Ball Python Cause of Death

[Malum Argenteum]

From there.... unless you stated at the time of purchase, the average health guarantee for reptiles is typically VERY short. You're usually lucky to see anything past 24 hours. Some will give you 72 hours. Anything after that is pretty rare, I know one breeder who gave me a 30 day which shocked me. That said, some breeders will still listen to you on an issue past the guarantee and try to make things right.

I vend expos and sell online, and in both cases I have a 'live and outwardly healthy at the time you get the animal' policy. I give 24 hours on shipped animals to confirm the sex. That's all in writing. I've gone over and above this on more than one occasion, and usually the buyer is clearly the one at fault, but I think it good to have a firm policy in place.

I think the extended (30 day) health guarantees are a good business decision for those sellers who want above all else to maximize number of sales. The number of buyers who will make a claim on an animal they killed or isn't even sick or dead might be outweighed by the increased sales volume such a liberal guarantee will encourage, much like retail businesses with a ridiculously buyer-focused return policy. I personally don't try to maximize sales -- quite the opposite, in fact -- but some vendors certainly do.