Hey guys,
So I have an interesting predicament. I walked into my local Petco the other day and was approached by one of the employees who knows me as a snake person. He told me that the baby red tail they have in stock isn't doing well. I went over to look at it with him and he's right- it looks terrible. Very thin with sagging skin. Apparently it hasn't eaten in two months (according to the reptile specialist in the store), which is how long the poor thing has been there. It has been to the vet but the vet didn't do much to give it a boost. I personally believe it needs live food which is against Petco's policy to feed.

I want to buy the red tail and nurse it back to health but Petco red tails are extremely expensive ($170 - I can get it for $85 because a friend who works there is going to mark him down 50% if I want him) and I'm not exactly swimming in money, I don't have currently room for an adult red tail so I would have to rehome it before it go bigger (or move before it got bigger which is a possibility), and I can't afford to take the poor thing to the vet if something else is wrong with it. I breed mice so I have the ability to feed it live- trying to feed it and returning it if it works or doesn't work is an option- but I really don't want this poor thing to die.

Petco's policies for reptiles are awful if they are going to just sit around and let an animal die because they won't give it live food.

What would you recommend doing?