Cameron Alexander - Do NOT Deal With Him!

For anyone who is considering doing business with a Ball Python breeder by the name of Cameron Alexander, I would advise against it. I have not seen this with too many breeders over the years but a few. But I will explain the whole story.

Early this month a trade was arranged between Cameron and myself, for two of my boas for his burmese python. I was told she was a 2009, and problem free. My boas were 110% healthy and mite free. So it all seemed fine to me.

Upon receiving the burmese python, I noticed first of all she had a TON of mites all over her body. I quickly kept her isolated from any of my other snakes. But her skin was also very dried out, and dehydrated. So if this wasn't bad enough, at the same time I noticed signs of URI. I immediately contacted him and told him she was infested with mites and also sick with URI. He denied that she was sick, and claimed she was perfectly healthy and no mites before she was given to me. He basically told me I was lying. I then took pictures of her to show him she had bubbles coming out of her nose and tried to show the mites. He then ignored all contact by me. He did NOT answe any of my calls, texts, or emails. I went ahead and scheduled a vet visit and got her looked at ASAP. While all the time trying to contact him, I never got one reply. He took my boas and ran from the situation basically. I now have vet records, saved the antibiotic syringes and labels, and pictures to confirm she was sick. She's gotten a lot better from when I first got her. But long story short, he scammed me completely and never intended to talk to me again. I was being very fair about it, and had told him he needed to either cover vet bills, OR give my boas back and I would then give him the burm. He responded to neither suggestions as I stated above.


I don't think he should be selling to anyone if he's going to deny his snakes being unhealthy. As the vet confirmed she didn't just pick up URI recently, she was in later stages and already spitting up mucus. So i'm here writing this post to try and save someone else the trouble I had to go through.

I'm not sure what I can even do, as it was a trade. Can I even get my boas back or have him cover the vet bills. Is there any form of legal steps that can be taken in this matter? I ended up paying $83.00 for vet bills which was more then the burm was even worth seeing as she was just a normal. But I wasn't going to let her die. Let me know if anyone has any suggestion about what I can do in this matter. As I am not well informed on how to take action on a trade gone bad.

Thanks.

You might want to post the pics you took and the contacts between you if they are emails or texts.

Originally Posted by treeboa

You might want to post the pics you took and the contacts between you if they are emails or texts.

And the vet paperwork.

Originally Posted by Siukie

Upon receiving the burmese python, I noticed first of all she had a TON of mites all over her body. I quickly kept her isolated from any of my other snakes. But her skin was also very dried out, and dehydrated. So if this wasn't bad enough, at the same time I noticed signs of URI.

According to his profile, - like yourself - he's in the Cincinnati area; which leads me to a seemingly reasonable assumption that the trade would have likely been done in person. You didn't have an opportunity to examine the burm before the swap was made?

Originally Posted by treeboa

You might want to post the pics you took and the contacts between you if they are emails or texts.

I will get some pics taken of the paperwork and emails.

Originally Posted by Fangthane

According to his profile, - like yourself - he's in the Cincinnati area; which leads me to a seemingly reasonable assumption that the trade would have likely been done in person. You didn't have an opportunity to examine the burm before the swap was made?

The trade was done in person, yes. Coincidentally she was in shed when we met to make the trade and had her on a dark colored towel in a bin. Any mites were not visible till later when I took her inside and put her in another bin on paper towels and mites were crawling onto it. He seemed like he was in a hurry to leave for whatever reasons. When I talked to him in person that evening for the trade, I did not hear any wheezing in her at the time and could not see any bubbles coming from her nose. She had a lot of dried skin stuck in her nostrils from previous sheddings being bad, and it wasn't till after I got her in a warm bath that same evening to clean her up that the bubbles started showing a lot. (This was due to the dry skin being softened up from her bath). Cameron assured me when he was here that she was healthy, I had asked him twice even. He came up with some kind of excuse why her skin looked overly dried. Within 15 minutes of making the trade and getting her inside in a new bin, I noticed the mites and called him that same minute. He then admitted to me she had mites and claimed he just couldn't get rid of them. After her bath an hour or so later, I then noticed all her URI signs coming through. And he wasn't answering calls so I texted and emailed him saying she definitely has URI. He texted me back once saying she was healthy for him and that there's nothing wrong with her. I told him he's wrong. Which is the point that I brought up bringing my boas back or covering her vet bills. I gave him a option to even choose the reptile vet. But after that he never replied to me again. Not to my emails, calls, or texts. I then had her vet checked that same week and the vet confirmed she was in later stages of URI. She needed antibiotics and a lot of babying to get her past it as URI can be especially bad in burms.

While I am aware it was an in person trade, he claims to be a quality breeder that values customers, yet knowingly gives a sick snake to someone? If she hadn't been in shed it would of been a whole lot easier to confirm URI while he was still here. Never the less I still contacted him within a few hours after he left, and I was ignored completely.

A few weeks after the trade I noticed he was reselling my boas that I had given him. I had attempted to make contact again, and got no replies.

As much as I hate to seem to be coming down on the person who was ostensibly wronged, this thread isn't making a very good case for your own experience level or attention to detail. There's a world of difference between the skin of a snake that's in shed and one that is severely dehydrated. Also, even a cursory examination that involved physical contact should have revealed "a ton of mites". Depending on circumstances, URI could be missed. The other problems...not so much.

Regardless of what the other guy says to bolster his credibility, always sweat the details. The devil's generally hiding in there, somewhere. It'd be a shame if your potential buyers read this and extrapolate it out to the degree that they may wonder what problems you might miss in whatever animal they'd consider buying from you. If all your claims are true, it definitely sucks that you got shafted; but you didn't do yourself any favors, either.

Unfortunately, there's not really much of anything you can do to force him into making restitution. Unless it's of his own volition, you're SOL. Considering the premise that he had no problem trading a snake that he knew was infested with mites, it's not very likely that he's going to suddenly sprout a conscience. This'll most likely just have to be a tough lesson learned.

Originally Posted by Fangthane

As much as I hate to seem to be coming down on the person who was ostensibly wronged, this thread isn't making a very good case for your own experience level or attention to detail. There's a world of difference between the skin of a snake that's in shed and one that is severely dehydrated. Also, even a cursory examination that involved physical contact should have revealed "a ton of mites". Depending on circumstances, URI could be missed. The other problems...not so much.

Regardless of what the other guy says to bolster his credibility, always sweat the details. The devil's generally hiding in there, somewhere. It'd be a shame if your potential buyers read this and extrapolate it out to the degree that they may wonder what problems you might miss in whatever animal they'd consider buying from you. If all your claims are true, it definitely sucks that you got shafted; but you didn't do yourself any favors, either.

Unfortunately, there's not really much of anything you can do to force him into making restitution. Unless it's of his own volition, you're SOL. Considering the premise that he had no problem trading a snake that he knew was infested with mites, it's not very likely that he's going to suddenly sprout a conscience. This'll most likely just have to be a tough lesson learned.

I would second this. I once purchased a chameleon in person and later upon further examination noticed it was sick and lethargic. I now check out everything when buying a chameleon in person because if you see it face to snake the deal is done once you have it pretty much.

It is a tough lesson but it will make you more aware in the long run and I also agree no one should buy snakes from the bad seller.

Originally Posted by Siukie

I will get some pics taken of the paperwork and emails.

Are we still waiting on this? Have you had a moment to snap pics and copy emails? Interested in seeing them.

Originally Posted by Siukie

. He denied that she was sick, and claimed she was perfectly healthy and no mites before she was given to me.

Originally Posted by Siukie

. He then admitted to me she had mites and claimed he just couldn't get rid of them. .

So which one is it? These two posts font line up at all.

I don't mean to be a prick but I have noticed that you do a lot of trading and selling. With as much flipping as you seem to do it's not surprising that you got burned but what really worries me is this....

Originally Posted by Siukie

Upon receiving the burmese python, I noticed first of all she had a TON of mites all over her body. I quickly kept her isolated from any of my other snakes.

Were you not already planning to quarantine it? Of so why did you have to "quickly isolate it"? With the amount of animals you seem to be moving I would be very concerned with the apparent lack of quarantine.