A Sad Day

There's a little baby ball python for sale that has several stuck sheds.

I texted the seller and told her the snake needs to see a vet because it's sick.

She informs me that it's normal for snakes to shed their skin, and that hers is perfectly healthy.

I reply and tell her that healthy snakes shed in one piece, and ask her if she will at least CALL an exotic vet and ask about it.

She refuses and says that if I know anything about ball pythons I will know that they have a hard time shedding, and not to text her if I'm not interested in the snake.

I ask if she will consider selling me the snake individually (she wants $250 for snake and supplies), and she says no.

I hate seeing an animal suffering like that, and not being able to do a thing about it. It burns me that people will pridefully hold onto a sick animal because they think they know better. :mad:

This is the ball in question:

http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps76a99325.jpg

http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/x...psce5dc408.jpg

Give us her email

This is exactly what happened to my little Rita, and thanks to the previous owners negligence she is now blind in one eye.

I would send those pictures and any communication to your local animal cruelty office.

Oh my god. That thing is in terrible shape. Stuck shed, and skinny. I agree, give me the email or text. I will text her too. Something needs to be done...asap :mad:

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2

Wow that is horrible :(

Send her pictures of full sheds from ball pythons. This girl definitely needs a reality check. This is animal cruelty

I hesitate to hand out her info, because she already had a negative reaction to my fairly neutral texts. I worry that if more people text her she will become even more stubborn about it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by meowmeowkazoo

I hesitate to hand out her info, because she already had a negative reaction to my fairly neutral texts. I worry that if more people text her she will become even more stubborn about it.

---

Then you need to take action and report her.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by txcoker

Then you need to take action and report her.

---

Exactly.

Normally I despise the SPCA as they tend to incompetence. But, in this case it is worth at least trying a call to them.

I went ahead and sent an email to my local humane society. I will let you guys know what I hear back. I was unable to find the contact info for a local branch of the SPCA.

One of the things that bothers me the most is how long snakes can survive in such poor shape. It could realistically be looking at months of suffering before it finally perishes. :\ I included a link to this thread for the Utah humane society, because I know they're often not too familiar with snake husbandry. Hoping the reactions of everyone will help illustrate what poor shape this little thing is in.

I would definitely make sure something is done. Personally, I wouldn't be worried about "how she reacts", thats neglect and abuse. That snake needs out of those conditions. Now.

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DooLittle

I would definitely make sure something is done. Personally, I wouldn't be worried about "how she reacts", thats neglect and abuse. That snake needs out of those conditions. Now.

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2

---

I'm not worried about her reaction for personal reasons, I'm worried because it could mean bad things for the snake.

http://www.utahhumane.org/shelter/re...l-control-list

Hope that helps.
And, I'm not so sure this person is intentionally neglectful so will cut some slack. But, yes something should be done since she also shows little interest in remedying her ignorance.

I think others should email the seller with the same concerns...
Perhaps it will make the seller realize that she is wrong if enough people addressed the issue....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raven01

http://www.utahhumane.org/shelter/re...l-control-list

Hope that helps.
And, I'm not so sure this person is intentionally neglectful so will cut some slack. But, yes something should be done since she also shows little interest in remedying her ignorance.

---

Thanks, I sent an email to the address listed on that site earlier, but I will try calling tomorrow.

And yeah, that's part of the reason I'm not sharing her info. She doesn't seem like a cruel person, so much as she is misinformed. I worry that being flooded with negative emails will cause her to go into hiding and refuse further contact about the snake in question.

To be fair I don't have her email address, because the site uses an anonymous form to contact sellers with. I have her phone number, but it seems inappropriate to share that on a public website when she's probably just a snake owner that has gotten lots of bad info from a pet store. I will wait and see what the Utah humane society says first.

Since the humane society may check here, I'll post photos of Rita.

Her owners did the same and let her shed accumulate. Her eyecaps never came off and she's now blind in one eye. When she goes blue it is very noticeable:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/24/y3e5eby6.jpg
Otherwise it looks very normal. It is a bit more sunken in than her good eye though.

Oww, poor thing. :(

I had a rescue snake that was in a very similar situation. I don't have pictures of her from before (she looked very similar to the snake in my original post), but after about a year of decent care she turned into a beautiful, sleek snake (disregard the old watermark). This is what a healthy ball python should look like. Shiny and fat and smooth, not skinny and wrinkled and covered in dead skin. :\

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...70455138_n.jpg

If anyone has a picture of a healthy ball python that's in shed, that would also help. Some people might think that ball pythons just look that way when they are shedding.

This thread is a sticky at the top of this forum:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...edding-Process

Oh that poor ball python! It really is in need of some help. It is not normal at all for them to shed like that. It's in terrible shape and is in real danger of skin issues and blinding. She has obviously not kept it in the proper conditions. There is no reason other than neglect or sheer ignorance for a snake to look like that.

Please send her the link to this thread. Maybe if she actually cares for the well being of the animal she will educate herself on the care of ball pythons. I bet what she knows about husbandry came from a pet store or another person who does not actually know proper care. She also needs to realize that a normal BP like that is only worth about $20 or so.

Oh man I can barely even look at that poor thing!

Oh no!!!!

I commend you for trying to do something about this snake. Maybe if you put out a call in the community for some donations, you could raise the $250 yourself to purchase the snake and equipment if she absolutely won't budge on the price, if money is the issue. I personally would be willing to throw in $20 or so in order to get that poor snake healthy again!

Sickened to see something like this! My male Mojave just had a perfect one piece shed just 3 days ago I wish I had pics to send this woman how its supposed to look. Poor snake also looks way too thin and dehydrated. Its sad people keep these helpless animals in such poor conditions, when they count on us to provide proper needs and care!

Utah has a fairly small reptile community, so I'm unsure if I could raise the $250. If the humane society can't help then I will try, at least.

I will probably send her a link to this thread, though it is possible she isn't checking her emails, as she stated that buyers should call or text her.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

Oh no!!!!

I commend you for trying to do something about this snake. Maybe if you put out a call in the community for some donations, you could raise the $250 yourself to purchase the snake and equipment if she absolutely won't budge on the price, if money is the issue. I personally would be willing to throw in $20 or so in order to get that poor snake healthy again!

---

Id also donate 20 $ to help the poor snakes recovery!

I am not sure if I could send an EMT (Email Money Transfer) as I don't know if they work internationally (I suspect no) but I do have a Paypal account that I could send $20 to!

I hope the humane society does something. Also, I would consider looking up the bylaws for your town, there must be something in the bylaws regarding the keeping of animals. If you contacted them and showed them this thread, they might be inclined to do something.

I don't necessarily want to see this person charged or anything, because I don't THINK they are purposely hurting the snake - it sounds like they really do believe that snakes just shed like that. But I do want to see the snake go somewhere it will be properly cared for!

I would feel pretty uncomfortable accepting money in a situation like this, so that would be my last resort. I am going to try to get people from my group on facebook to contact her about getting the snake separately, though.

Offer her $90. That's what she claimed she bought the snake for.

Those pictures literally sent my stomach spinning. That's not okay. Even if she is just misinformed via a pet store she should have taken the initiative to learn more about the animal instead if taking someone's word for it. :( very sad situation. Sucks when you feel like this should be a jail-able offense and the majority of the world wouldn't agree. :/

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Herpenthusiast3

Those pictures literally sent my stomach spinning. That's not okay. Even if she is just misinformed via a pet store she should have taken the initiative to learn more about the animal instead if taking someone's word for it. :( very sad situation. Sucks when you feel like this should be a jail-able offense and the majority of the world wouldn't agree. :/

---

The majority of the herp world would agree though. That's the point we need to get across to this person. That there are literally hundreds of thousands of reptiles being kept in the USA by keepers like us who know that this animal is NOT in good condition at all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

The majority of the herp world would agree though. That's the point we need to get across to this person. That there are literally hundreds of thousands of reptiles being kept in the USA by keepers like us who know that this animal is NOT in good condition at all.

---

I agree. Anyone have any ideas besides the measures that's have been taken? This doesn't seem to be a situation with a lot of loop holes if this lady is as stubborn as she sounds. :/ GRRRRR <----- frustrated.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Herpenthusiast3

I agree. Anyone have any ideas besides the measures that's have been taken? This doesn't seem to be a situation with a lot of loop holes if this lady is as stubborn as she sounds. :/ GRRRRR <----- frustrated.

---

Your best bet is to just send the link to this thread. Chances are she has a smart phone and can pull it up on there so just copy the link and text it. Add a short and polite note saying something like: hey, I just wanted you to see this thread and site. It will open your eyes to a whole new world of information that you didn't know about keeping snakes.

Someone else may want to send her the link. She may already be defensive about the OP sending her any info and may refuse it based on the source. Just a thought.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by meowmeowkazoo

If anyone has a picture of a healthy ball python that's in shed, that would also help. Some people might think that ball pythons just look that way when they are shedding.

---

Female Lesser halfway through good shed...

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...s/IMG_2014.jpg

She's completely dense. I sent her pictures of full sheds and she replied, oh that's not from a ball python.

If I was in Utah, I would so help out this little girl, but Wisconsin is a long way to drive from. I hate to see animals suffer like that. I hope that she gets the proper treatment she needs soon.

As much as you want to help the snake, don't pay her, you don't want to fund another future snake disaster...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

Your best bet is to just send the link to this thread. Chances are she has a smart phone and can pull it up on there so just copy the link and text it. Add a short and polite note saying something like: hey, I just wanted you to see this thread and site. It will open your eyes to a whole new world of information that you didn't know about keeping snakes.

---

I like this idea!!! Whoever has her number should definitely do what is noted above. :)

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=218&ad=24519...ython&ad_cid=4

Yepp it was bought at a pet store, and she was sold ALL the crap to go with it, shedding spray, even a brochure about care, which I am certain is full of misinformation. Sad, I really with there was a way for the reptile community to not educate the individuals, but to educate the big box pet stores about proper care, as they are typically the ones spreading this disease. The sad part is some of them support our community, there needs to be a way to change the petcos, pet marts and such so that incidents of mistreatment like this will slowly disappear.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eatgoodfood

Yepp it was bought at a pet store, and she was sold ALL the crap to go with it, shedding spray, even a brochure about care, which I am certain is full of misinformation. Sad, I really with there was a way for the reptile community to not educate the individuals, but to educate the big box pet stores about proper care, as they are typically the ones spreading this disease. The sad part is some of them support our community, there needs to be a way to change the petcos, pet marts and such so that incidents of mistreatment like this will slowly disappear.

---

I agree. When I bought my BP from petco he was not in good shape at all. Terrible shed! You could tell he was stressed from his environment and he didn't look as though he was eating. I had no intention of buying him until when I was explaining to the pet store sales associate he was having a bad shed and she said she was going to "peel it to help him" later since they found him with a bad shed that morning. I was holding the snake and it had such a great personality even though I knew it had to be miserable. I couldn't stand the idea of this person trying to peel shed off this baby BP so I told her to grab a box, cause I was taking him home!!! Grrrr I've had him for a little over a year now and he's doing awesome. :)

Before/ when I purchased him!
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/24/una9yma9.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/24/va6u2era.jpg

After/ NOW!
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/24/7uga9a5a.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/03/24/aduqu8um.jpg

Just goes to show you how improper care of an animal can harm and stress it. :/

How would someone going about seeing that the pet store employees became more educated in respects to the products and animals they are selling?!? Especially when many of them have no real enthusiasm or interest pertaining to the animals themselves. <----(sad but so often true)

I have a video of my mojave shedding in one nice piece....perhaps that will bring some light to the seller since she seems to think its normal for balls to have difficulty shedding.....

And how the heck would that person know what a BP shed looks like if she's never experienced a good whole shed?!
So illogical....



Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by satomi325

I have a video of my mojave shedding in one nice piece....perhaps that will bring some light to the seller since she seems to think its normal for balls to have difficulty shedding.....

And how the heck would that person know what a BP shed looks like if she's never experienced a good whole shed?!
So illogical....



Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

---

You should definitely post or send her the video.

I get the feeling that she doesn't want to accept the information she has received because she wants/needs to sell this ball python. A vet costs money, or admitting in the ad that the snake is sick will lower the price she wants for it. It's Sunday, so the humane society won't be available here, but I'll call on Monday.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Darkbird

Someone else may want to send her the link. She may already be defensive about the OP sending her any info and may refuse it based on the source. Just a thought.

---

I agree. Now that the ad has been posted, someone might as well send her the link. She clearly feels defensive toward me.

That poor baby! I rescued a female normal in a similar situation. She was 6 months old and 44g when I got her (yes, 44g) and now she's well over 600g. Here are her before and after pictures. Her before picture was about 3 weeks after I got her. I left the skin on there until I could put some weight on her. She's only got about 1 or 2 layers of stuck shed. Her after picture, though, is around 200g. Hopefully the seller will see how beautiful and healthy her snake can look with a little TLC.

Before Picture:

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7503/img0445bq.jpg

After Picture:

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/5800/57358703.jpg

Oh I just got really mad! I was about to yell at her. I need to cool down

I sent her a text message.

Quote:

---

Hi! I noticed your ad on KSL and I wouls just like to kindly point out that your beautiful snake has an unusual amount of stuck shed. If you'd like I'd be more than happy to give you some pointers on how to remove the shed! Unfortunately, I cannot purchase him myself. I have many other ball pythons to feed and babies on the way. Please let me know! Again, I'd really like to help. I think he would sell much easier if people could see how beautiful he is under all that stuck shed!

---

Worth a try...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bobbafett

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=218&ad=24519...ython&ad_cid=4

---

Poor snake, reminds me of my local CL with all the super awesome deals