Why must people at shows lie?

My fiance and I went to the White Plains show yesterday.My fiance has wanted a boa for some time but I couldnt deal with the size.Then we see this dumerils boa.I fell in love and so did my fiance but we decided we couldnt bring home something that would get so large.The gentleman selling it chimes in that it gets no bigger than BPs.So we impulse bought and now we find out it has the potential for 6 or 7 feet.Shes a sweety and she staying and I probably would have bought her anyway if he would have told the truth.But instead he lost a customer to make $100 bucks.I dont know about some people.Opinions?Thanks

The gentleman selling it chimes in that it gets no bigger than BPs.So we impulse bought and now we find out it has the potential for 6 or 7 feet.

There are two numbers that need to be looked at... Average size and Maximum size...

Maxiumum size is always larger than average... it's sort of what the terms mean. Most Dumerils won't get too much bigger than a good sized regius... And, even being thick for a boa... the BP would be heavier.

The vendor might not have been exactly 100% truthful... Dumerils verage between about five and six feet give or take... Balls max out around five and a half (six for real mutants)...

The vendor also didn't really lie. Compared to BCI, dums stay much closer to BP size, certainly within a reasonable amount, it's not like he sold you a 'tic and told you they were sand boa sized.

No we were speaking about my 3 and a half foot BP and he told me it wouldnt get much bigger than her.Thanks though.

Hmmm..... I don't know about that size thing. I have a pair of them and both are pushing 8 feet really hard and they're not unusual from what I've seen out here. 6 feet is not uncommon in my experiance. They are, however, excellant pets with great temperaments(?). They're really nice. In fact I can think of three people off the top of my head that have at least 6 footers right now.

As far as the lying thing, it sucks. But, you really have to expect it. Then when it happens to you you aren't disappointed and if it doesn't you're pleasantly surprised.

Wes Pollock

So will you be posting the dealer's name on the BOI? I go to the White Plains show quite often. I was there yesterday at the LIHS table. We give out free care sheets and information, try to recruit members and sell tee shirts to benefit our society. Too bad you did not stop there first and ask for info. If one of us had been in the know, we would have gladly shared the info.

This is a good tip for anyone buying a herp at a show. Ask for info on the snake from the dealer you want to buy from, but don't tip your hand in advance by saying: we only want a ball python sized snake. Just askquestions about the snake you are interested in - and only talk about that type of snake.

Maybe also ask at another dealer selling the same thing. But if you don't intend to buy from him, keep the questions to a minimum, cut right to the important one which in this case would have been size. Most dealers are happy to answer a curiosity type question, but don't bog them down with a ton of questions when you want to buy from their competitor. They do have a business to run so don't try to ask when they are busy making a sale or with a potential customer.

Also go to the herp society tables and ask there. Advice is free and you may decide to join a great society.

Never decide that is the only snake you will buy. You may shop around and find one of the same species, just maybe not as pretty, at another table where the dealer gives you truthful advice. That would tend to make me think that any health guarantee would be more trustworthy from the second dealer than from a guy who gave me a ration of bull chips. That may be all the reason to buy the slightly less pretty snake.


Also try to have an idea of what you want begfore you het to the show and study up on those animals before you get there. Forewarned is forearmed!

In other words, shop around first, do your homework, and don't impulse buy!

I was the guy with that $150 sub adult Rainbow Boa for sale, best price in the house on a Brazilian Rainbow Boa of that size, but no takers. I bought it from a friend who wanted to switch to corn snakes. I was trying for a modest profit, and it was a steal compared too prices on Brazilian Rainbows at other tables. Maybe next time! I did sell a nice young Bearded Dragon, although I was there more to man the society table than to sell anything of my own. Stop by for info next time, we are always glad to help someone out.

Best regards,
Glenn B

Dammit Glenn!
That was your BRB?!
I wanted to buy it but the low price concerned me. It just seemed like too good a deal and I kept walking. It was a really good size nice looking animal animal for less then the babies at other tables.
Sh$t.
I knew I should have bought it.

In regards to the size issue.... The dumeril's CAN reach over 8' and the Regius(Ball Pythons) over six. I have personally seen an import female at 6'11"!!! Yeah I was surprised too. That was years ago when they shipped gravid females. I'll try to dig through my photos. Anyway, I would have to agree that the comparison was incorrect. Only because if I were asked the same question I would consider the size which the general public was most familiar with.(Balls-3-4')(Dum's-4-5') Best protection is do the research before the show then know what you are looking for. Either way the Dum will make a good animal. Regards Ray Herpetological Breeding Research

oops! Ray Goushaw Herpetological Breeding Research(Forgot rules full name!##$^^&*(!)

I know we made a mistake with an impulse buy but Im not at all upset about her.Shes a doll baby.Very friendly and healthy.If he would have told us the truth I would have purchased her anyway.I just cant believe people will risk an animals well being over a few dollars.We saw a lady from Regal Reptiles trying to tell a guy buying his daughters first reptile that bearded dragons are 10 inches at full grown.Such a little lie,but now that animal will probably never reach full growth because of being in a home entirely too small.She did not mention UV or any other important info.To the gentleman who has the 8 footers,how fast did yours grow?What age are they?Thanks guys!!!!!

In regards to the size issue.... The dumeril's CAN reach over 8' and the Regius(Ball Pythons) over six. I have personally seen an import female at 6'11"!!! Yeah I was surprised too. That was years ago when they shipped gravid females. I'll try to dig through my photos. Anyway, I would have to agree that the comparison was incorrect. Only because if I were asked the same question I would consider the size which the general public was most familiar with.(Balls-3-4')(Dum's-4-5')

Well said but... As you said yourself, the public is most familiar with the middle and lower end of the size scale and those really larger animals are rare... most vendors will speak about average sizes rather than true maximums, they aren't lying when they do this...

A 3-4 foot (healthy) ball will weigh around the same amount or even a bit more than a 4-5 foot Dumerils (Dums are pretty thick too once they attain a decent length but not BP proportions) and the animals could be considered to need about the same amount of space... length isn't the only housing consideration, girth does matter.

I think my defense of the dealer may be based on two things...

First, I don't see a foot or so (average) as being all that much bigger, nor do I see a five foot snake as being any more dangerous or difficult to keep than a four foot snake (given similar builds and discounting venomous species of course)...

But secondly, I hate the idea of an uneducated consumer. The thought of someone willing to buy an animal right then and there when they need to ask questions like "How big does it get?" or "What does it eat?" and "How warm should it be?" makes me a bit irate. If you don't already know what the care for the animal is... the basic biological facts, I'm not talking hard stuff here but... Size?! Come on! Go buy another animal and get the one you liked but didn't know about after you have some knowledge! "They" say there are no stupid questions... that's not true of course. "They" also say that asking questions is the only way to learn... But damnit, learn before you get the animal and I don't mean five minutes before hand. What sort of care is an animal going to get when it's new owners couldn't even reccognize the species if it was unlabeled before they bought it? I lose compassion for people who are fed a line (And this wasn't THAT big of a stretch for a casual conversation) when they are in a position where they should have known better to start.

We saw a lady from Regal Reptiles trying to tell a guy buying his daughters first reptile that bearded dragons are 10 inches at full grown.

So while you were eavesdropping, did you happen to overhear if she was speaking about total length or the more accurate and useful snout to vent length?

Incidentally, was Shawn there? I know Regal caught some flak a couple years ago because some of the employees who had been sent to do a show (Without Shawn) decided to add a load of really unpleasant looking Phelsuma to the regal table, but that was the only bad thing I've heard and it was cleared up quickly.

What you have essentially done here is turned a post about an unnamed breeder into a post about how Regal Reptiles lies to customers (Hey... named people = BOI)... I've been a customer of Shawns for years now and have never once been lied to... of course, I also don't need to ask questions that I really should already know the answer to on my own and I don't eavesdrop and take conversation out of context, so maybe I just haven't placed myself in the right position to be lied to.