Mike the Screamer "Strictly Reptiles"

In my ever expanding efforts of increasing my collection and breeding stock I decided to give Strictly Reptiles a shot. Bad idea. As soon as I walked in through the door I encountered a burly man named Mike. I instantly realized why others here have dubbed him Mike the Screamer. I asked him what morphs he currently had available and requested a price list. He gave me the price list which were some of the most ridiculous numbers I have seen. Prices resembled an outdated 2008 price list. Once I saw the list I asked if he had any 2010's, this is when he snapped. In a tone of borderline screaming he says "I just gave you a list, you don't even know what you're looking for!" At this point I realized the type of person he was. He followed with "Why do you want 2010's when I have 09's" I then asked if there would be a price difference. Louder than before he yelled "No! There is no price difference, nobody anywhere has lowered there prices yet!". Being the nice guy I am I kept calm and asked him about a male lesser. He made a call to an unknown individual inquiring if the lesser was available. Apparently he was told that it was a butter not a lesser. After yelling back on the phone and instructing the person that they were the same snake, he asks me if I wanted it for $600. How can one expect you to purchase a snake without even seeing it? After I told him I would take his card and give it some thought he rudely smirked as if self assuring himself that I didn't know what I was doing. Before leaving I politely said "Thank you". He completely ignored me.

If you ever go back, ask for ray sr. He is the father and a really nice guy. that is who I talk to when ever i go there.

Wow that is most certainly NOT a good first impression ;/

Strictly Reptiles is only a few miles away from my home, and when I visited their warehouse it was terrible, it stunk something fierce and wasn't very clean. Also, I just wanted to bring this to everyone's attention:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The.../9780446580953


I bought and read the book "The Lizard King" by Bryan Christy and it exposed some pretty nasty details about the Van Nostrands.

I suggest it to reptile hobbyists everywhere.

From the synopsis:

"When Bryan Christy began to investigate the world of reptile smuggling, he had no idea what he would be in for. In the course of his research, he was bitten between the eyes by a blood python, chased by a mother alligator, and sprayed by a bird-eating tarantula. But perhaps more dangerous was coming face to face with Michael J. Van Nostrand, owner of Strictly Reptiles, a thriving family business in Hollywood, Florida. Van Nostrand imports as many as 300,000 iguanas each year (over half the total of America's most popular imported reptile), as well as hundreds of thousands of snakes, lizards, frogs, spiders, and scorpions.

Van Nostrand was suspected of being a reptile smuggler by Special Agent Chip Bepler of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who devoted years of his life in an obsessive quest to expose The Lizard King's cold-blooded crimes. How this cat-and-mouse game ended is engrossing and surprising. "

Forgot this part

"Albino pythons, endangered lizards and other reptiles are the currency of an underworld as dangerous and lucrative as the drug trade. Freelance writer Christy's debut is an enthusiastic but scattered chronicle of the rise and fall of a lizard kingpin and the federal agent who pursued him. Mike Van Nostrand inherited Strictly Reptiles, an import-export business in Florida, from his father, Ray, turning it into a multimillion-dollar smuggling operation. Van Nostrand imported reptiles of all shapes and sizes, usually concealed in the suitcases or clothing of his mules, and sold them to collectors and pet stores. He exploited loopholes in the international treaty on endangered-species trade and paid off corrupt officials. In the early 1990s, Fish and Wildlife Services agent Chip Bepler set his sights on Van Nostrand. After Bepler's years of surveillance and hard work, Van Nostrand was sentenced to eight months in prison, his export license revoked, and Strictly Reptiles was forced to pay $250,000 in fines to a wildlife fund. Christy's frenetic approach-bouncing from Mike's smuggling to young Ray catching snakes to the neglect of wildlife crime prosecution-is disorienting in what could have been a fascinating tale. (Aug. 1)"

ah Mikey must have been having a bad day! I have know Mike since he was a kid, and he's a great guy. Someone mentioned Ray sr, he's a good guy also, so ask for him next time you go in, better yet, bring a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich and offer it to Mikey, you will see how nice he will get. LOL!

Randal Berry

I have the "lizard king" and its a great book and I know it makes tom crutchfield and the Van Nostrands look bad in some ways. But lets face it, its because of these guys that we have a pet trade. crutchfield and Van Nostrand paid there fines and served time for what they did. I have had the priviledge to meet both parties and Im a fan of both tom crutchfield and Ray Van Nostrand sr.

Maybe Mike was having a bad day...in all the years I have visited them...was down there just last summer...they have allways treated me with a warm reception and were allways very courtious towards me or my friends I had with me...we even sold Ray some millipedes for cold hard cash which we spent there..
Mike ...Ray...and lil Ray have allways been stand up towards me

Post removed - banned member posting under a new account name (again)
hhmoore

Yeah I like to add to this. I asked for a specific animal. He saays doesn't have any. Next email I politely ask when he will have any. He goes "I get them when I get them, not right now". Real *****