In my opinion, I think both parties had their errors. Albeit being excited for an animal that may not be as easy to find, the OP should have taken the time to thoroughly inspect the tegu. Layers of stuck shed is not something that is hard to miss. Its like buying a used car and getting upset because when you left the lot you noticed the radio didnt work properly, the tires were bald, and the inspection was expired, etc etc.

At the same time, the "rescue" so to speak should not be selling/re-homing sickly animals. The point of a rescue is to rehabilitate the animals until they are healthy. Its sad to hear that a "rescue" is not doing the necessary research in terms of care for their animals. With the same breath, it is hard to tell when he got the animals in, and if the conditions pre-existed prior to entering their care.

I think a solid resolution to this would be to refund the vet bill because the OP seemingly really wanted the animal, and that way both parties can walk away from this situation.

Well, it is a buyer beware market like anything else and the OP does have some responsibility in this...but surely you're playing devil's advocate, here? Let's use the animals they were comfortable displaying at an expo. It doesn't matter what state the animals are received in, that is a cop out easy excuse that crappy sellers use which just deflects accountability. If they're comfortable displaying reptiles like this at an expo, in what kind of state are the ones that weren't displayed? I REALLY hope that this thread either causes loss of sales for them, and/or causes them to re-evaluate how they operate.

it was not an excuse for him at all. Exactly like you said, a game of devils advocate. The pre-existing condition scenario was one that is highly unlikely given other threads I've seen with their animal displays. I highly dislike going to shows and seeing vendors who display animals that definitely should not be sold; but it does happen all too often.

Hopefully this thread does cause them to take a look at their operation and question how they can operate better and salvage what potential tiny shred of a reputation they may have.

That is very doubtful. From the responses I've read from him on FB, he doesn't think there is a problem. He also doesn't think his reputation is suffering from all the negativity.

They delete negative reviews off their FB page, so that only the glowing reviews remain.

As long as people continue to buy from them, they will stay in business, same with any other flipper.

Well lucky for most buyers, a simple BOI search will turn up the threads about his business that truly reflect their character. Even readers who read these threads can look at the similar threads and see other horror stories that have been posted. In a few that I've seen, the owner is quite quick to demonstrate the type of person they are.

Regardless, this is someone I would NEVER do business with.

Sadly most buyers are unaware of this board. It’s usually after the fact they find it. And they certainly aren’t searching the boi while standing at the tables making purchases. If the show promoters look at it ethically instead of monetarily and not sell 3 tables to them it might make a difference on that front. I picked up a pair of bullsnakes from them back in March at the Greenville show. Had I known , I wouldn’t have picked them up. But having said that the animals had minor issues and I was able to correct them and they are thriving extremely well. Won’t make the mistake again though. Maybe making some kind of banner a requirement would sway some clientele.

#report animal abuse
 

Hi,
I bought a snake for my son’s birthday from a different breeder in the Kernersville area. I thought we could walk around The rescue in Kernersville. The store was small and not well lit. The first thing that greeted us were signs offering pictures with an alligator or albino (Burmese, I think) for a certain price. To the left was a large land tortoise in an enclosure about the area of a twin bed mattress. Every cage contained the same sand for substrate regardless of the species. Chad asked us if we were looking for anything in particular and I told him we were just curious. We loved reptiles and had just picked up my son’s b-day present. When he found out I bought from someone else, he made a face. Then a young man (I guess his son) proceeded to tell us how the breeder I had used was known for sick animals and snake mites. Chad started regaling me about how much he knew, what an expert he was, how he trained police officers, zoos, and vets because they were so stupid. Then he said if I had any problems with my son’s snake just let him know. I informed him that I am an experienced owner and can handle “problems” myself. (As I have successfully treated mites, respiratory infections, and rescued a mouth rot victim.) What I couldn’t do was save all the animals in that store. Unfortunately, he does have relationships with police etc so getting him cited or jailed for cruelty is going to have to come from at least outside the city limits.

Now, a note about Repticon. There are good breeders there and there are crooks. I noticed in Raleigh, there were a number of tables only selling very small snakes or lizards in the little plastic containers like they had just been unpacked from shipping. If there were no snakes or lizards of varying size offered, I guessed that these were not breeders actually and the animals had not been checked once they were received in the mail, nor had they been fed, or given water. It was all about profit. Repticon is neat for being able to see a wide variety of animals, but you really have to be careful about who you are dealing with. I actually look at the list of venders ahead of time, visit their websites, and check for reviews. There are even snakes mislabeled. You just really have to know your stuff and be very discerning.

Chad’s rescue sounds like it is wonderful and he is very out-going and cocky, but he doesn’t treat animals well or provide proper conditions for them.

Angelia Lawrence

I'm not understanding this part of your comment. How could a rescue be wonderful if the critters are not treated well and do not live in proper conditions?

The key word in that paragraph is, "sounds". What I got from that is, it is a wonderful idea on paper, but not so much in reality.

At this year's Repticon, CCSB's table was completely unlabeled. It was an adult woman who was helping to answer questions and sell the animals. My first year at Repticon and the permission to buy my first blood python, they had a little blood python that I checked out. She was sweet, easily handled, and the lady at the counter was nice. The man standing behind her was mean-mugging everyone hard, and never said a word, just...mean-mugged, arms crossed.

It wasn't until I got the receipt in my email that I realized who I had purchased from. It was a bit too late, but I decided to keep an extra close eye on her. She didn't eat for almost a month and a half, but finally got her interested in food. She doesn't have mites or a URI, but I was honestly worried. I felt a bit jipped that they didn't advertise who they were, but really with their reputation, it makes sense.

I don't like that I accidentally supported them, and it was definitely a first year Repticon mistake, but I do absolutely adore her. I honestly feel like I just got lucky.

-T. Tay