A little sad tonight

[masonhall]

Well today is my birthday! YAY! I am in high school and all i really wanted was a lesser male. Well today my dreams came true and my mom put the snake in a tiffany box and pretended it wasn't a snake until i opened it. She is great.

Well i was talking to a certain breeder about this lesser and he said he got it from ben siegal a couple months ago. I asked him how much it weighed and he said "in the 450 - ish range right now. He was offering 200$. I thought that was a great deal. But i was not allowed to get it, all because my parents got it for me! well i open the tiffany bag and i see the lesser. Except that he is very small, and was extremely flighty. I immediately new something was up, so i thanked everyone and took him upstairs to weigh him. he weighed in a t 211 grams! i knew this wasn't OK. even more, he was extremely bitey (maybe just from trip). I put him in his cage and left him there for an hour or so. when i came back to hold him. He just lashes out whenever i get my hands near him. I offered him some food, but he just bit it, and went into a s shape. I thought that i should have waited, but the breeder said feed him immediately. i am very upset about his size because i wanted to breed him this upcoming season

Be aware about false advertising ex) get a picture of the snake on the scale. Do you all think i can get a full refund, shipping included?

Thanks

[Rob]

Why would you want a refund? It's a hatchling so what? They tend to be a bit nippy and who can blame him after being put in a jewelry box. Let him settle in don't hold him for a while get him feeding and you should have a great snake.

[Inknsteel]

Are you sure it's the same snake you were looking at before? I havent ever heard of Ben misrepresenting an animal for sale... If you have any doubts or questions, send him an email or a message on FB and get the real story before jumping to retun him. Also, give the snake a chance to settle in and try offering food in 5-7 days...

If he is that stressed, there may also be issues with the environment. Can you give us pics of your setup? What are the temps on hot and cool sides? Do you have hides?

[SquamishSerpents]

Sounds like your parents got a different snake than you were originally looking at?

Either way, he should be able to breed the upcoming season anyways. I've had males breed at 345g, so he doesn't have too much growing to do. Either way, you can't guarantee that a snake will breed, anyways.

Just give it time to settle in, it sounds like it is extremely stressed. It will stop striking at you in time.

[Skittles1101]

I agree, I bet it's a totally different snake. Ben Siegal is a good guy for the most part. Why would you want to refund a perfectly good lesser? Just beef him up, be happy you got anything, nevermind the exact thing you wanted-minus 200 grams.

[Slim]

Give him time to settle and start eating. He'll be just fine. If you are happy with how he looks, why sweat a return and all the hassle that involves? Just feed him up and grow him out yourself.

BTW, Happy Birthday!

[RestlessRobie]

I will add my 2 cents If this snake is a great looking example of the morph you want then KEEP IT. Transit new enviroment a birthday party ETC will add a lot of stress to a hatchling snake. Remember baby snakes are food for larger animals. How would you feel if you were put in a box and a giant opened it and grabbed you? I would leave your new addition alone for at least a week then offer food and hold off handeling until you get at least 2 meals into him. AS for breeding he can easily reach breeding weight for next season. My sons normal was 217g end of December and just hit 515g last week. He is fed 10-15% body weight every 5-7 days so he should be breadable this fall easily. I would keep him and just let him settle down and he shounds like a great gift and should be a great addition to your collection

[masonhall]

OK thanks guys. i will let him settle in. We shall see what happens. I didnt know you could breed males that early. Thanks for all the input!

[angllady2]

I can understand you being upset and unhappy. To be told you are getting one thing, and then get something else entirely is not a good experience.

My understanding is you did not get this snake from Ben, but from someone who claimed that they got it from Ben.

I would at least email and ask why the snake is so much smaller than what you were told, ask if it has problems eating.

For now, your baby is very stressed out, scared and unhappy. If you desire to keep it, then give it a week under optimal conditions to de-stress and unwind, and then try feeding again.

If you do decide to ask for a refund, remember to be as polite as possible. Just explain that you are concerned because the snake is much smaller than you thought it was going to be, and you are worried it might have issues eating. You may or may not get a refund, so be prepared to be turned down.

Gale

[masonhall]

My understanding is you did not get this snake from Ben, but from someone who claimed that they got it from Ben.

I would at least email and ask why the snake is so much smaller than what you were told, ask if it has problems eating.

Yes i got it from someone who got it from ben siegal. I will let him settle in. I called the guy and he said he didnt actually weigh him he just looked that way and that "what do i want to do about it?" so i have a few options but this guy really is a great looking lesser.

Another question, he smells very bad, and he has now stunk up his enclosure, just wondering why he might be? doesnt exactly smell like pee, but it makes my stomach hurt when i smell it lol