Requesting a Vets Analysis appropriate or not???

I don't know if this is the proper place for this post or not, but it would apply to anyone that has bought WC reptiles so I put it here..

Has anyone ever requested from a seller a letter of some sort showing that the animal has no detectable parasites?

I ask because anyone can say anything about their animals..and not be truthful.

Id be curious to know if anyone has done this, or feel it's appropriate.

Thanks

Chris Mazzochi

Originally Posted by viper69

I don't know if this is the proper place for this post or not, but it would apply to anyone that has bought WC reptiles so I put it here..

Has anyone ever requested from a seller a letter of some sort showing that the animal has no detectable parasites?

I ask because anyone can say anything about their animals..and not be truthful.

Id be curious to know if anyone has done this, or feel it's appropriate.

Thanks

Chris Mazzochi

I can come up with a couple of scenarios where it might apply i.e an extremely high end animal, or a species where a particular type of parasite was prevalent. However it is not done as a matter of course.

If the seller states that an animal has been "vet checked" it is not unreasonable to ask for certification from the vet, along with a photo ID so it is clear that the vet is certifying your animal.

But beyond that, I would opine that the onus is on the buyer to properly quarantine any new acquisition, particularly one that is an imported, wild caught animal, and to see to it that the animal is disease free before exposing the rest of your collection to it.

Anyone purchasing wild caught animals should assume that they are in fact infected and follow quarantine and treatment procedures. Even though some people will treat thier imports as soon as they arrive, it is normal for reinfection to occur.

You can ask for anything from a seller. No problem there.

Whether they will be willing to provide it may depend upon many things. Are you going to pay a higher price for the animal because of vet documentation (this will entail another cost for the seller to aquire)? Is this something he can easily sale (another buyer may not require the extra hassle so be a more inviting transaction)? Alot of this will probably have to do with the cost of the animal. A $5 - $10 tokay gecko I wouldn't bother, a $500 - $1000 snake I might think about it since there is probably room in the profit margin to cover the vet visit.

This is the part of the transaction that reputations are built for and about. Someone who has a good reputation in the field can be taken at their word more often than someone that is new to the industry (or under a new name this year )

It doesn’t seem realistic to solicit a veterinary exam from an animal. On the other the cost of a fecal smear to detect parasites or its eggs it’s a negligible fraction of the cost of a high end animal. On the other hand a high-end animal usually come from “high-end breeders” who take great care on maintaining their expensive breeding stock free of parasites. But as someone else previously stated, by the time the test comes back the snake might have been sold to a different party. Very seldom do I buy CH animals (maybe a baby ball python that really catches my eye), but if I do, I will usually quarantine and de-worm myself upon arrival.

Regards.