Daniel Parker of Sunshine Serpents - good? bad?

Has anybody ever dealt with Sunshine Serpents? What were your experiences like with them?

Bryan Zigler

Daniel went way above the standards for "good service". He is one of the most professioinal people we have dealed with in a long time.

I just took delivery of two gray 'oak phase' ratsnakes from him, they are beautiful and healthy. He delayed shipment of them for a week to steer clear of 80+ temps (with no arguement from me), which shows me he really cares about his animals, as well as his reputation. Plus I love his website, it's the best field herping on-line journals I've ever seen. Kudos!

I have known Daniel quite a while now - he only lives about an hour away from me.

I put some of my Miami phase corns on breeding loan to him last year and got back more than I really need in babies this year! I am very happy that we got together on this project.

Daniel is very trustworthy, and a serious breeder and avid field herper. He knows his animals well, and has given great customer service to anyone I ever talked to who dealt with him. You will not regret dealing with him.

I actually regret dealing with him.

I had a great experience with him when I ordered a hypo glades. Because of that experience I ordered three more snakes. One came in with a prominent abscess on his chin, and another has a kinked tail. I'm absolutely furious and frustrated and await his proposed resolve.

I would suggest anyone ordering from him INSIST he provide pics or at least guarantee a thorough going over the snake as per an inspection outlined in Kathy Love's cornsnake manual.

--Andy Fotopoulos

Did you send him pics of the animals abnormalities? What was his response? What was his offer to resolve the situation? Your post sounded like you haven't concluded your communications on the deal with him. Do you have emails?

I am surprised you had such a negative experience. Hopefully you will work it out OK.

I sent Daniel an email to let him know about this thread.

Please understand, at this point, the reason for posting was simply to give a head's up to anyone ordering from Daniel to either ask for pics or insist on a thorough inspection prior to him packing your animals. I wish I did, but because my first experience was so great, took it for granted the second experience would be like in kind. Let me tell you, when you get two of three animals in a shipment that are flawed, it is disheartening, frustrating, and, yes, infuriating.

He did respond to the kingsnake abscess, and said it wasn't an injury from shipping, but that he missed it. He asked I keep him posted and offered to try and make things right depending on the outcome.

And then I discovered the kink on the tail of the gulf hammock a couple days ago. If you're wondering what took so long to notice the kink, it's a bit of a long story: the snakes came in an extremely late package delivery ten minutes before I had to report for a teaching gig--I checked the king and saw the abscess, did a super cursory look-over of the two rats, and went to my shift. It was cold, the animals had been on a truck all day. When I finished work, they had a two-hour trip home through the NYC public transportation system. I wasn't about to start excess handling (which I don't do anyway), and I was preoccupied with the king. Once they were home, I never disturbed them once they were situated, as I learned in Kathy's book . Four days later I offered the gulf hammock a pinky in her enclosure and didn't disturb her, as I wanted to let her digest in peace. It was during the second feeding that I got a better look at her (placing her in a deli cup to eat this time). I noticed the kink, but as she was eating, decided not to disturb her until she had defecated. As soon as that happened, the post-crap inspection revealed the curved tail was indeed a kink.

I received an "out of office reply" from Daniel, so again I say I await his propsed resolve. In the meantime, I also say again, this post is to allow anyone ordering from him a chance to avoid my present predicament.

--Andy Fotopoulos

UPDATE: Daniel has contacted me and has been more than willing to make my experience ultimately a good one. I have to believe, based on the "good guy" posts and my previous experience in ordering a hypo glades from him, my current situation is an odd fluke. I still say, and have to follow my own advice, that one should insist on a thorough inspection on the seller's part in order to avoid similar experiences.

Thanks go to Daniel for making things right.

I was sure he would come through for you!

Unfortunately, we all miss things now and then that seem like we should have seen (it has certainly happened occasionally to me). We just have to prove to our customers that we will do whatever it takes to make it right.