William Albright, very, very bad

My name is Jesus Blackman and about a month ago I bought a male albino tiger retic from him. When I recieved the snake it was covered in mites, had what appears to be bites from live prey, damaged and discolored scales, and was wheezing when it breathed. I sent Mr. Albright an email stating how unhappy I was with the snake and his condition. So he suggested that we try to "fix" the snake. I treated the snake for mites and I haven't seen one since. The wheezing has also stopped since I rasied the humidity in the snake's enclosure. Now the snake refuses to eat. I offer him food and he either strikes at it out of defense, moves away from it, or buries his head in his coils. This snake hasn't eaten in over 2 weeks. I emailed and texted Mr. Albright with no response. I find it funny how he can post adds on kingsnake.com but not return my messages. His webite states that he sells quality animals, this snake was and still is far from quality. So watch out if you plan on buying an animal from William Albright.

pictures of the damage you are discribing would be a great addition of proof

Originally Posted by spyder79

pictures of the damage you are discribing would be a great addition of proof

E-mails too.

a search of the boi would have saved you the time and money you lost. billy albright or ahp reptiles

I had to take them with my Iphone. But he's cover with dozens of uncolored scales so I hope these help. I also have emails.

I'm still kinda new to this site and was unaware of the BOI until someone from monstersnake told me about it. Emails are coming.

Ok, here's the first email I sent the day I recieved the snake and noticed these problems

jesus,
man, i'm so sorry. one of my employs used a shipping box and packing material that we received a snake in yesterday. he didn't think any thing about reusing the box. i just pulled out the anery boa that came in the box and he was covered. i'll make it up to you. it's my fault. i should have check the box before it went out and i didn't.
they won't hurt him and are easy to get rid of. if you go to the pharmacy in your walmart, and get a can or RID or equate head lice bedding spray it's the same thing as prevent-a-mite. simply take him out of his cage, spray the bottom of the enclosure and let it dry. it will kill the mites in less than 72 hours and last for 30 days. it's great stuff and only about $4. just don't spray it on the snake or in the water bowl.
as for the scales that's nothing at all. just where he was coiled up so tightly in the bag. they'll lay down tomorrow and he'll have new ones where he was coiled tonight. he has had no signs of uri while we've had him so i'm sure it's just form the stress and cold pack during shipping. but it's better to be too cool over night than to get too hot for a second. just keep him warm and he will be fine.

keep me posted on him and let me know if you're looking for any thing else and i'll send it to you well below cost.
sorry again man,



On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 6:48 PM, pitbull292006 <pitbull292006@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hey Bill this is Jesus Blackman. The male albino tiger retic you sent me was covered in mites and has a lot of damaged scales that bend outward from the body of the snake. How can I fix these ? Thank you.






Here's the second one

ok,
let's try and fix the snake.
did you get the product that i told you about? how many days has it been since you first applied it?

the scales are not damaged. on larger snakes, their scales crease when they are coiled for long periods of time. if you mark the scales that are creased today w/ a marker, you will find that the ones that are creased in two days are most likely a different row.
the black on the scales is the ink from the news paper during shipping.

let's lower that humidity for a few days. it would be ok if he were wild caught and use to a rain forest but he's use to captive conditions so it's a little high.
describe the cage set up to me. type of enclosure, heat source, lighting, bedding, etc...

is he being kept in the same cage w/ your other snake? i would not let them come in contact w/ each other for at least 30 days after receiving a new snake.

let's give him time to recover form shipping and shed his skin. that will allow the ink to come off and should be the end of the wheezing as well.


On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 2:12 AM, pitbull292006 <pitbull292006@yahoo.com> wrote:

Mr. Albright, you sold me a sick snake. The mite infestation is still a heavy problem, the snake is still wheezing, and the damaged scales are very unattractive. These are all problems that I should NOT be having to deal with. Your website claims that AHPEXOTICS.COM is the one stop shop for investment quality exotic animals. Is this what you call quality, because I certainly do not. I'm combating the mite problem, which also invested my other albino tiger retic, with the method you and other people have recommended. I keep the retics hotspot at 95 degrees and the cool side at 85 with a humidity level of 70-75%, maybe 80 if I just misted him. Now I come home today after work to find him bubbleing from the mouth, which is a sign of URI. And as for the damaged scales, the scales are still protruding from his body. Some are black at the tips and he also has what looks to be bite marks from live prey. I love this snake only because I love all animals, but I am very displeased with the quality. Something needs to be done to rectifiy this situation. I gave you my last $400 for a snake that is not a quality, as your website claims you sell/breed


Jesus Blackman



Here's the third:

i did not mean to imply that shedding the skin was a cure all, but, for what ever reason, a snake w/ a mild respiratory infection brought on by stress does seem to show no further signs of u.r.i. following the post stress shed.
i was not questioning your ability or knowledge, only trying to hasten the snakes recovery.

i'm on my way to fl to pick up animals and then go to a expo. i'll be back one week form tues. i don't want to ship him back to me already stressed. it would only make him worse. if he is still showing these signs when i return you can ship him back to me and i will gladly replace him for you.


On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 5:19 PM, pitbull292006 <pitbull292006@yahoo.com> wrote:

The cage is a 4x2x2 melamine heated by a radiant heat panel and the bedding is now newspaper. I spoke with my vet and he told me that if the snake is bubbleing from his mouth, that's an early sign of URI. Therefore lowering the humidity in his enclosure would only make it worst. True, he may be a captive born and kept snake, but we as keepers try to replicate the animals natural envoirnment. He never came in contact with my other snake but I didn't know that the snake you sent me had mites. So when I went to change my other snake's water I had to move her and must have transfered a mite or their eggs to her or her bedding. And just for the record, shedding his skin will not cure, or "fix" as you say, his breathing problem or the bubbly mucus coming from his mouth. Right now I'm at work so when I get home my next email will include pictures.

This is the last email I sent, I've also been calling and texting him with no responce.


Male albino tiger reticWednesday, September 2, 2009 2:53 PM
From: "pitbull292006" <pitbull292006@yahoo.com>Add sender to ContactsTo: "william albright" <ahpexotics@gmail.com>Mr Albright, that albino tiger retic you sent has not fed yet. I'm trying to feed him f/t rats and he has not taken one. I don't know about you but I do not have money to waste thawing rats and then he doesn't take them. Something needs to be done now. This has upset me to the fullest, so what's your solution.

And I did a search for Bill Albright and I didn't hear anything bad about him that's why I bought the snake from him

He gave you advice on how to fix the problems, admitted his mistake and how he might have exposed your snake to mites, offered to accept the snake back after he gets back from the expo...
Only problem I see is failure to communicate on his behalf, but thats hardly a reason for a bad guy thread as something might be going on that we dont know about. Judging by his emails Id say he isnt too bad, but thats my opinion and in no way saying you werent stiffed.
I think hell rectify the situation Jesus, be patient. I had a guy sell me a good pair of snakes and stopped communicating after the sale. Never know.