Have any of you ever refused to sell a reptile to a certain person?

for any reason? may be because you think they lack the experience, or because you don't believe it will go to a good home?

this has never happened to me, even when i started this hobby, and i just got to thinking what i would say to someone that told me i couldn't buy their animal lol!

anyway, have you? and why?

btw idk if this has been asked yet so... bare with me

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Originally Posted by Gabe Rienzo

for any reason? may be because you think they lack the experience, or because you don't believe it will go to a good home?

this has never happened to me, even when i started this hobby, and i just got to thinking what i would say to someone that told me i couldn't buy their animal lol!

anyway, have you? and why?

btw idk if this has been asked yet so... bare with me

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Yes, there is a young boy probably 11 yrs old or so, he buys his mice from me, well needless to say he just now owns his first bp. His dad bought him his first normal bp from a pet shop not too long ago, and well 1. he lets any and all his friends handle his snake and has already had plenty of mishaps with his snake because of it. He keeps asking to buy my smallest normal I own and I've told him NO. For this reason, I don't believe he is responsible enough luckily he has always found his bp in the house, but you see where I am going. So the answer is yes I have refused to sell a reptile to someone. :(

Yes,once this guy called me about a snake I had put a ad out for. He told me he had several snakes die recently and that they had been all in one tank when they died. I immediately said oh I have to go to work now,and to call me back the next day. I then sold the snake to the next fella,a young man who had been doing his homework on snake care, I ended up selling him the normal bp. Cuz he knew his stuff for a first time snake owner and I knew the snake wouldn't end up dead. True story.

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Originally Posted by gman8585

Yes,once this guy called me about a snake I had put a ad out for. He told me he had several snakes die recently and that they had been all in one tank when they died. I immediately said oh I have to go to work now,and to call me back the next day. I then sold the snake to the next fella,a young man who had been doing his homework on snake care, I ended up selling him the normal bp. Cuz he knew his stuff for a first time snake owner and I knew the snake wouldn't end up dead. True story.

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Well done!

Oh most definately yes! I've had quite a few experiences with just plain bad people. I refuse to have any of my animals go to a poor home. I'm sure it has and will again happen. But I'll do everything in my power to prevent against it. I still get a call 2-3 times a month from the local hoarder. I just ignore the number now. Then the person who: openly admitted he has mites, an IBD positive snake die, and his cat who apparently killed off his clutch of babies this year by getting Into his DIY rack, want my hatchlings this year and I just flat out refused. Then last April I rescued 2 balls from this woman, she called and wanted to see if I would sell her a hatchling. I laughed and hung up.

Unfortunately there are really poor pet owners and flat out bad people.
I can't prevent everything but if it means they go to a good and caring home that does their research and treats them like part of the family... I will hold on to them specially for those people. I'd rather lose a bad customer than know one of my little ones died some miserable death.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

oh wow... Me personally. I havent built a rack yet but all of my snakes have their own approipriate sized and furnished eclosure... you wouldn't believe the amount of research I did before I bought my.first bp... Down to the bulb to mimic 12/12... Iv been wanting a boa... I refuse to buy 1 cause atm I cant house a 10ft+ snake. I have a habit of building the final home before I get a 18" hatchling. Then the enclosure sits and waits till it gets bigger lmfao... I refuse to use "it just got to big" as an excuse lol... But im sure when I start breeding ill have that sitting in the back of mind.

absolutely!

i sold a corn snake to a pretty young girl (14 years old, i think?) my boyfriend took the snake to deliver, and the girl's mom came and got it.

all was well, she added me on Facebook, sent me some photos, etc. the snake was doing really well.

fast forward to this girl wanting a snake from another clutch of mine. she asked if they can live in the same tank, and i told her that it's not a good idea at all, and it's very risky. pointed her here and she went on to tell me that her grandma used to breed boas, and that it was okay to keep them in the same tank so she's just going to do it.

and i had to say, "well then, if you're knowingly going to put my baby snakes in danger like that, i'm afraid i won't be selling any to you in the future."

as far as i know, the original snake she got is still living alone and doing well, so i hope it stays that way! and i hope she stops listening to her grandma, cause dammit, oldie, times have changed :P

Yup. My friend, about two months ago, gave me his bearded dragon because he felt he wasn't taking care of it. When I picked it up, it was malnourished, dehydrated, didn't have water in the tank, hadn't shed in a year, and didn't even have a UVB.
I took him and put all my emergency funds into getting him up to par. It was amazing to see the transformation.

Fast forward a month. I was trying to sell it and it's tank so I could buy a new snake. I ended up selling it to my cousin, who I trust very much with animals. She's taking real good care of him now, and he's even in shed, so I'm very happy with his progress.

Anyway, the day before my cousin came over to pick him up, a friend sends me a text saying they'd buy the dragon for 10x more than what my cousin was buying it for (she paid $150 for him and everything). I thought that was kinda sketch, so I asked her why she wanted it so bad. Apparently, she thought she could just buy it and give it back to my friend, the original owner. I guess the original owner saw the add I posted for it, saying it was dehydrated and malnourished when I took him in, and got really upset. He (original owner) was saying that he, 'Didn't know it was in that bad of shape.' He obviously didn't do his homework, and didn't even ask for help. I told the chick who wanted to buy it to give it back to him that she could forget about it, I'm not sending him back to his grave when I'd just pulled him out of it.

Anybody under 14... And people that would ask for papers on obvious morphs.

Yup I reserve the right to refuse a sale and have no problem doing so, I raised pug puppies once upon a time and they need some different care than most dogs and refused people, would do the same for snakes.

Yes, a guy called me asking if I would trade him a snake for a cell phone. I told him, no cash only. Then he offered drugs... Needless to say, I didn't sell to him.

This is me selling one of my het red axanthics, this is his reply lol

"considering a het for anything looks like a normal, that should explain why I ask about paperwork.
I breed all differant types of morphs & can definantly tell what they are.
Hets on the other hand must have paperwork from a reputable breeder to prove what they are."

People are really retarded at times.

I don't mind ignorance, I can educate people who just don't know "all about" ball pythons or morphs. They don't have to know the latest about every morph to take good care of a snake.

But if I feel it's a bad home, yes, I refuse the sale. I have in the past, will in the future. I have had people contact me multiple times after I said no, and told them outright that I don't feel they would be able to care for one of my babies that I hatched out and raised up. They are my pets, as I bred the adults, I watched over the eggs, hovered over the tiny python heads poking out of the eggs, washed them and coaxed them into eating their first meals... I have more invested in each baby than "Here, $10 and it's yours". That's not who I am, and if I get to that state, I should probably just quit.

I have sold snakes to a middleman before, but I sell to people that I feel make certain it will be a good owner, not to a random store or anyone who wants "wholesale" snakes. I refused to sell to a neighor for nearly 3 years. They wanted anything alive, just becuase it was cool. They kept saying how they wanted one of my monitor hatchlings when I got some. These people were astounded that their ball python(not from me) got OUT of a tank when the "lid" was a blanket laid over top of it! NO! You cannot have a monitor lizard! Do not pass go, do not collect $200, return to jail where you belong.

Sigh.

Definitely. I had a guy contact me once asking if A) The baby normal BP would be a good pet for his 3 year old. B) If the baby normal BP had teeth. and C) If the baby normal BP could eat crickets.

I am all about some education, but if you can't do even a little homework yourself then I am not comfortable selling to you.

As for children, I judge that on a case by case basis. One of my normal babies went to a wonderful home for a kids 12 or 13th birthday. Both the kid and the mother were great, asking plenty of (intelligent) husbandry questions and generally making it very clear they were both interested and committed to providing a great home.

In short yes, I have refused to sell to people and will refuse again if I feel the home they are going to is in any way inadequate.

I am producing far more dart frogs than I am snakes at the moment. And yes. I have refused to sell to someone.

I am the kind of seller that is doing just as much research on an individual as if I were a buyer. Things like, parasites in their collection, "mysterious" deaths, poor housing/husbandry, etc. All of which are very easy to find record of on a public forum.

I have a list of people that I will not buy from or sell to.

Sure have. I keep a list of people not to deal with based on criteria as in the post above. I want my animals going to decent homes. Yes, it means I have a much smaller pool of people to sell to, but I'm okay with that.

Just refused a sale a couple days ago, matter of fact. Had a guy contact me wanting an animal I have up for sale. I always research my buyers, and I found out this guy has a history of scamming people - taking money and never sending anything. He won't be buying from me.

Add me to the list. I have before and will again, even though I am very new to the hobby. I had purchased a lot of baby balls that were imported because I thought it was a good idea. Now I know better but that isn't the point.

I sold all of the babies to various people. One couple seemed so sweet, they actually got two babies, one for him and one for her. Things went great for a long time, then they split up. She had to get a new place to live, and he kept the snakes. Within a month he'd managed to kill both of them. She told me so herself, and she was crushed. She blamed herself for the fact that her boyfriend was a complete jerk. Now, if she came to me and wanted another snake, I'd sell one to her, because what happened wasn't her fault. Her boyfriend on the other hand, I've spread the word to everyone I know to steer clear of him.

I also had a group of guys from a dorm come to see the babies. It seems they wanted a dorm pet, and fish or snake were the only option. One of them was a complete idiot, and I really wasn't liking the whole idea, when the quiet guy in the back spoke up. it seems his parents have owned snakes all his life, and he is the one the snake would be staying with. I asked him every question I could think of, from temperature range to feeding to shedding to mites to RI, and this kid knew all the right answers. he pulled out his phone and showed me the picture of the already set-up enclosure for the new baby when it got bigger, as well as the mini setup for it now. I knew then he'd be fine, and I know he was treated like a prince.

There is a certain guy I run into at reptile shows here, and he just rubs me the wrong way. He's always trying to buy a snake from me, usually for about half what I am asking for it. I use every excuse out there on this guy. Sorry, already sold. Just took a deposit on it. Holding it for a friend, etc. Last show I went to, he kept on and kept on about my Yellowbelly male. I must have told him 8 different ways he couldn't buy it. Finally I lost my patience with him and told him bluntly, " Look, there isn't enough money in Fort Knox to make me sell my snake to you! You are rude, you smell, and I don't like you, now please leave me alone!" When he stormed off in a huff, the people at nearby tables cheered for me. :oops:

Bottom line, know what you are talking about, be polite and friendly, and you likely won't get told you cannot buy a snake.

Gale

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Originally Posted by Gabe Rienzo

you wouldn't believe the amount of research I did before I bought my.first bp... Down to the bulb to mimic 12/12...

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Not to derail the thread, but if you did research then you know that you DON'T need this...?

Yup, I refuse people quite often actually. I ask a lot of questions before I sell anything. I will not be one of those shady breeders who sells and flips anything and everything to anybody just to make a quick buck.

I will not sell anything to anyone under 18.I have refused to sell a burmese python to a guy who wanted a big snake to ride in his truck with him.I told him he was a idiot and dont ever call me again.

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Originally Posted by Jessica Loesch

Not to derail the thread, but if you did research then you know that you DON'T need this...?

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Oh trust me I know. I was using it as an example. :) 1 of those opinionated things.

Great stories! Keepem comming!

Would I and did I? Yes

I recently canceled a transaction due to the location of the buyer, the buyer in question was living in the Bronx and I will not ship knowingly to a state or a city where owning the species I am selling is illegal.

I will also refuse to sell to a minor without parental approval.

That's for my general rules there are also some specific people to whom I would never sell to.

I'm surprised at the hostility a lot of you have demonstrated towards your customers. Is it a wonder why people generally look down on reptile owners?

I can understand frustration, or even not wanting to sell to someone, but wouldn't it be better to educate potential customers instead of calling them names? A guy wants a snake to ride in his truck? That's a bad idea, but maybe he doesn't know any better. Instead of calling him an idiot, why not explain to him why it's a bad idea? Maybe point him in the direction of a caresheet or a good book to read?

I don't know, it just seems like bad business to be rude to customers. I can't see someone who was insulted by a business owner telling his friends "hey, that guy called me stupid, you should definitely buy from him." Somehow I don't think he'd recommend you.

Remember, we all got interested in herps in different ways, and we were all ignorant about proper care at some point or another.

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Originally Posted by joepythons

I will not sell anything to anyone under 18.I have refused to sell a burmese python to a guy who wanted a big snake to ride in his truck with him.I told him he was a idiot and dont ever call me again.

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I don't like selling to minors either, however, there are exceptions. Parental consent is a must, of course. I have sold/traded several snakes to a kid that lives about an hour from us. He should be 15ish now, but he takes amazing care of them and I would not hesitate to deal with him again.

You should have told the guy to get a pit bull if he wanted a road companion to make him look tough.

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Originally Posted by CapeFearConstrictors

I'm surprised at the hostility a lot of you have demonstrated towards your customers. Is it a wonder why people generally look down on reptile owners?

I can understand frustration, or even not wanting to sell to someone, but wouldn't it be better to educate potential customers instead of calling them names? A guy wants a snake to ride in his truck? That's a bad idea, but maybe he doesn't know any better. Instead of calling him an idiot, why not explain to him why it's a bad idea? Maybe point him in the direction of a caresheet or a good book to read?

I don't know, it just seems like bad business to be rude to customers. I can't see someone who was insulted by a business owner telling his friends "hey, that guy called me stupid, you should definitely buy from him." Somehow I don't think he'd recommend you.

Remember, we all got interested in herps in different ways, and we were all ignorant about proper care at some point or another.

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I'm not entirely convinced that these people are actually being rude. I believe that what they post here is probably what they implied or subtly meant in their transactions (or lack there of), but I'm sure most of them were far more polite in actuality. I always try to be polite when dealing with bad customers.

That said, some people simply will not take a hint and you are forced to be rude to them. I've had people come unglued on me before for whatever reason and I had no problem telling them where to shove it when they crossed that line.

A lot of people feel that we are obligated to serve them. This is not true. I won't cave in and sell to some jerk/idiot just so I can make a sale. If this hurts their feelings, so be it! We owe it to our animals to make sure they go to good homes where they will be taken care of. That is far more valuable than a little extra paper in our wallets.

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Originally Posted by AK907

I'm not entirely convinced that these people are actually being rude. I believe that what they post here is probably what they implied or subtly meant in their transactions (or lack there of), but I'm sure most of them were far more polite in actuality. I always try to be polite when dealing with bad customers.

That said, some people simply will not take a hint and you are forced to be rude to them. I've had people come unglued on me before for whatever reason and I had no problem telling them where to shove it when they crossed that line.

A lot of people feel that we are obligated to serve them. This is not true. I won't cave in and sell to some jerk/idiot just so I can make a sale. If this hurts their feelings, so be it! We owe it to our animals to make sure they go to good homes where they will be taken care of. That is far more valuable than a little extra paper in our wallets.

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It's just bidnas. $$$$$$

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Originally Posted by nock

It's just bidnas. $$$$$$

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I rest my case. Thank you, your honor. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by AK907

I'm not entirely convinced that these people are actually being rude. I believe that what they post here is probably what they implied or subtly meant in their transactions (or lack there of), but I'm sure most of them were far more polite in actuality. I always try to be polite when dealing with bad customers.

That said, some people simply will not take a hint and you are forced to be rude to them. I've had people come unglued on me before for whatever reason and I had no problem telling them where to shove it when they crossed that line.

A lot of people feel that we are obligated to serve them. This is not true. I won't cave in and sell to some jerk/idiot just so I can make a sale. If this hurts their feelings, so be it! We owe it to our animals to make sure they go to good homes where they will be taken care of. That is far more valuable than a little extra paper in our wallets.

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I think all of us realize that how we act/ what we say is reflected on our sales, even here on the forum. But gee... I would definitely tell someone to shove it if I felt like they were being completely unreasonable and I (or others) have had multiple similar run ins with that person.

I will never feel obligated to make a sale, especially if I feel like my animals are not going to be taken care of properly. I am going to sleep a lot better at night knowing that animal is using a space in my rack and eating my rats than in a bad situation.

"We owe it to our animals to make sure they go to good homes where they will be taken care of." This, and the fact that every single one of them are MY babies.


I had a guy get upset with me for asking if he got his A/C problem fixed. Heat spike killed most of his frogs. He wanted to buy one of my frogs and yet he didn't want to be "Quizzed about it on every PM."

Yes ive turned down A LOT of people this year, by how they conducted themselves in emails and PMs. And I also dont sell to anyone under 18 without parent present.

Too many people trying to get snakes and i weed them out to stop the potential stress that snake will have in its life.

Recently had a person want me to spoon feed them all the info on how to care for a snake. Told them no do your own research like I had to online. Boy did that set them off, needless to say they didnt get anything

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Originally Posted by AK907

I don't like selling to minors either, however, there are exceptions. Parental consent is a must, of course. I have sold/traded several snakes to a kid that lives about an hour from us. He should be 15ish now, but he takes amazing care of them and I would not hesitate to deal with him again.

You should have told the guy to get a pit bull if he wanted a road companion to make him look tough.

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Well i did a trade with a kid and parents were involved all the way.Then kid killed snake and they blamed me and it earned me a thread on fauna.So i am picky on who i deal with now.Oh the guy all ready had a pitbull and wanted the snake to boost his appearance :rolleyes:.

Alright after a much needed clean up lets put this thread back on track and for those that wish to keep talking about cichlids please do so here http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...chlid-Spin-off

Thank you and back to your regular programming.

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Originally Posted by KingPythons

Anybody under 14... And people that would ask for papers on obvious morphs.

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I got my first ball python when I was 12, after a year of thorough research. Now, many years later, I still have that very snake, and she is still in excellent health. I'm not being critical (heck, if I were a breeder I probably wouldn't sell to kids), I'm just putting that out there.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

Yes, a guy called me asking if I would trade him a snake for a cell phone. I told him, no cash only. Then he offered drugs... Needless to say, I didn't sell to him.

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lol thats funny

I have before and I will again. Especially with my husband breeding retics and burms. The welfare and health of my animals means way more to me then any money that might have been put in my pocket.

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Originally Posted by nock

It's just bidnas. $$$$$$

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SMDH :disbelief

I got 2 people I keep refusing to sell/give them a snake too. IT my niece and nephew lol
They both don't keeep interest in any one pet too long, I got them hermit crabs and they were dead within a week, I pointed out to them both many time that they are not responible enough even if they only had to walk down the street 3 blocks to pick up feeders from me, I hada deal at one time that if they truelly wanted a snake they had to earn it by helping me clean cages for x amount of time ( since it only was like 2 hours on a saturday ) well it lasted 3 weeks then they lost interest in helping cause it ment they could not go play all day .
I hada girl ( with her father ) adopt a snake from me and had to return it cause the permit was denied cause of only .01 og an acrea of land ( some stupid regulation in upstate Delaware) Well they returned the snake in great shape and every thing, I told her once she able to get an permit approved she can choose anothe snake anytime amoung my hatchlings. I mean they had everythnig all ready set and running after the first visit to look at the snakes. They had made 4 visits to look at th snakes handle/play the one she had choosen.

I got people erasing my craigslist post cause I refused to sell them a snake (3 years ago ) I laugh at him and just don't post as often.