Bad Guy Mike Matson (Mike's Phat Frogs) sold me a WC snake as CB - FaunaClassifieds
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Old 05-27-2016, 04:42 PM   #1
jaggyinn
Mike Matson (Mike's Phat Frogs) sold me a WC snake as CB

I met Mike at Phoenix Repticon on 4/2, where I purchased a female Madagascan Giant Hognose snake from his table for $170. I asked him directly whether it was captive-bred or WC, and he said CB with no hesitation. My boyfriend was with me at the time of purchase and can attest to that.

A month after purchasing the animal showed bumps and lumps on her body. The vet diagnosed her with a heavy intestinal and subcutaneous parasite load, and that she was most likely WC. On that first visit he removed 6 adult worms from under her skin, and we started deworming treatment. I took her back two weeks later for another round of dewormer.

Unfortunately she passed away on 5/19. The necropsy showed that she had eleven adult parasitic worms in her body. These worms caused systemic inflammation and fluid buildup around her heart, finally causing her heart to stop. The vet said she must've been pretty heavily infested when Mike sold her.

She was my first and only reptile, if he’d been honest with me regarding her WC status I would not have purchased her. I did roughly 6 months of serious research before going to the show and was not looking for a WC animal.

After her death, I emailed Mike to explain what happened, and to ask for a refund since he had lied to me about her. He denied having ever said she was CB, even insisting that he told me of her WC status. I can guarantee that did not happen; he was quite happy to say the snake was CB to make a sale.

Regarding his statement that no Malagasy Giant Hognoses are produced in the US, there are a couple of ads for CB snakes on this forum alone. There was no reason for me to not believe him at the time.

I only had Skittles for 1.5 months. I did what I could to bring her health up. I've attached her vet reports, the necropsy report, and the email convo. Hopefully this serves to warn others looking to buy "CB" snakes from him.
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Old 05-27-2016, 04:43 PM   #2
jaggyinn
I've decided to attach the email in one post for continuity.
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Old 05-27-2016, 05:54 PM   #3
owlbear
I've read nothing but bad things on the BOI about this person. This is so incredibly sad.
 
Old 05-27-2016, 05:56 PM   #4
tcp2
Mike Matson has a lot of old BOI posts as to how dishonest he is. Too bad you did not know this about him before spending so much money on a sick animal, and even more on the Vet bills.
 
Old 05-27-2016, 07:33 PM   #5
nickolasanastasiou
My condolences on the loss of your pet's life.
 
Old 05-27-2016, 08:54 PM   #6
Sofia
How very sad.

I hope you won't let this tragic start dissuade you from trying again. There are some good sellers and breeders out there and the Fauna BOI is a great place to find them, as well as to find out who to avoid.

I wish you the best of luck.
 
Old 05-28-2016, 12:51 AM   #7
Marie84
I hope you know there ARE ethical breeders out there. I've had amazing experiences so far, but I've done my research.

This guy FLAT OUT LIED to you. That's disgusting. (I wouldn't want a WC animal either if I'm honest for...well, sadly for the exact reasons that this girl died. You just do not know the health status of a WC animal.)
 
Old 05-28-2016, 01:59 AM   #8
SynPlus
Howdy. I have been following your experiences on reddit and was curious if you ever had a follow up regarding this?



I'm also very sorry your otherwise healthy looking snake passed away a few days after you had taken this photo. I just strongly feel that it could have possibly been something that happened at the vet. Dr. Bjornebo and Dr. Johnson are fantastic vets, but sometimes things just... happen.



I did speak with Mike Matson at the Phoenix Repticon back in May. I also sat at a booth right next to his for a significant part of Saturday and Sunday. I do distinctly recall him saying that his Madagascar Hognoses were imports/farmed.

Here is a screenshot of a previous post he made and he does state that they are farmed:



I believe this may have just been a miscommunication/misinterpretation. I understand that Mike seems to have a not-so-fantastic reputation on Fauna, but the two Tokay Geckos I purchased from him, that he made sure that I knew were wild caught, are still thriving and eating.
 
Old 05-28-2016, 02:02 AM   #9
SynPlus
Quote:
Originally Posted by SynPlus View Post
I have been following your experiences on reddit and was curious if you ever had a follow up regarding this?
Apologies, I completely missed the follow up necropsy. It does look like you did a follow up necropsy with another vet. Did they tell if you the hemorrhaging was due to the previous procedure?
 
Old 05-28-2016, 02:04 AM   #10
jaggyinn
Thanks everyone for the support. Mike obviously read this thread, because he sent me this extremely professional email.

Regarding the proof he wants, well before Repticon I didn't know he existed, nevermind the contents of his facebook. The only proof I have is my word, and that of my boyfriend's. He told me at Repticon, without hesitation, that she was captive-bred.

I won't be replying to him since I already wasted too much time thinking about this, but anything he sends me I'll be sure to post it here.
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