Have any of you ever refused to sell a reptile to a certain person?

[wolfy-hound]

I don't mind ignorance, I can educate people who just don't know "all about" ball pythons or morphs. They don't have to know the latest about every morph to take good care of a snake.

But if I feel it's a bad home, yes, I refuse the sale. I have in the past, will in the future. I have had people contact me multiple times after I said no, and told them outright that I don't feel they would be able to care for one of my babies that I hatched out and raised up. They are my pets, as I bred the adults, I watched over the eggs, hovered over the tiny python heads poking out of the eggs, washed them and coaxed them into eating their first meals... I have more invested in each baby than "Here, $10 and it's yours". That's not who I am, and if I get to that state, I should probably just quit.

I have sold snakes to a middleman before, but I sell to people that I feel make certain it will be a good owner, not to a random store or anyone who wants "wholesale" snakes. I refused to sell to a neighor for nearly 3 years. They wanted anything alive, just becuase it was cool. They kept saying how they wanted one of my monitor hatchlings when I got some. These people were astounded that their ball python(not from me) got OUT of a tank when the "lid" was a blanket laid over top of it! NO! You cannot have a monitor lizard! Do not pass go, do not collect $200, return to jail where you belong.

Sigh.