US GLOBAL EXOTICS SPCA RAID

just so you know....I am not some smooooooooo....off the street. Granted I no longer work...but I have run multi-million dollar businesses, I have consulted fortune 500 and 1000 companies on business practices.

I just don't want you to think I am some random stay at home mom with a fluffy dog in her purse. I do understand business symantics.......I understand why there are animals in the freezer until you get your refunds. I am not talking about that when we discuss this company. This is about animal cruelty and not taking responsibility for these animals when they are in your care.

Michelle, although I understand what you are thinking, I'd like to point out the reality of the world. I'm a retailer. I own a little pet store that specializes in reptiles. I breed a lot of my own snakes and lizards, but I can't do it all. So I buy from wholesalers. Many of them. Why? First, like I said, I can't possibly produce all the types of animals I sell, although I do try. Second, most wholesalers, because of the nature of the business buy in large quantities at low prices. They lay out huge sums of money, money I can't spend. Why? Because I don't have the facilities to hold 200 iguanas at a time. I can hold 6 at a time. Wholesalers buy from breeders, in huge lots. In turn, they get a much better price then I do for these animals because my storage capacity is small. So I get better prices from wholesalers then I can if I buy directly from the breeder........sometimes anyway. I can then pass these better prices on to you, the consumer.

Imports are part of the business. I imported 100 Rankin's Dragons because I got them at a low price. By the time I paid for them, shipping, and broker fees, I still made out pretty good. But housing 100 baby Rankin's dragons (captive bred, by the way) was a huge chore, and one that I don't look forward to doing again. I'd rather go to a wholesaler and buy 10 at a time. When I run out I can buy 10 more.

Without wholesalers there would not be any pet stores that sell animals. This is just what USHS and PETA want. They want to kill off my source of animals that I can sell to people like you. Most ball pythons, morphs included, come from wholesalers that buy in large groups from US breeders. Kill off the wholesalers, and there goes a major source of ball pythons. Sure, I can buy directly from the breeder, usually at a higher price, and I can and pass that higher price to you. This will of course mean my sales will drop, making things harder on pet stores to stay in the black. Plus the pain in the butt of buying from dozens of sources every week, instead of 5 or 6. Shipping alone will jack up prices. Pet stores, no matter what you believe, don't make a ton of money. We're not in it for the money. If I was, I'd be doing something much more profitable. I was a jeweler at one time, and I can tell you I was much better off financially then I am now. Jewelry doesn't die, nor does it need food and water and staff to keep it clean. Jewelry doesn't mind if it's not shipped overnight. Most pet stores make little or nothing off the animals they sell (at least reptiles). By the time you pay for the overhead to keep them alive and thriving, you're lucky to break even. It's the stuff you sell with the animals that makes profit, tanks, cages, heaters, bowls, bedding, food, etc. But without the animals, no one's going to buy the supplies. Don't fall for the animals rights bull . They want to take away my livelihood, and after they're done with me, they will be at your door, taking every living animal you own.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble, but I thought you'd like to know.

Michelle, I posted my response before I saw your responses. I did not intend to offend you. Sorry if I did.

Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

well I guess I should have clarified...that the store that I bought my snake from gets them from local breeders. If there are none here locally then they go through a breeder in CA. So no....my snake did not come from a wholesaler...unless they are outright lying..which I find hard to believe because this is a huge issue to the store owner and the person that taught me about this in the first place.

I really don't think you can compare animals to broken dishes....that is apples to car parts for lack of better words. I think this company had faaaaaaaaaaarrrr more problems than their HR department. Making jokes about a snake that is that bad......probably ranks up there in the worst to me. In my personal opinion if this is how a wholesaler runs a place and takes care of their animals in their possesion...for however long that is....then they should not be in business. It doesn't do this hobby any good what so ever!! Maybe I put a little too much faith in ppl but I hardly imagine the big BP breeders treating their reptiles like this.

As for preventing it in the future...hire more ppl.....to keep the animals healthy....have a vet on call that works for you. All of this costs lots of money...hence...raising the cost of the reptile. For me...I will pay more to know that this animal was taken care of...healthy and in good condition. Maybe it is just me....but I would imagine that allot of ppl would think the same.

As for the rescue companies.... ....I have no idea how they treat their rescues you are totally right. I know I house my snakes in rack...I feel they like that better than viv's and for me...it seems a much healthier environment for them as well as it lets me store more in a smaller area. I would hope that if you are in the business of rescuing animals that you in fact care about their well being and do whatever it takes. Again maybe that is me being niave.

I can guarantee you that the big breeders in the pet trade euthanize unwanted animals. One told me that he was considering euthanizing a ton of bps for the simple fact that they cannot raise or buy enough rats to feed all of them. Again, this is part of the trade.

As for the comparison, the comparison is based on business practice so yes, it DOES make sense. You arent going to buy a product for 1.00 to spend 40.00 on its repair to sell it for 3.00. That doesnt make sense in ANY business. You have to understand that this was, in fact, a business. Thats why there are tons of breeders and very few wholesalers. You even try to get breeders to wholesale their animals and they wont do it because it saturates the market now. Its cheaper and more profitable in the long run to euthanize the excess.

I am not a big breeder but I have been around the biggest of them. I have also been a buyer for the pet trade industry in the past. The wholesale business is wholesale101, quantity and margin. You want to change the standard that the wholesale pet trade follows. Thats a different issue all together.

As for running multi-million dollar companies, well, you have to look at running a wholesale operation the same way. If you didnt, you wouldnt be in business any longer than your first shipment.

I, also, have run multi-million dollar corps up until last yr. I was part of the wireless movement when you paid for the minutes. I created policy and procedures that are SOP in 3 of the top 5 wireless companies in the USA. So yes, I have a general understanding of basic business practice as well as the next person.

Once you realize that this is a business just like any other wholesale business, then it will make sense.

On a side note, Ken Foose should charge admission to go to his pet store. He has, by far, one of the best selections for a Exotic Pet store that I have seen. When people visit Las Vegas and want to take their children to the zoo, they really mean that they want to go to Exotics Pets. I lived in Vegas and couldnt even find the zoo, and, when I did... I surely wasnt going there.

Originally Posted by Ken Foose

Michelle, I posted my response before I saw your responses. I did not intend to offend you. Sorry if I did.

No you did not offend me at all!! And I totally get that you don't make the money on the animals.....you make it more on the stuff that goes with it as well as hopefully the return customers for the feeders. In fact....I am not sure of too many ppl that own smaller pet stores that are "wealthy"...lol...unfortunately. There just needs to be something that can be done so that issues like this do not continue to arise. It doesn't do the reptile industry or any pet industry well and just fuels the fire. I hate to see things like this.....I teach my child NOT to be like this...and here is an industry that seems to do it and we should unite???? I could never get behind that. I also would never kill my snakes because I have too many normals....let me tell you...too many or not....business or not...I would give them to you first. So clearly...I would not be liked in the industry...lol. Now if something is sick...of course....if it cannot be helped by all means it should be put down.



To strictly...there are A LOT of poor business practices out there when it comes to live animals.........and if I know who participates in that I don't have to buy from those companies!! I know who I am and what I will and will not do....money or no money....I would get out of the business before I did some of those things in the video.

Originally Posted by StrictlyExotics

On a side note, Ken Foose should charge admission to go to his pet store. He has, by far, one of the best selections for a Exotic Pet store that I have seen. When people visit Las Vegas and want to take their children to the zoo, they really mean that they want to go to Exotics Pets. I lived in Vegas and couldnt even find the zoo, and, when I did... I surely wasnt going there.

Well looks like I might have to take a drive someday and see the zoo!!

Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

No you did not offend me at all!! And I totally get that you don't make the money on the animals.....you make it more on the stuff that goes with it as well as hopefully the return customers for the feeders. In fact....I am not sure of too many ppl that own smaller pet stores that are "wealthy"...lol...unfortunately. There just needs to be something that can be done so that issues like this do not continue to arise. It doesn't do the reptile industry or any pet industry well and just fuels the fire. I hate to see things like this.....I teach my child NOT to be like this...and here is an industry that seems to do it and we should unite???? I could never get behind that. I also would never kill my snakes because I have too many normals....let me tell you...too many or not....business or not...I would give them to you first. So clearly...I would not be liked in the industry...lol. Now if something is sick...of course....if it cannot be helped by all means it should be put down.



To strictly...there are A LOT of poor business practices out there when it comes to live animals.........and if I know who participates in that I don't have to buy from those companies!! I know who I am and what I will and will not do....money or no money....I would get out of the business before I did some of those things in the video.

Okay. I am confused here. What did the video ACTUALLY show them doing? All I saw in the video were animals clearly not in a state to sell. I didnt see them in the video at all. I DID hear them say things but I didnt see them do one thing.

You are letting your emotions dictate what you are seeing. You saw a Wallaby on the ground dying, but, you didnt see anyone do anything to it. You saw a Hedgehog with it foot gnawed off, yet again, no one there physically taking the foot off. Yes, the video WAS horrible. But... That video didnt show anyone doing anything. And, the biggest question here is did these animals come in this way.

The HSUS has a TV commercial with all sorts of messed up dogs and cats. Does that mean that they DID that to them? Or, did they RECEIVE those cats and dogs that way.

Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

Well looks like I might have to take a drive someday and see the zoo!!

If you are talking about the Las Vegas Zoo, take a taxi (its safer). If you are talking about Kens Store, you will be impressed.

Thank you very much. We try real hard to make the store the best we can. Now, on a side note. Michelle, being that you are an experienced businesswoman, you know for a fact that there is someplace that sucks in EVERY business sector. Whether it's auto dealerships, food companies, pet stores, animal wholesalers or rug shampooers. I've been in this business all my life, in zoos, wholesale, breeder, retail, you name it. And I can honestly say that I know a lot of people in this field, mom and pop store owners, field researchers, wholesales, commercial breeders, field collectors of animals and tons of hobbiests. I have found this diverse group to be honest, hard working folks who all have the same thing in common, the love of animals and the love of doing what they do for a living. Yes, there are assholes in our trade. Yes, there are some who should be selling used cars instead of animals. There always have been, and always will. But that's a very, very small percentage, much less I think then in most other fields. I'm proud of what I do, and I'm proud of the people I work with, breeder, wholesaler, importers. They all care. If they don't, I won't do business with them (and you know who you are, 'cause I've told you so). You won't find a better group to be in the company of. I'm happy to say that most of the people I deal with are friends who I have a great deal of respect for. I'm happy with the company I keep, and the people I do business with. One bad example does not represent the entire industry. Well, except for banks, but I regress