Acrylic4u....The Albino in the ad

Heres every e-mail sent from start to finish in reverse order as all e-mails are:

I must admit you are correct I did basically call you a liar and maybe I am just frustrated, as so many others are, about scammers with these crazy stories. I will also admit that although I have never heard of anything like this I will keep an open mind and give you the benifit of the doubt about it until I see the vet report. Vinnie


>From: "Custom Acrylics" <acrylic4u@hotmail.com>
>To: "vincent caruso" <snakeman1313@hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: Message about: 2003 Male Albino Boa
>Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 19:42:55 -0700
>
>I will Get a copy of the vet report scanned for you tomorrow and e-mail it to you. You are right One of the Great things about this Country is the ability to voice our opinion BUT You did not just give an opinion you basically called me a Liar. That is not an opinion it is a accusation.An opinion would have been like..... I have Never heard of or seen anything like this. Can you please provide more information or documentation? I do have a vet the will back this up. Until this time he has Never seen anyone mess a snakes eyes up this much. I am aware of all the people stating I am full of bulls**t. I am upset at all of them because they do not know the time or money I have spent just keeping this snake alive. When I purchased this snake He had 1 eye globe that was seriously injured and torn and the other eye globe was totally gone. This was done by someone with little or no experience "Peeling his eyes" as The original owner stated that he did before I received this snake. Within a couple days all the liquid dripped out of the other eye and he got an infection. I had to put Cream on both eyes for over 6 months to get this to heal and clear up. During the first 6 months with the infection and problems with his eyes it was hard to get him to feed. Sometimes he would only eat 1 F/T mouse every 2 or 3 weeks but he has made it thru this and his appetite has picked up. I hope this is enough info until I get the vet report scanned tomorrow and get a chance to e-mail it to you. Forgive me if I didn't want to type this whole situation the first time but as you can see its basically a book and I was having several responses to the ad. Take care and I'll e-mail you tomorrow.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: vincent caruso
> To: acrylic4u@hotmail.com
> Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 6:13 PM
> Subject: Re: Message about: 2003 Male Albino Boa
>
>
> Funny that you say that but yes I would like to see the vet report... If you send me a vet report not only will I buy the snake from you, but I will post a public apology!!!! I dont think I am a jerk for being cautious. Also when you post adds on a public web site you must realize that it is my right to voice my opinion in repsonse to what you post. That is one of the things that make this country great.
>
>
> >From: "Custom Acrylics" <acrylic4u@hotmail.com>
> >To: <snakeman1313@hotmail.com>
> >Subject: Re: Message about: 2003 Male Albino Boa
> >Date: Mon, 24 May 2004 20:04:41 -0700
> >
> >I am not kidding!!! I will call my vet and let him know about your awesome bridge as he examined this snake the day I got him. This is what happened. I can get a copy of the Vet report if you like.Why is it that there is always a Jerk out there that feels he needs to voice his opinion? Please do not respond to any of my future ads or to this e-mail.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: snakeman1313@hotmail.com
> > To: acrylic4u@hotmail.com
> > Sent: Monday, May 24, 2004 7:58 PM
> > Subject: Message about: 2003 Male Albino Boa
> >
> >
> > Peeling both his eyes off!?!?!?!?!? What? please tell me you are kidding. If you find someone to believe that one please tell them to call me.... I have this awesome bridge for sale.
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------
> > Click on (or cut and paste into you browser's
> > location window) the URL below to view the ad that
> > this message is in response to.
> >
> > http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?de=218520&cat=8
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------
> > This message was sent by an unregistered or non logged in user.
> >
> > Sent 09:58 PM, May 24th, 2004 from I.P. Address 141.150.101.140
> >
>

Even if a vet report existed, it wouldn't change my mind. I could definitely see your average dog/cat veterinarian believing that story. Especially if they weren't aware that this is a common birth defect in albino boas. If the report came from a qualified herp vet who had actually persued continuing education in reptile medicine, that would be different.
Your average dog/cat veterinarian probably spends less than a week actually learning about reptile medicine in vet school. Their word is not the gospel and most of them will not admit that they know absolutely nothing about reptiles.
Frankly, I'd find the opinions of albino boa breeders to be more credible than a vet report from a vet I didn't recognize.

However, if the seller bought the snake in this condition, he may not be trying to intentionally deceive anyone. He may actually believe the story that was given to him. I'd be careful about offering to buy the snake if a vet report exists....unless you're interested in spending $800 + on a rescue case.

Here's another ad he posted on local newspaper (Recycler, California). From his area code, he lives in northern California (San Jose may be). Vincent should not feel bad to call this guy liar, because in this ad, he said the eyes lost due to accident from birth....

http://my.recycler.com/asp/AdDetails...sBAC=480&bSQ=0

Ad Type FOR SALE
Price $1,000.00
Ad Text ALBINO Boa must go!!!! $1,000
Extra Text I have a 1 year old Male Albino BOA. He is 2 feet long and Very healthy. He is feeding on 2 to 3 F/T mice every week and growing fast. He is very pretty and Tame as can be. He had an accident when he was born and lost Both eyes but is Healed and Tame. He will breed in the future. He is $1000 FIRM. E-mail for pics
C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N
Name Robert
Phone (480) 600-0678 (Click this number to see what city you will be calling)
eMail slyther_inn@hotmail.com

previous owner....WHO cares!!!? A snake in that condition should NOT BE UP FOR SALE. I will definately never buy from that person, no question about it.

Dave

To the recycler letting them know he is selling reptiles in really bad conditions! they will remove his adds.

Shanell Sepulveda

He says he is going to post the vet report tomorrow for all of us to see. I got a pretty rude e-mail from him stating I knew everything. All I said was so off kingsnake and onto the recycler and for a higher price please post a vet report.

He was more concerned that I had got the add dates wrong, he said he was on the recycler then on kingsnake.

Who cares about the dates? That has nothing to do about it, it is the condition of this snake everyone is concerned about and the two different stories he is now telling. I highly agree this snake needs to be in a rescue situation and not sold!!

Heres an update on todays e-mails in reverse order of course:

Vinnie, My name is Robert. The contact info is on the document. His name is Dr. Richard Funk and he is Mesa Vet Hospital. He is well know across the country and I have spoken to many people in Florida where he used to live and they have nothing but awesome things to say about him. I have no problem taking him to the vet but I do not want you to feel obligated to buy him. I understand that the bridge is nice but we have NO water here in Arizona.
----- Original Message -----
From: vincent caruso
To: acrylic4u@hotmail.com
Cc: snakeman1313@hotmail.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 4:29 PM
Subject: Re: Message about: 2003 Male Albino Boa


Hi ? (What is your name anyway?)
You can fax the report to xxxxxxxxxxx. Please make sure that the vets contact info is on the report as I would like to speak to him and verify this report and his reptile expierence. Also would you agree to having the snake checked out by a vet in your area of my choice at my cost of course before we complete the deal just to make sure everything else is ok with him? Please tell your vet that its his loss, as this is a really nice bridge... lol Thanks Vinnie


>From: "Custom Acrylics" <acrylic4u@hotmail.com>
>To: "vincent caruso" <snakeman1313@hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: Message about: 2003 Male Albino Boa
>Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 11:57:58 -0700
>
>I am having a hard time getting the Vet Report to scan dark enough that it is legible. Do you have a fax number or and address I can send the Report to? Please let me know as I would like to get this issue resolved. P.S. My vet said he is not interested in your bridge no matter how awesome it is. (LOL)

Dr. Funk is an experienced reptile veterinarian. I do not agree with his ethics however, and his practices are legally as well as ethically questionable. He does venomoid operations on exotic species in the state of Arizona, and it is not legal for him to possess those animals (even for a brief time as their veterinarian) in that state. By his own statement, more than 99% of these animals are sold as "pets" in the private sector and are not used in education or zoological display. In short this guy cuts the venom glands off of venomous snakes so that yahoos who don't know how to keep venomous snakes properly can have a cool show-off pet. I don't agree with that, but I do agree that he has a lot of veterinary knowledge and experience with reptiles.

The question boils down to whether the albino boa in the ad is the same one that Dr. Funk saw, and also what condition it was in at the time he saw it. Dr. Funk would not be likely to confuse a congenital defect in a snake with a trauma injury.

didnt this person say he had ALREADY taken this albino to his vet ? and now he says in a email

I have no problem taking him to the vet but I do not want you to feel obligated to buy him.

does this now mean he would be doing so for the FIRST time ?
if he had already taken this animal to the vet as he previously stated then wouldnt he simply be able to ask the vet to fax you the report directly from his practice ?

I think what he meant by that was that he would bring him to the vet again before I bought him, if his original vet story turns out to be true. I had asked him about this because he says that he was at the vet for this a long time ago and due to the pictures I am not sure to say the least about this snakes overall condition besides the eye "accident", if thats what it really was. Anyway for todays update here they are:

Hi Vinnie,
My wife took this to work today and got it to scan. Please read it and call the vet to verify my "Story". After you do this I would appreciate it if you go to Fauna and Post what the vet says. I have been receiving 20 to 30 e-mails every day and have been getting direct threats about this. This has all gotten WAY out of control! I understand that people have their opinions but when they start threatening my family it has gone WAY TO FAR.
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There was an attachment but it was nothing no vet report no nothing. Right now I will call it a mistake. I asked him to send It again tonite because I will be away all weekend and may not have internet access. The following message was sent to me after he sent the attachment but before I wrote back to him.
*************************************************
Vinnie, Quick question for ya. Can you be the one who calls the vet and verifies everything and does a final post on Fauna? Everyone is wanting me to post the vet report so they can call the vet and I am afraid he will get really pissed off if he has 50 different people calling him to verify this one thing. If you can do this I would appreciate it. I really do not want to have this vet answering the phone for the next 2 or 3 days to answer the same question over and over again. Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.
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I will keep you all posted as soon as I hear something else.