previous owners own admission. He had also been a healthy snake to start with, just neglected. He's fine now.

You tried with little Hero and loved him and cared for him in his short time with you. I'm sure that in his own little snake way, he knew that. You are a very kind person and I sincerely hope that the next BP you get is with you for many, many years.

:) Thanks. I go back tomorrow and I've been going over and over in m head how to tell him I don't want a snake, I'm going to ask for a CB with paperwork and records of his feeds/sheds because I don't want to risk another sudden death, because I don't want it to put me off snakes. I have a feeling he will get mad and not give me anything but you know what? That's worth not getting another unhealthy snake who will die on me. Red Deer and Corey seem to be in my future.

This time I'll trust BP.net, because I know you guys are nothing but helpful. Thanks for being so great with me about this :) Warm fuzzies for all of you! (in the context of a snake forum that phrase suddenly becomes much stranger :O )

LadyPython, if you return to this thread.
Is this star-gazing?

http://mousch.zoto.com/img/45/35a16c...607a27ef3-.jpg

http://mousch.zoto.com/img/45/0ab29e...0e5e4e27c-.jpg

I don't know if I'm over analyzing, but he would do this from time to time (I don't know about hours on end) and he seemed to have troule moving his back end (the the point I thought his tail may have been paralysed for a shrt time, but he could move it.. just pretty weakly).

I don't know if I'm just going back and hoping to use IBD as an excuse or not though. I just wish I knew why :(

If you want a honest opinion.I would not even trust anything this clown(i will not say my correct words for him;) ) has or will ever have.If by chance Hero did have IBD everything in the clowns collection probably does also.I would ask for a refund and if he refuses kindly turn and leave.Why put your heart out for something else he pushes on you.Wait until the person(sorry forgot your name) who offered you a true cbb ball python and yourself can hook up.Like i said this is my honest opinion ;)

That's my honest opinion too, Joe. That's what I'll tell him. My boyfriend thinks I should take a snake anyway if he won't give me my money back, but I figure I'll just pay the enchanting Mr Woods a visit in Red Deer, and cut my losses.

I call it Ray Charlsing when they look up and swing their head back and forth, but Im not sure what that is really called...

It could very well be IBD and there is no cure for it.


Here's a couple of links you might find useful about IBD.

http://www.anapsid.org/deanne.html

http://homepage.usask.ca/~vim458/vir...xotic/ibd.html

I may be totally wrong, as I don't know a lot about IBD except what little I've heard and read on the Internet, but I suspect poor little Hero died from IBD. If that is the case, I would not, under any circumstances, get another snake from that breeder.

I would try and get a full refund, just say that the experience has put you off getting another snake for the time being. If he refuses to give you a refund, perhaps you will just have to write it off as a very bad experience.

Any snake that has IBD will die. Sadly, there is no cure for it:(