MATT OAKLEY

I see at least a temporary 'ban' on the horizon, can anyone else from the fantasy "cliq" see it?

That's enough. Everyone needs to keep to the subject of this thread.

Just a few reminders. We don't tolerate profanity or antagonism of the Moderators here. Keep this thread on topic. I received several messages since this thread started regarding several posts that could be viewed as prejudicial remarks. If it is clear that the remarks are intended as such the appropriate action will take place. We don't tolerate Racist or Prejudicial Remarks here, period. It doesn't matter who the member is that made such a remark. They don't get a free pass. Suggesting such, I consider antagonism of the Moderators that represent this site and are dedicated to its success.

There has been enough sidetracking here.

also i love the whole "cliq" thing that goes on in this place. you disagree with a "elite" member and in rolls the neg karma. again the karma system is a fucking joke.

Sorry all but i have to agree with this one

If either one of you have a problem with the way this site is run take to the feedback section.

FaunaClassifieds Feedback Forum
Anything of a nature concerning this website, moderators, admin, or anything having to do with how it is being run, should go here. Criticism is welcome, but abusive antagonism is not.
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Regardless if you do or don't, you are done sidetracking this thread.

Originally Posted by 2kdime

To bring this thread back ON TOPIC!!

I am going to play a bit of devils advocate if you will......

Matt, as everyone has stated already.... crappy shipping job. No question about that in anyone's (including your) mind.

I have never dealt with Matt, so I really have no experience with doing business with him. Regarding his animals, yes I saw the pics of his setups and I agree with some of the other posters that some of those containers are WAY too small for large bloods or some of the other large constrictors he has (I use a similar size tub for juvenile kingsnakes). I also do not see the connection between the cleanliness of his apartment/home and the cleanliness of his snakes. SOME of his tanks had some condensation issues with them but that can happen in a matter of hours if the snake dumps its water dish and there is no substrate to soak it up. However, never having been to see his set-up in person I will not speculate as to the typical condition he keeps his snakes in.

All of that being said, Trevor I have a some questions for you. Looking over the vet reports in detail shows me that during both of the initial visits, both recorded on 7/1/09, the vet found that the snake appeared normal and healthy and that there was no need for treatment for a respiratory infection at this time. Not until two FULL weeks later did the vet run the tests by taking oral swabs from the snake but only because you insisted that it be done (the notes say you requested the tests). It IS possible to over-treat a snake and cause more problems than were originally there. Fenbendazole (panacur) in particular can have drastic effects if the animal is not kept hydrated during treatment (not to mention it has NOTHING to do with a respiratory issue, the vet was merely broad spectrum treating for parasites). Looking at the reports in their entirety I see that you and the vet tried a total of 3 different medications within ~3 weeks and then finally moving to baytril during the final stages. This is a lot of antibiotics to be pushing through an animal. The vet also never notes mites on the snake until the 13th (again two weeks later). I also agree with other posters that looking over the posts from the other ball python forum, I see no mites on this snake at the time of the photos.

TWO WEEKS is a lifetime for a snake to develop problems. Please explain your quarantine procedures so we can make sure that there is not a possibility that during quarantine the snake got too cold etc. I have very little experience with bloods, however I have seen snakes develop respiratory wheezes REALLY quickly. Also, just to make sure we are on the same page blood pythons are, by their very nature, very "hissy" and this is not a sign of a respiratory infection.

I am just trying to reconcile the issues I have with the treatment of the snake and the claims that the snake was sick when it arrived but the vet noted that it appeared normal and healthy. And that's coming from a vet.

Scaledverts ... They can also develop URI from to dry of humidity. I am not saying that it was in this situation but this is a possibility. I have read threw a few different BOI threads about Matt Oakley and all the other ones were good remarks other than the one with shipping rodents. I in fact almost bought a Hogg island X from him awhile back, but i didnt have the funds. Anyway, hopefully this issue gets resolved...

Originally Posted by scaledverts

To bring this thread back ON TOPIC!!


I am just trying to reconcile the issues I have with the treatment of the snake and the claims that the snake was sick when it arrived but the vet noted that it appeared normal and healthy. And that's coming from a vet.

Read what the vet stated afterwards during his initial exam. Upon first examining the snake he appeared healthy. During exam the snake regurgitated liquid and mucus so the vet gave him meds. Why give a healthy snake meds?

Originally Posted by Angeduh

Read what the vet stated afterwards during his initial exam. Upon first examining the snake he appeared healthy. During exam the snake regurgitated liquid and mucus so the vet gave him meds. Why give a healthy snake meds?

Sorry -Full name: Angela Atkinson

Originally Posted by Angeduh

Read what the vet stated afterwards during his initial exam. Upon first examining the snake he appeared healthy. During exam the snake regurgitated liquid and mucus so the vet gave him meds. Why give a healthy snake meds?

I did! He said "Snake did get bery excited during exam and ended up regurgitating a small amount of liquid and mucous" Snakes will do that if they do not like what you are doing to them. On top of that, as I stated in my post, fenbendazole (panacur) is given for internal parasites NOT a respiratory infection. So to answer your question, he was treating a snake that was not sick with a dewormer as a precaution as most vets will do. Also, look at 7/1, during the SECOND visit the vet again stated that the snake appeared normal!

Again, I ask that Trevor come back and help me reconcile the vet's statements.

I was going to buy a few animals a few months ago but thank god i changed my mind. The animals looked healthy in his ad, but now i dont know what to think. I was today going to buy a few leopard geckos from him that not many people have available right now and after i have read this and other threads as well as emails from 3 different people telling me not to buy from him. The evidence in the various threads look to be true and thank you guys for pushing me away from this guy


Thanks,
Bryan McAdams

Originally Posted by critical bill

This is the PM from Matt that I received...
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Does that look like a sick animal to you?? Would you yourself keep an animal the was covered with mited when you got it? Would you then feed it, plan on breeding it, and post it on the net to show everyone how nice it was??

I bought a pair of Hypo het albino boa's from Matt this summer and when I received them they were the nicest looking hypo's I had ever held in my hands but when feeding time came around I noticed mites on them. I have 7 other snakes in my collection and have never had a single mite before I bought these snakes from Matt. Lucky for me I decided to keep them separate from my other collection as a quarantine so none of my other snakes got mites.

Matt said "Would you yourself keep an animal the was covered with mited when you got it?" I answer YES. He also did not tell me how bad the temperament was of the male but since they are hypos I guess I kinda expected it. So there were mites and a bad temperament but I still kept the animals and treated them.

As for packaging the two snakes were in a snake bag and the geckos were in deli cups and they were shipped in an insulated box. He did a good job on the shipping side of my order but I am not thrilled about the mites.

The geckos had issues as well. One of them to this day refuses to eat. I have to force feed her if I want her to eat. I really doubt I will be able to breed that one but they are both real pretty so I keep them. After noticing the mites on the snakes I also treated these girls with a bath and PAM.

In my opinion after I told him about the mites he should have offered to pay for the PAM that I had to buy but all he told me is that he treats all his cages so he doubts that the mites came from him.

If these animals were not so nice looking I would have demanded a refund but the breeder of the snakes is a well known breeder and I was impressed with the color so I decided to keep them, mites and all.

My experience was not as bad as the person who started this thread but it looks like there is a pattern of mites coming from Matt. If you don't mind getting mites free with your purchase then Matt does have some nice "looking" animals but as for me I will probably not buy anymore from him unless he includes a can of PAM with every order.

Can anyone say revolving door for mites?