Deal or No Deal?

A friend is offering me a 250g female high blushing Mojave and a 160g Orange Ghost male. Price tag $260 for both. Now the catch is they are severely infested with mites and the Mojave has not fed in a month. The Ghost has not stopped feeding. What would you do?

If the only problem that they is mites, I'd get them.

You get what you pay for.
you see mites, but there could be more.

Ill stick to my healthy animals, for a healthy price.

While that is a great price think about the stress a non feeding animal may have on you or your wallet. The problems that both animals could have could require a Vet visit and could also be quite costly. I would say tread softly and run away. A discounted price now could be a extreme expense down the line.

I understand what you guys are saying. Besides the price, part of me wants to "save" them. I'm pretty sure if they remain under his care they won't last very long.

Well if you are willing to deal with the possible loss of he snakes then ... It could turn out good.... IF that is all that is wrong with them!

I would be very careful if I did get them because mites spread like wild fire! I have dealt with them twice and I don't ever want to deal with them again. Not only that they can cause other issues!

Like they say buyer beware!!

Mike

im all about saving balls from bad hands and bad husbandry. You should help them out!

Hi,

I agree it's risky taking on snakes you already know have problems.

If you can afford the vet bills (if needed ), have a can of Provent-a-mite ready to treat the quarantine room and your own collection ( definately needed ) and can stand to lose the $260 + vet bills if something goes wrong and both die on you then you are at a good place to decide what to do. :gj:

Just bear in mind mites are a great way to spread any disease between snakes and make sure your quarantine is strict enough.


dr del

Deal at $200.

Honestly, Im terrified of anything like that even coming into my house, so even if it was 75 bucks I wouldnt do it.

I just cant buy a knowingly sick snake. My wife says if I lose my collection to disease I lose more than just the balls I keep in racks....

Cant save them all......

This depends on you, but I would definitely take them, a great price.

You can easily get rid of mites with a nice scrub down to the age, and there are some products you can use to get rid of the mites on the snake (Prevent-A-Mite comes to mind), and a month is not very long for a ball python to go off feed. There are plenty of tricks you can use to get him to eat again.

I agree, you can't save them all, but I would try to save the ones that you can.

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Originally Posted by Royal Morphz

While that is a great price think about the stress a non feeding animal may have on you or your wallet. The problems that both animals could have could require a Vet visit and could also be quite costly. I would say tread softly and run away. A discounted price now could be a extreme expense down the line.

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I completely agree with tim on this, although i can understand trying to save them, but what happens if in trying to save those two you lose your whole collection, bottomline though if you trust your quarintine and can afford to take them straight to the vet then maybe but still personally i wouldnt want too knowing that your putting you whole collection at risk.

Couple of questions before I would make a decision.

#1 How many snakes do you (or hypothetically myself) already care for?

#2 How severe is the mite infestation?

#3 What type of Quarantine are you able to establish? (If at all possible seperate buildings would be great, but while snake mites can not host on humans, they can travel on you, your dog, your cat, ... and lay eggs in your cloths!)

#4 Do you have the $260 to go to vegas and loose? (Could pay off in long run, but it could become expensive as all get out in the long run as well.)

#5 Do you have the time? (Had a light infestation of mites once. Spent on average 4 hours a day cleaning for the first week because I am super picky then every Saturday was spent cleaning the snake room top to bottom for about 2 months until I was sure no mites or larvas still remained!)

#6 Can you afford vet bills and do you have a reptile vet available?

Every time you buy a new reptile and bring it home you are taking a risk that you have to weigh into your equation. Honestly you can go to a reptile show and carry mites home by handling a mite infested animal. Here you know some of the issues and know you are going to have to deal with them. The unknowns are present with any animal you bring home, just in this case a slightly increased possibility of an unknown is present!

If you are going to breed these animals, and I do not know for sure if you are, then you are telling everyone here, who potentially could be a customer down the line, that you are willing to purchase sick animals for a less than market price. If you want to use the I just want to save them line, then take your friend over a can or mite spray, and kick him or her in the @$$, and tell them to take care of the snakes or give them to you. Buying sick animals is probably going to cost you down the line. Mites carry disease.

Dave

You do know that mites can spread parasites as well right? If you do get them please quaratine them for many months in a seperate room. Treat the mites and then give them both at least 3 doses of flagyl and do not turn around and sell them for a higher price. I wouldnt get them if it were me but the choice is yours.

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Originally Posted by EmberBall

If you are going to breed these animals, and I do not know for sure if you are, then you are telling everyone here, who potentially could be a customer down the line, that you are willing to purchase sick animals for a less than market price. If you want to use the I just want to save them line, then take your friend over a can or mite spray, and kick him or her in the @$$, and tell them to take care of the snakes or give them to you. Buying sick animals is probably going to cost you down the line. Mites carry disease.

Dave

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I am not a breeder nor do I sell snakes. This is BP.net not Fauna or Kingsnake. I'm here seeking the advice of individuals that have more knowledge and experience than me, not make a sale. But at the same time I would not consider these animals to be inferior to another snake just because they had mites at one point. Many large and small breeders have had to deal with mites in their collection. These animals did originate from a very reputable breeder and were mite free when first purchased by the current owner. The snakes don't seem to be "sick" or "diseased" they have mites. I was also told the female is now in blue so her going into shed could be the reason for her not feeding. I'm leaning into getting them, I told the owner to treat his enclosures . Once the girl completes her shed I'll take it from there.

If you are able to quarantine them to be sure they don't spread any nasties they have, then I would get them. Mites are not that hard to kill and the eating well like the others said one month not eating is not that long. Keep them in QT for a long time and make sure they are 100% healthy. Also be aware there is always a chance of bringing some things really nasty with each new snake. It is up to you to decide if you can afford (in more ways than just the purchase price) to take them on :D

In short, I would :D but I am always a sucker for snakes in need.

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Originally Posted by jzoot3d

im all about saving balls from bad hands and bad husbandry. You should help them out!

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I agree, save them!

The price may seem good, but it's not a deal I'd bite.

I'd look at it like this:
-You know they have mites so you have to buy PAM to kill them in both the quarentine and treat your other collection (provention) so price + PAM cans
-Mites can carry other nasties, so even after treating the mites I'd go for a vet visit. A consultation to my vet it $40, so original price + $40.
-To help with anything else will cost even more, anywhere from $80-200 or more. So Price + bills

Now imagine they die, you lost anywhere from $260-600 easy. And what if they pass something else to your other snakes? It's not hard to slip on the quarantine procedures.

You could also gain mind you, but it's a big risk. For me to even consider it, they're have to be rescues, meaning for free, so I can spend that $260 on bills instead of paying that at the start.

If you're willing to take the risk, then feel free. Once they're healthy again, update us with some pics. :)

Never!!!! You will risk getting your own snakes sick.
Stay away from them!!

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Originally Posted by DesignerBP

Deal at $200.

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Thats what i would say.

Tell him after doing research you know alot of work is required to get them healthy again.

Tell him 175.. if he says no, say 200 and make it a final offer.

If he says no, keep your money.

The only big concern is that you already have a collection (right?). I am very new to the BP world but mites dont exactly sound like a good time. :banana:

Bartering was invented for such situations as this.

I've never had mites on mine. But I've heard enough stories of people visiting a new reptile store which had mites, then from there they washed their hands after leaving the shop (before home) then handled their snakes and then had a mite infestation.

One of the biggest fears beyond the actual mites is causing ball pythons to stop feeding is that mites can cause severe anemia which can kill the python by hypoxia. (depriving him of oxygen on a cellular level in the blood that literally is suffocating them to death even though they can breath just fine.)

I've read if you ever discover you've been around mite infested reptiles (no matter the degree) you should change cloths before entering your home to avoid cross contamination of other cloths/items. Then unwittingly give your reptiles mites. Mites will find any way to migrate to other reptiles, even hitching a ride on feeder mice. Basic info on mites about half way down.
Why Mites are So Hard To Kill

If you have the means to provide, and treat them IF things get worse, then yes. I would take them if I were you.

I would NOT pay a dime for them IF i chose to take them in.Why should the person be rewarded for being to lazy to PROPERLY care for them :mad:.Yes some have had mites pop up BUT we did not just dump them.We did the responsible thing TREAT THEM! So i would tell this person i will take them but i will not pay you for your lazyness :colbert:.

Update: I purchased PAM two days ago and treated my setups. This was done just to prevent any possible contamination, not only from the infected snakes but from different reptile shops I go to . Better safe than sorry. After I was done I went to the person's house and treated his enclosures, he couldn't afford to buy PAM. This was almost three days ago. Today I went by to see how things were going and I couldn't find one mite. All of his snakes not just the two I was going to purchase are acting and looking one hundred percent better. Many of them went into shed right after the mites were eliminated, including the female mojave. The better news was that I got the mojave to feed while I was there. I did this by asking my local shop for some soiled gerbil bedding. She didn't hesitate to take it.
I haven't officially bought them from him but I'm starting to feel like I might as well lol. Especially now that I've seemed to correct the issues. Although the guy seemed like he wanted to back out of the price he had asked before. So the possibility exists that he'll back out, since he now sees no mites and a snake without a feeding problem. All of which I corrected.

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Originally Posted by raighe

Update: I purchased PAM two days ago and treated my setups. This was done just to prevent any possible contamination, not only from the infected snakes but from different reptile shops I go to . Better safe than sorry. After I was done I went to the person's house and treated his enclosures, he couldn't afford to buy PAM. This was almost three days ago. Today I went by to see how things were going and I couldn't find one mite. All of his snakes not just the two I was going to purchase are acting and looking one hundred percent better. Many of them went into shed right after the mites were eliminated, including the female mojave. The better news was that I got the mojave to feed while I was there. I did this by asking my local shop for some soiled gerbil bedding. She didn't hesitate to take it.
I haven't officially bought them from him but I'm starting to feel like I might as well lol. Especially now that I've seemed to correct the issues. Although the guy seemed like he wanted to back out of the price he had asked before. So the possibility exists that he'll back out, since he now sees no mites and a snake without a feeding problem. All of which I corrected.

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Well, I hope he does not back out on you and you can add to your collection. Good luck! I hope everything goes your way.

Personally, I would not support (financially) a breeder that does not care for him animals properly. He may be your friend, but if he is willing to sell you mite infested animals and his only excuse is "I can't afford to treat them", then in my eyes, they are not a responsible breeder or keeper (I'm sorry but I'd sell my possessions to pay for treatment for one of my animals before I'd come to the conclusion that I couldn't afford to treat them). Especially if they seem like they are going to go back on their initial price quote because now their animals are recovering due to YOUR CARE. (you going over and treating his enclosures). I would sit down with your friend and have a nice long talk about good husbandry and QT practices.

I would not purchase ANY animal that I even SUSPECT to be ill or parasite infested. I will only purchase animals I believe to be healthy (no mites or other external parasites, no signs of respiratory infections, no stuck shed/retained eye caps, etc), no matter how "good" the deal.

Couldn't agree more Jay. This person is more of an acquaintance than a real friend of mine. Him insinuating he might back off the original price really did leave a sour taste in my mouth. I've decided to hold out until Daytona or until a good deal from someone that actually knows how to care for their animals comes around. I want to give thanks to everyone at the boards you've all been very helpful.

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Originally Posted by raighe

Couldn't agree more Jay. This person is more of an acquaintance than a real friend of mine. Him insinuating he might back off the original price really did leave a sour taste in my mouth. I've decided to hold out until Daytona or until a good deal from someone that actually knows how to care for their animals comes around. I want to give thanks to everyone at the boards you've all been very helpful.

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You're welcome, sorry it did not work out as planned. Good luck in finding something you want at the show.

you should tell him if he backs out of the deal. you want 10 for treating his snakes. a can of pam will go along ways and is good to have on hand if you have a collection. anyways you can find a female mojave for around 250 and a male ghost doesn't pull in any type of money now. so it wasn't the "great deal of the year". now at least you can see how the snakes are doing and if he can't afford a can of PAM they will be for sale again when he needs money.

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Originally Posted by raighe

Couldn't agree more Jay. This person is more of an acquaintance than a real friend of mine. Him insinuating he might back off the original price really did leave a sour taste in my mouth. I've decided to hold out until Daytona or until a good deal from someone that actually knows how to care for their animals comes around. I want to give thanks to everyone at the boards you've all been very helpful.

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I really appreciate (and hope the seller does too, but I doubt it) you spending your time treating the snakes and getting the female to feed. Many would walk away with a "not my problem" attitude even if they were contemplating buying the snakes.

no way no way mites i have had them 2 times and they are a real pain not worth it he should just give them to u since he has not taking care of them if u do get them keep them away from your other snakes i would not do it for sure