Winter

Hi folks,

I've had a similar incident with Nigel Kohring in the past, except for a much less expensive animal. I did not end up making the purchase because I did not feel that the seller was being honest with me on all fronts.

To make a long story short, I e-mailed Nigel about a snake he advertised as a pure hypo CA Boa at a reduced price. I inquired about it, was sent pictures, and was told it was locality pure (read: NOT a hybrid), and healthy. A few days later, I discovered Nigel's website, and found that the animal he was selling me as a CA boa was, instead, listed as an '02 female hypo Central American X Colombian cross with the identical pictures that he sent me. I immediately sent him an e-mail and asked him what the deal was. He wrote me back and said that someone else maintains his website, and that it was a sincere typo, but that the animal was as he represented it with me.

I could deal with that explanation, but I was also suspicious after days passed and the website remained unchanged, so I searched the classifieds for this boa to see if it had been posted before. Sure enough, it was listed previously by Mr. Nigel Kohring, as an '02 female hypo Central American X Colombian cross. I sent him another e-mail, and he replied that he does not make his own posts to advertise his animals. By that time, I was totally turned off by the deal, and bid him luck in his business.

A few months later, I saw the animal was still for sale, and I inquired again, because I genuinely liked the pictures, and asked this time for more information (i.e., who bred the boa, are there pictures of the parents, etc.) but never received a reply.

Here is an example of one of his advertisements for this animal:

"Hypo Central American" Classified here on Fauna

Here is the listing on his website today. If this is indeed an error on a description of the animal, it was pointed out to him several months ago, and was never changed regardless.

And thus was my single experience with Nigel. He may very well be an honest seller with great references. I have no idea since I never completed my transaction with him, but I feel that proceeding cautiously would be wise move.

Best of luck to you, Ed. I hope all works out for the best.

Regards,

Lauren Rost