Michigan buyers beware

[JLC]

I saw the snake right after the show. When he showed it to me the tip of the tail was covered in a few layers of old shed. ...

This is not a knock against the OP at all...I know we all start somewhere and we all have to learn our lessons along the way. This is just to point out a specific lesson that hopefully others can learn from the easy way rather than going through it themselves.

A snake at a show currently having a flaky shed is one thing...the travel and the unusually dry conditions of being on display can easily cause a bad shed and is easily remedied without any lasting harm. But when you find a snake at a show that has "a few layers of old shed..." that is a HUGE red flag to walk away and not buy any snakes from that vendor. Sheds left around the tail are particularly dangerous as they can cut off circulation and cause all sorts of trouble, as the OP has discovered. Old stuck sheds on any animal is a strong indication that the seller has no particular care for the health of the animal and your risk of encountering additional more serious health issue with any purchase is very high.

This guy (the seller) sounds like a real piece of work, and I'm glad his name is out there for others to watch out for. This is not the BOI and while it would be nice to have a more thorough accounting from the OP, it is not something we demand when someone is just issuing a heads-up sort of warning. I'll say, though...that anyone posting a thread like this should be prepared to have questions thrown at them, and not all of them softly padded with consummate diplomacy.

[wilomn]

I'll explain CTurtle, something I almost never do.

Almost NO ONE gets the benifit of the doubt. This lesson was well learned. This guy's story isn't quite right. My method is not always "nice" but it is VERY effective.

I smell fish on this one. Don't you?

[cecilbturtle]

absolutely!

just sayin if you "dont have time" then why waste it?

[Powerspythons]

To the OP...you got screwed..it seems..and that sucks...but it was also kinda your fault for not being cautious enough. Research, Research, Research, then you know what the red flags are...and NEVER!...EVER!! assume someone who you've never met is your friend...ESPECIALLY if they're trying to sell you something.

And also, this thread gets an A for being one of the more amusing threads I've read today...thank you for that wilomn!

[wilomn]

absolutely!

just sayin if you "dont have time" then why waste it?

Not having time to search for something that really should be there, then mentioning it, does not mean time has been wasted.

You may have thought so. Your way of thinking is not be universal.

Now, to my question. You don't think there's something a tad fishy here?

[cecilbturtle]

i think its just an inexperienced keeper who got a less than perfectlly healthy snake. sounds like the guy he bought from is either shady or inexperienced himself.

i dont need your explanation. you are quite clear on your intent.

but i would like to know why "no one gets the benefit of the doubt." and how has your "method" been effective?

so the guy forgot to post some some relevant info in his post. thats not where he was going. itd be like me pointing out you mispelled the benefit. i wouldnt because your obvious typo didnt matter to me.

im not saying the OP is right. im saying hes inexperienced. if that guy had experience he wouldnt have sold that snake without an explanation of what is wrong. simply because you are, or at least seem to be, very experienced that doesnt mean all of us here are.

it still irritates me that you whined about not having the time to go through all his posts to find out what he was talking about. i doubt he was asking you for help personally. if it was such a waste time for you then why bother to post? just makes you sound like a jerk.

i dont care if you dont like what i have to say. but you obviously do. im done with this. if you want to pm me then fine. this drama is not what this site is about and im not going to perpetuate the cycle.

[wilomn]

I'm not much for PMs. Nor PMS.

You also failed to answer the only question I asked of you.

You keep talking about wasting time. Your thinking is that time spent, by me I guess, would be wasted looking for information that should have been provided BUT that is not MY issue. It's not a WASTE of time, I DON'T have to to put into it. There is a difference. He may be inexperienced. He may be a big fat whiner who thought he got one over on a vendor and got took instead. That is something I've seen play out more than a few times. Suppose that's the truth of the situation. Do you know it isn't?

You're fairly new to the scene so you'll either have to trust me or base your decision not to on something other than fact. Something is not as the op would have us believe. Or not.

Until we hear from the seller we'll never know for certain.

[cecilbturtle]

i did answer your question.

if you have some time, look back to when you 1st asked. i responded "absolutely".

as far as experience goes if you go by sitting in front of a computer talking about snakes then youre right. not too much experience. If you mean hands on experienced ive worked with animals, mainly reptiles, for 25 years. some of that professionally. and even i dont claim to know everything. must be nice though.

[wilomn]

i did answer your question.

if you have some time, look back to when you 1st asked. i responded "absolutely".

as far as experience goes if you go by sitting in front of a computer talking about snakes then youre right. not too much experience. If you mean hands on experienced ive worked with animals, mainly reptiles, for 25 years. some of that professionally. and even i dont claim to know everything. must be nice though.

Your point of view is both narrow and lonely.

I did not connect your abosolutely with the answer I was looking for proving, once again, that I am inperfect.

You seem to be trying to prove something, your worth or knowledge or something here. No one has questioned that.

What I thought, and you obviously missed, which is most likely my fault, you being the champion speller you are and all (and what if, just maybe, I misspelled that on purpose, as bait if you will, to see who would bite) was that you were new to the 'present your case online' part of buyer seller disputes, miscommunications and other mishaps frequently seen in the reptile world.

Was I wrong in my thinking that you are new to this online he/said she/said? If you are, that explains much. If you're not, that does as well.

Oh, and if I point out that being done with something means you are no longer involved with it,which you have said you were and yet you most obviously are not, would that make us even for my spelling error or would one of us be one up on the other?

[cecilbturtle]

Your point of view is both narrow and lonely.

I did not connect your abosolutely with the answer I was looking for proving, once again, that I am inperfect.

You seem to be trying to prove something, your worth or knowledge or something here. No one has questioned that.

What I thought, and you obviously missed, which is most likely my fault, you being the champion speller you are and all (and what if, just maybe, I misspelled that on purpose, as bait if you will, to see who would bite) was that you were new to the 'present your case online' part of buyer seller disputes, miscommunications and other mishaps frequently seen in the reptile world.

Was I wrong in my thinking that you are new to this online he/said she/said? If you are, that explains much. If you're not, that does as well.

Oh, and if I point out that being done with something means you are no longer involved with it,which you have said you were and yet you most obviously are not, would that make us even for my spelling error or would one of us be one up on the other?

sweet dreams