Izoid

I wanted to let everyone here know what my experience with Big Apple Herps has been.

In early May of 2010 I purchased a male Hypo Patel Boa. The snake was supposed to be a late 2008 or early 2009 animal. When the snake arrived at my house it weighed 92 grams. The animal went downhill very quickly and died within 12 hours.

I emailed Big Apple to let them know and to express my concern over the health and weight of this animal. They were very defensive of their Boa Managers experience and would not even entertain the idea that the snake was not well cared for. They really did not seem to be concerned with the animals death but with their reputation.

I spoke with Steven the next day and he informed me that the snake would be replaced with a new one. We agreed for him to send me a female because he had no males left. The snake arrived a few days later and was in worse shape than the original snake. She too weighed in at under 100 grams, was dehydrated, malnourished and had a stuck shed.

I called Steven immediately and he then told me that he had been mistaken regarding the snakes age, it was actually a late 09 animal. After several conversations with him he offered to refund me the purchase price of the animal if I shipped her back. This snake was so weal and sickly that, in my opinion, would not have survived the return trip. I told him this and kept the snake.

Here we are, 2 months later, and the snake has passed away. I took her to the vet yesterday because she regurged and I was concerned. The vet looked at her and was amazed at her poor health. She was anemic and still was very thin. The vet took an x ray and determined that she had some type of problem with her colon. He commented that he thought it was likely a congenital defect that affected her ability to process her food properly, leading to anemia and the inability to absorb nutrients from her food. He gave her an enema, subcutaneous hydration and soaked her for an hour. She did not have any parasites. I was to take her back tomorrow for a follow up.

When I woke up this morning I found the snake dead in her cage. This was a long, painful, road for her. She ate every week but she never thrived. She did not gain weight and always had been lethargic.

I asled Big Apple to make this right as the vet felt it was congenital and that the snake was sick from the get go. There response was that since they had offered a refund before they would not be responsible for anything else. I have informed them that I would expect either a full refund or a store credit in the full purchase amount. If they do not agree I will take them to small claims court and request vet bill and necropsy cost in addition to the sales price.