Now repeat after me...(graphic)

"This is why we learn about a pet BEFORE we buy one"

On another site, this kid says he has no idea what's wrong with his new ball python. He's got it in a tank with a heat mat on full blast, no temp gun/guage, no dimmer, no thermostat. AND he has NO IDEA why it's suddenly "aggressive" Now he's saying there's NO vet anywhere within a 100 miles of him. This kind of thing drives me CRAZY....this poor snake is going to die a slow painful death.

http://i51.tinypic.com/339rnlc.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/2i1jjoi.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/idc408.jpg

idiot, do you know where or how old that person is

He said West Virginia, because I googled about 10 vets that see exotics, and idk how old he is, but in the pic there is a tattoo on the wrist. I just assumed by the lack of common sense that he was a kid (no offense to the responsible kids on here).

Every reptile i get i look up requirements, work out finances and see if i can take care of it. if he would've looked he would've seen that no, you cant put a heat mat on full blast for a bp, every care sheet says that.

this is "that guy" who walks around town with the snake around his neck to show people how edgy and dark he is. he cares nothing for this animal. its an accessory meant to get a reaction out of people. usually adverse.

if it had been a kid it could be understood if not condoned. but like you pointed out, the tattoo makes me believe that this is an adult who should know better.

maybe i'm wrong but i dont think i am. but this really makes me angry. :mad:

Another fine example of a person who himself, should not, under any circumstances be allowed to have children, or near any other living thing. Laziness and stupidity are the only excuses to explain such horrible treatment. If anyone knows who this is, tell him I'll graciously take the poor animal (if its still alive) and try to do what i can for it. Very sad to say the least.

Lgray, tell him he needs to drive 100 miles to that exotic animal vet and help the BP.

I seen the same post the other day and it made me sick. I told the person that no matter how far the vet was he needed to take it there NOW. I can understand that people may have problems arise with there pets, but this is nothing but pure neglect.

He's just lazy and doesn't care about his snake. I wish I knew where in WV he lived so I could go help the snake >.> and get it away from this person.

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Originally Posted by Jeremy Browning

Lgray, tell him he needs to drive 100 miles to that exotic animal vet and help the BP.

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I love animals ppl! If I was to go to Africa and got ate by a lion, know I would have known that it was all my fault that I got eaten either way.

So on JB's note. Once he's done driving it to the vet leave the ball there. Drive a 100 more miles until you come to a cliff and jump off please.

Me and about 3 other people tried explaining that he may not have been trying to "abuse" his snake, because of course once I saw those I turned into the hulk and typed with fury and he says "I'm not trying to abuse my animals..."

I said, okay it may not be abuse, but NOW it's neglect, which is just as bad. I told him I'd drive 100 miles to a vet if I had to. I can't imagine letting a snake get burnt that bad, but then hesitating to get treatment....it's unreal.

We all tried to help by telling him exactly what he needed to do, and for some reason he thought putting neosporin on it and changing his substrate to "felt" would be sufficient enough. I told him to take care of his snake or find someone who will, because I feel pain for that poor snake. I cringed when I saw those pictures, it's so sad :(

:mad:My God!!!..That is just horrible..How can anybody be so stupid?Looking at those pics its obvious that this animal has sustained serious burns.Anybody with the simplest:mad: brain function could see that...West Virginia...Hmmmm..wonder if hes the result of questionable genetics...Someone should throw this inbred hillbilly on a giant heatpad tape him down and see what happens...sorry so negative but as a father ,husband,and BP owner, i have a big problem with people who abuse Women,children,and animals..period..I hope this animal can be saved,poor thing:rage:

Let's take it easy with the inbred hillbilly remarks. That's offensive and frankly, BS. You'll find folks that would be considered "stereotypically" WV in ANY state. There are quite a few WV herpers out there, myself included, that are nothing of the sort.

Did the guy say where he's located? I know of good reptile vets in both Charleston and here near me in Clarksburg that I'd be happy to pass along. Maybe if he's not willing to pay for its treatment he can take it to a nearby clinic and drop it off for a rescue to pick up or someone else to adopt for the cost of its care.

Shadera, he said Greenbrier County....not sure where it is but I googled vets in that county and came up with a couple. If you have any reccomendations I will be sure to pass them along, if the snakes not already dead.

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Originally Posted by Shadera

Let's take it easy with the inbred hillbilly remarks. That's offensive and frankly, BS. You'll find folks that would be considered "stereotypically" WV in ANY state. There are quite a few WV herpers out there, myself included, that are nothing of the sort.

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Agreed. There are quite a few people in my area that would be considered "stereotypical hillbillies", so it's definitely not just WV. Generalizations are never good.

This is so sad :( I always hate seeing these kind of threads come up, because it's hard to stomach that there's still so much ignorance out there surrounding the care of reptiles. Even if he isn't one of those people who only gets a python to show off (which I don't think he is since he's looking for help), he should still do whatever it takes to get that poor snake the care it needs. I really hope he can find a vet near him, or at least get the bp to someone who will take it to a vet.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

okay it may not be abuse, but NOW it's neglect, which is just as bad.

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when an animal looks that bad, and you cant take it to a vet, thats abuse. and quite honestly i dont think thats a strong enough word for it. i really hope that poor animal (if it survives) can find a better home. is it possible at this point he may be afraid to take it to a vet in fear of possible animal abuse charges? i know my vet would definately take serious exception to seeing an animal in such horrid condition.

Oh god... that is just horrible. Painful just to look at :(

That burn looks extremely painful and gruesome.

Although you guys think he's an idiot, he's a new keeper and didn't know. Many first time keepers don't look up the care right away, no matter how much we stress others too.

:(As far as my comments go in my earlier posts,Unfortunately my emotions after seeing those photos got the best of me and i said things that were offensive and inappropriate and for that I'm sorry,That was not using my head.and to all that were offended again please accept this apology.It just makes me want to scream when helpless creatures are abused whether its intentional or not.as far as offensive posting.that was my first and will be my last.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

That burn looks extremely painful and gruesome.

Although you guys think he's an idiot, he's a new keeper and didn't know. Many first time keepers don't look up the care right away, no matter how much we stress others too.

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I agree that some new keepers aren't aware 100% before they buy a new pet, because I know I wasn't. I didn't even get a dimmer or temp gun until a week after I had mine, but I used common sense. I knew it was getting too hot in there and I'd turn the mat off for hours sometimes and the lamps I'd switch between the night and day (which I dont even use the day lamp anymore). But for a burn to get that bad it takes a while...he should have noticed that far before it got so bad.

I don't understand how someone could be this lazy or uninformed. I am not a young guy so I was not raised with all this new fangled technology I didn't even have my first computer until I was almost 20 years old. I still can not understand how someone would take on this kind of responsibility without spending 10 minutes researching what it takes to care for this animal. If I am even thinking about doing something now I jump online a research it.

Those pictures are horrendous and I really can't see how it got that bad before help was sought out. Any way I try to shake it to give him the benefit of the doubt, it comes up odds. Like you said, TomC, research! I bought books, surfed the 'Net, lurked in the background on here before I committed to joining but I took MONTHS of time before I committed to buying my animals, especially after having seen how long they could live. That's a lifetime commitment to the animal and that number of years, I wanted to make sure I knew as much as possible before I jumped in.

I hate that for the animal and for the keeper as well, if he really is that naive and uninformed. I think he had good intentions, trying to get some help via BP.net but dang, man! Something like that, you drop EVERYTHING and get that animal the care it obviously needs! That situation sucks all the way around, whether it was simple ignorance (inexcusable still, but without knowing the entire story...) or willful cruelty (THAT I can't abide and would gladly report him to the proper authorities! :rage:), that animal is in a bad way and simply asking for assistance via an Internet forum, while well-intentioned, is too little, possibly too late.

Much as that post and the pictures suck for their content and the obvious damage done to the animal, I'm glad they were shared, if for no other reason than to possibly warn others as to the potential pitfalls and dangers of going in without being properly informed.

Just an update, I heard back from that guy about 5 days after we all told him to bring the poor animal to a vet, and he said he did (finally!) and he was given a shot and told to keep a topical antibiotic on the wound. Haven't heard any further updates, poor thing could be dead for all I know :(

I hope this shows the dangers of those heat pads without a thermostat or dimmer, they really scare me how hot they get, and they don't even mention what you should get with it on the package, IMO they should all come STANDARD with a dimmer, or settings, just to be safer. :(

Thanks for the update, LGray. Hope for the best for the animal and in a sense for the owner as well, in that he gets things figured out and LEARNS from that. Hard-earned lesson for him at the cost of that animal suffering, but hopefully it wasn't completely lost on him...

At least he said he took it to a vet. But a burn like that doesn't appear overnight unless you've got a bonfire going in the tank. And even if it was 100 miles, so what, it's like an hour and a half one way, assuming 60mph. People that "can't" find a vet, don't need a pet. Sorry, it's just I'm in a bad mood after going to Petco and finding two dead snakes, one of which had clearly been dead for a few days. But that's a rant for another post.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

I agree that some new keepers aren't aware 100% before they buy a new pet, because I know I wasn't. I didn't even get a dimmer or temp gun until a week after I had mine, but I used common sense. I knew it was getting too hot in there and I'd turn the mat off for hours sometimes and the lamps I'd switch between the night and day (which I dont even use the day lamp anymore). But for a burn to get that bad it takes a while...he should have noticed that far before it got so bad.

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Yeah we all learn the right way eventually. I once had a temp spike and one of my BPs tubs got up to 124F. Very scary when the thermometer reads that temp.

Although, the snake could've just been sitting on top of that UTH for hours until the stomach got that burned. Just a thought though.

Also to add in, maybe this should be a sticky to show how bad a burn can really get if you don't have the UTH controlled.

Omg...how stupid is that guy! I mean I just got mine, but even I knew not to burn them! This is sheer stupidity, and cruel. Animals, no matter what they are, have feelings and they all feel pain. Someone should give that guy third degree burns on his arm, and while he's screaming say "oh well, the nearest hospital is 100 miles away and you're not worth the gas." People like this should be treated just the same as child abusers. This is really just...sad. No animal deserves to be treated badly. BP's, and snakes in general, are not freaking costume jewelry for freaks to parade around in to freak people out! They deserve your love, care, and attention!:rage: