Pet Store Pythons - need to vent

[Emily Hubbard]

Hey all. I just got back from PetCo, and I feel the need to vent.

I got my ball from a breeder. She is captive bred, which was extremely important to me. I hate pet stores and would much prefer if they only sold pet supplies and not pets. I wouldn't shop at PetCo and Pets Mart at all except there really isn't much choice when you need substrates and moss, new bulbs, and all of the other things that comes with reptile ownership. I was there today getting a bigger water dish and another piece of driftwood for my ball since she seems to really enjoy climbing on the one she has. But just because I love looking at reptiles, I went to stare at the ball pythons on sale in the store. It made me so sad.

There were three for sale, all in the same tank. They were under bright fluorescent lighting and all three were huddled together, obviously competing for the one warm spot. There were no hides in the tank, so the animals are always visible to prospective buyers. Just some astroturf, a water dish, and a single plant, all with the price tags on them, for reference. All of the snakes were malnourished. They were long and slender, and looked almost exactly like corn snakes in python print, not thick like ball should be. All three were captive hatched, from eggs harvested in Africa.

As an animal lover, I wanted to buy all three and nurse them back to health and give them long and happy lives. This is a budgetary impossibility, but even if it wasn't, I thought about it, and doing so would just perpetuate what is such a huge problem. I am sure some of you got your snakes from pet stores, and I mean absolutely no offense, but I think the importation of these animals, even as eggs, and the poor treatment they receive is a huge cause for concern.

Again, I mean no offense to the people who have acquired their balls differently, but I just want to explain my logic in being sure my snake was captive bred from a reputable breeder. I think importing snakes of any age, egg, neonate, or adult, is foolish and irresponsible. There are huge breeding stocks of ball pythons domestically, bred by people who know and love these snakes and know how to give them the best care possible. We have to remember that balls are exotic animals who play a vital part in the ecosystem in central Africa. Taking just one ball from the wild is going to have a negative environmental impact, not to mention the thousands taken every year to stock pet store shelves with sick animals.

So I urge you, if you have a friend who wants to join the ball python community, direct them to a breeder. My girl is a normal, her selling pice was $40, her shipping was $50. PetCo sells malnourished normals for $79.99. $10 more for a healthy, well cared for, captive bred snake. Thats a no brainer to me. No to mention all of the beautiful morphs offered by breeders for those willing to spend a little more for a cooler paint job. But most importantly, whether its the snake costs $40 or $4,000 you know it has been bred and cared for by someone who knows how to care for it.

For those of us that want desperately to buy pet store animals to "save" them, remember that for every pet store animal you buy, another will be imported to replace it. It breaks my heart and brings tears to my eyes thinking that the three snakes I saw today at PetCo are spending yet another night in appalling conditions. But what is even more sad is the thought that as soon as they are bought, three more will replace them. Stop buying sick snakes from pet stores. If the stores can't sell them, they won't stock them, and more wild caught and bred snakes will stay in the wild where they belong.