Mite infested BPs at Petsmart

[Ranulf]

So, there are two ball pythons (a pastel and a banana) at a Missouri petsmart that are coated in mites. Apparently they had them in quarantine once already and had thought they were mite free. They are both in the same tank.

I want to rescue them, but I don't have the money. I was thinking of setting up a go fund me or something, but the combined costs are about $600.

Thoughts?

[Bogertophis]

Report this to higher Petsmart's higher management, &/or local animal control (you might have to explain that mites can kill snakes, depending on their experience).

[Stewart_Reptiles]

That's not a rescue that's a purchase, you purchase them, they will get more in stock and the same will happen again, you are basically supporting the business when what you should do is boycotte them or offer tips and assitance to help them solve their issue.

[Craiga 01453]

My thoughts: you wouldn't be rescuing those animals. You'd be contributing to the store's poor habits. Buying animals from them will only put money in their pockets and more animals in poor conditions. I know it sounds valiant to take those animals out of those conditions, but it would be like rewarding the store for treating the animals that way. They're there to make a profit. You buying the animals is only giving them what they don't deserve.

We can't save them all. But if people stop buying animals from there they'll stop trying to sell them.... eventually.

[Bogertophis]

And if they still don't listen (take care of the snakes by eradicating the mites) and IF you can be polite but firmly bolder about this, visit the store when it's busy-
like probably a Saturday- ask for the manager & don't whisper! Express your concern for the snakes in a way that embarrasses them into doing right by them-
they won't want other customers over-hearing about their poor conditions, trust me. I'm not saying you should cause a riot, but just express real concern
for the snakes...remind them that snakes can and DO die from dehydration & organ failure from mites, & that mites carry diseases among snakes. Mites are
unacceptable...if there's as many mites on them as you say, I hope the snakes make it until Saturday...

[Luvyna]

Snake Discovery made an excellent video about what to do if you see a neglected animal in a pet store. It's important not to buy them because as others have mentioned, this supports the store's actions and will likely lead to more animals suffering the same fate in the future.

Video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN8IwQX_mdk

To summarize the steps of what to do instead of buying the animals:

1) Ask to see a manager and make it clear to them that mites are a serious problem and that the animals need immediate treatment. (You can also mention at this time that they should not keep more than 1 BP in the same tank!)
2) Check back in a week and if nothing has changed, contact the corporate office of the business and report your concerns with that store and manager.
3) Check back in another week, and if the store has still not taken action, take some photos showing the mites on the snakes and post it on social media. For example, you can post on the pet store chain's Facebook page, or your own page, and tag the business so they will see your post. It's good to do this on many platforms to spread awareness.
4) Review the business on Google, Yelp...etc. and include photos of the neglected animals.

If the situation looks more urgent and you don't think the snakes will last a few weeks, you can check back sooner and stress that they need to see a vet immediately to the manager at the store when you approach them.

This is the best way to respond because it will result in a systemic change, rather than allowing the company to profit off of neglected animals.

[Ranulf]

From what I can tell, they should have a month or two before they start getting significant health issues. These snakes are actually the first I've ever seen with mites in person, aside from all the youtube videos. Both look like they are still at a healthy weight, but neither is happy
They only have one water bowl that is too small for them to soak in. Mites are crawling around or stationary on several parts of them, with a couple going in and out of the heat pits and eyes. The mites don't look like a carpet yet, but maybe there are more that are hiding from view. I wasn't able to take them out and handle them.

The only issue is, I live 5 hours away from this petsmart. I can only hope they took my suggestions and that they will put them back in quarantine and scrub out the enclosure they had them in. I don't know what their procedure is for mite removal, but they already did it once so it must not be very comprehensive.

I am in the area for a couple more days and we may stop back again for an update

[Bogertophis]

From what I can tell, they should have a month or two before they start getting significant health issues...

It won't take that long for mites to kill the snakes...trust me. Mites reproduce exponentially...just because the snakes look OK now does not make them safe.

And it would help if they had a bowl big enough for each of them to soak in, to drown what they can, relieve the bites, & importantly (!) to stay hydrated. Two
bowls would be better, since there are 2 snakes in one cage. If they cleaned their cage daily & gave each snake a supervised soak in water (NOT for drinking!)
that has a drop of dish soap added (to break the surface tension so mites drown easier) for 20 minutes a day it would help, without added pesticide risk, but
ultimately they likely need something more (like Provent-a-Mite) as well.

[bcr229]

A store probably isn't going to use PAM simply due to the cost. Remember that mite females travel to lay eggs, so it's not just the snakes that are affected, it's the enclosures, products outside of the enclosures, bags of bedding for sale on the shelves close to where the snake display is, etc. The whole area needs to be treated.

I'd also bet the quarantine area in the back of the store now has mites, as an egg can take up to 30 days to hatch.

[Cheesenugget]

You can't save them all. The only time you should take them is if Petsmart agreed to give them to you for free; you have the funds to care for them; and you have the experience and tools to know what to do. If you have to give them a dime for it, don't bother. Secondly, rescue work is more than adopting a pet. It almost always comes with an expense that the original owner may have known about but won't pay for it. If you decide to 'rescue' it anyway, you will need to use your own funds and you will need to know what you are doing beforehand. Some people may be generous enough to give you a few dollars here and there but gathering $600 for a snake with mites is a daunting task.