Ian Curtis - Stolen African House Snakes

This is a complaint/flag/warning for anyone looking to do business with Ian Curtis in Louisville, KY. Particularly those who wish to acquire African House Snakes from him. My name is Sarah Smith.

Let me start off by sharing some advice: NEVER, ever, ever enter a breeding loan with some one without a written agreement. Because people you truly believed to be decent individuals can and will stab you in the back.

When I met Ian Curtis, I was transporting a 4ft. Nile Monitor from MO to KY to rehome. My boss at the time was a bit eccentric when it came to taking in animals at our veterinary clinic, and the clinic was not equipped to house or care for it. It escaped on a nightly basis. When he finally expressed the need to find another home for it, I jumped on board and offerred to help. The idiots who sold themselves off as responsible caretakers showed up in a two-seater car with a jacket to throw over it, and I sent them away. I met Ian at the KY herpetological society meeting, where I went to find some one who might take the monitor and give it a home where it was going to be well cared for. It was one of his friends that took it. He was friendly, and expressed his passion for african house snakes. I'd been keeping/breeding house snakes for the past 5 years, and so we had lots to discuss. He was going to be doing a presentation of AHS at the Herp Soc. and I invited him out to my house in MO to view my setup and the 5 different species I was keeping/working with.

This was back in October of 2012.

In the beginning of 2013 I found myself moving back to KY. I was selling my house in MO. You can still locate my add on Fauna here where I advertised most of my AHS for sale. The move was going to cost a lot of money and space, as I was moving into my dads before finding another place in Louisville. This is important because of the irrational claims Ian makes towards my living situation, my finances and my employment. I only planned on keeping my most valuable snakes: My albinos breeding project, and my bug-eyed house snakes. I also had two rescued ball pythons, a rescued albino pine, and a mexican black kingsnake that I was going to take time to find homes for when I got to KY, as it was not likely I would find anyone to pay for and ship such common snakes.

I moved the last week of February because my new job started March 5th. I had contacted Ian because I knew he was pursuing an albino house snake project, and all he had was a young albino male. I'd received a great deal of help from fellow AHS breeders when I was starting out, and I saw my chance to return the favor to the herp community. I texted Ian and asked if he would be interested in taking my albino females and albino males on breeder loan so he could get a head start on his projects. I was going to be unable to breed these snakes any time in the near future, and space was going to be tight until I moved. One of these albino females in particular was very rare, and deep red. I acquired her from Michael Crabtree in 2011. It was her two male offspring that I offered to send with the pair of adult females. The plan we discussed was the same deal I'd made with another breeder: He would house/feed/breed my adults, and he was welcomed to keep half of the offspring he produced in the next year. After a few clutches, I would get my girls back, and my males, and he would have an awesome start on his albino project. He was eager and enthusiastic about the plan.

I changed cellular services back in May, so my only evidence to what we discussed was lost with my verizon text messages. We met in a parking lot outside of a reptile show, no one else was present, despite his claims to having witnesses. When I dropped the snakes off with him I explained that several months ago a rescue I had taken in from the clinic had brought with it an infestation of mites. (No good deed goes unpunished!) My entire collection had been treated thoroughly, and I had continued treating them weekly despite not seeing evidence of mites on anything in weeks. The people who acquired my other house snakes had no complaints, but still I was cautioning Ian to quarantine them like any good breeder would do. The snakes were healthy, housed on white paper towels, and we spent a good hour or so talking there in the parking lot before I had to go.

I tried to keep in contact, but I stopped hearing from Ian. I had started my new job and moved into a house in Louisville, and I was busy pursuing my art career...but Ian's silence began to bother me. I asked after him with other local herp people, trying to find out why my texts/calls were unanswered...what follows are my efforts to contact him starting in July.





Then came my attempts on Facebook...I got one response, very brief, back in August.



As you can see, by November I was tired of it. I didn't like that he would not talk to me. Something was definitely up. So I wrote requesting my snakes back. Again. NO response. So 1 week following this post I posted PUBLICLY in a facebook group he was active on that I needed to hear from him ASAP. I was tired of his lack of communication and I wanted my snakes back. I took screen shots of his immediate response, but I missed my initial post in which I called him to attention. Needless to say the thread is deleted now, but I do have our transaction following my initial post:











He did not write me back. I had to write him. This is the private message transaction that followed. I have included screen shots as above because the date/time features on Facebook are very handy. I think the maturity illustrated in his responses speaks for itself:









The final two will be in the next post below...

A few final things I would like to point out:

I never got any hint of a receipt, a letter, or any lawyer's info. I still believe that this was another immature stab in the dark to try and get me to back off.

If I was in such a financial pit of despair and unemployment, why the hell would I "give" these snakes away instead of sell them? I sold the rest of my collection that I did not consider to be as valuable or sentimental to me.

Also. I am a 29 year-old female, WHY in the WORLD would I want to show up at a pet store, AFTER HOURS, by myself, IN THE DARK, and try to "talk this out"?????



I have waited for nearly two weeks and received no more responses from Ian Curtis. The situation sickens me. The snakes meant a great deal to me, many on this forum and others are witness to the many pictures and info I have shared over the years. I came to make an effort here in the hopes that it will enlighten some to his true nature, and that no one else will be victimized this way. Particularly those wishing to work with and acquire African House Snakes.

This is very upsetting.....I'm sorry to hear that, Sarah. I've always known you to be an honest, upstanding helpful member of the local reptile community. Does Ian work at Pet's Galore or am I mistaken? It sucks that there are people who take advantage of another's kindness in this hobby.

I don't really frequent this forum much, but I am posting on Sarah's behalf.

I am Michael Crabtree, and I did sell her that exceptional patternless albino female Boaedon capensis [as well as an albino male] back in when she described [honestly can't remember exact date - can verify later if needed]. As an avid AHS keeper, and was somewhat attached to that animal, it does pain me to see it involved in a situation like this.

I know Sarah Smith from other forums, and even had her on my radio show once. I have found her to be professional in this hobby, and when she purchased the animals from me, she paid promptly and the transaction went smoothly. I know this thread is about a breeder loan between her and someone else, but I can vouch for her character.

I do not know Ian Curtis; honestly, never heard of him until I was made aware of this thread. Given what I read, it appears that he is indeed retaining the snakes which do not belong to him.

Sarah, I am very familiar with the KHS, as I founded it with Will Bird. I strongly suggest that you attend the meeting as suggested. as you know the KHS is full of good people and perhaps Kathy Hicks, Phil Peak, or even Will Bird would be willing to mediate for both of you. That said, I have helped people out of "jams" by taking in animals. Even if it was not stated as such if they got back on their feet and wanted their animals back, I would always accommodate them. Karma....its everywhere you are going to be.
Ron Allen Founding Father of the KHS.

Sarah Thanks for informing "US" of this unfortunate experience you are having to deal with......I feel your sincerity........Hope Ian Curtis feels the opposite!! What snake Turd!

Originally Posted by Ron Allen

Sarah, I am very familiar with the KHS, as I founded it with Will Bird. I strongly suggest that you attend the meeting as suggested. as you know the KHS is full of good people and perhaps Kathy Hicks, Phil Peak, or even Will Bird would be willing to mediate for both of you.

It may be filled with great people, but OP shouldn't feel obligated to meet in-person with this guy, in a setting where he's already informed her she's going to be out-numbered, in an environment that he is obviously more at-home with.

He threatened legal action pretty darn fast and appears to have ignored about 5 months of contact attempts. That's shady, at the least. And those chat logs don't appear to be from someone who has given away their collection without interest. If he honestly believed someone had given him their breeders (without cost), and then the original owner was asking about offspring and status...why wasn't that a big clue back in like...August?

A C & D letter is laughable, and does not constitute a legal order. People that threaten legal action are usually Full of Scat. The retainer alone would exceed the value of a couple of albino house snakes. If someone was stealing from me, I would most certainly meet in person, in front of the local herp community that they are part of, if for no other reason than to show what kind of person they have "speaking on their behalf".

Originally Posted by Ron Allen

If someone was stealing from me, I would most certainly meet in person, in front of the local herp community that they are part of, if for no other reason than to show what kind of person they have "speaking on their behalf".

I possibly would too, however I do public speaking on a weekly basis, and often forget how hard it is for others to formulate responses face-to-face in a potentially heated situation. If OP felt comfortable going that route, I doubt we would have seen this post in the first place though. Refusing to only meet in person with a bunch of other people sounds more like a bullying tactic than an actual attempt to resolve anything. You pick up a phone, both agree to be recorded, commence with the conversation.

Ian.... don't let this crumble your Rep! You just got a starboard warning shot!! Don't risk your Battleship! It will sink!