Is it okay to buy Ball Pythons from Petsmart/Petco?

[bcr229]

Part of me wants to save individuals regardless of whether they will just replace it. Like, they'll replace it a week after it dies too. So we as snake caretakers have the option to rescue snakes in that position. We have to pay, so it is ALSO a purchase, but what is your point exactly?

Businesses don't like to lose money. If no one purchases snakes that are sick, mite-ridden, and kept incorrectly so that the stores continually lose money on them, they have incentive to change. If well-meaning but soft-hearted people purchase those animals because they think they are saving them, then there is no incentive to change and plenty of incentive for the store to make things worse for the animals so that customers continue to feel sorry for them and buy them.

It's also rather insulting to small/private breeders if buyers are willing to plunk down $50-80 for a sick, mite-ridden, dehydrated, non-feeding normal BP hatchling from such a store, but they won't consider getting a healthy well-started one from the private breeder for half the price, because the overpriced sick one needs to be "saved".