First off a disclaimer that this is NOT a slam or whatever at any newcomer to keeping ball pythons so please don't take it that way folks.

This time of year makes me very sad. All over the snake forums I frequent are questions about hatchlings not eating and a lot of them are pet store babies sold to people with no snake experience. All the pet stores I walk into lately have these skinny baby BP's, many to a cage and yippee freakin doodle they are "on sale". Now don't get me wrong, I bought a hatchling from a pet store last year myself. However she was very chubby and to be honest, I pretty much accepted the risks and think I have a good solid knowledge of how to get her eating (and it all went beautifully).

It's just so sad to me though. Watching myself and my friends struggling to help over the internet, wishing I could just get my hands actually on these babies and get them set up quickly. Wanting to smack just about every other pet store manager for selling non-feeding babies. The worst was a post today on another forum where the pet store assured the poster these hatchlings came from a "breeder". Am I stupid or naive here folks? What decent breeder dumps new hatchlings that haven't even taken their first meal into a pet store environment! That's no "breeder" in my books!

Is that the new sales line..."oh it's from a good breeder!"? Replacing the tired old line..."oh yes! it's a great feeder!"

I know it's ultimately the owners responsibility to be well informed but most don't come to a snake forum like BPNet before they buy the poor baby. They come here when trouble hits and hopefully they learn and the snakes make it. I just get so depressed every spring/early summer wondering how many hatchlings didn't make it and hate that waste of precious and beautiful snakeS.

Sorry to be so down, I just needed to vent I guess.