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Info Doc Walker, reptidoc, Dr. Daryl G. Walker = buyer beware

crotalis40741 said:
Let me say I am glad you finally stepped up but it shouldn't have took Rich to make it happen that being said. SO this makes everything all better? The people you bashed and blamed saying it was all because they was new? That they were just incapable of taking care of snakes. Does this fix all the frustration and sorrow you caused because you coudln't admit you were actually the one doing something wrong? Just wow. Yeah snakes can be replaced monies sent back and all that. But the way things have went can never be taken back. Do you know what it is like to have to wash your hands with ammonia every time you handled one of your snakes for months? Do you know what it is like to worry you are losing every animal in your collection and can't find out why? Do you know what it is really like to doubt yourself and your abilities because your beloved animals keep dying and you are powerless to stop it? I had two from you live and an adult that I got from you and I gave them away, yeah was my decision to do it, but it should have never happened. This whole thing saddens me and makes me sick. Yeah I don't have a big name and if this is what it means to have one I really don't want one. I really hope it is going to take more than you coming on here trying to be all nice and apologetic before this ever goes away.
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:iagree:

If I'm not mistaken the feeding concerns were brought up last season and seemed to go relatively unaddressed. However, Rich says something and you decide it's the gospel? I've changed my ways! (No slight to Rich intended.)

I FIRMLY believe that Rich is on to something. His example story is good outline of what breeders go though when they start producing big numbers. I think he hit one of the nails square on the head.

If I were you, I will would still test animals of various ages for diseases. How do you know the nutrition issue is not being amplified by some underlying disease? The sudden deaths and poor condition of the hatchlings just seem like something else is making it worse. I know people sometimes go on "maintenance" feeding with babies and they don't have deaths like you. Heck I personally did it while I was moving and going though a rough patch. NOT A SINGLE BABY DIED. Zero. They grew a little slower, but sped right back up when I was able to feed on a normal time table.
 
And lets still not overlook the fact that people are saying this happened last season as well as this one. How many people had to write and say my baby snakes from him died before he decided something was obviously wrong? If more than 1 person is saying something is up with an animal you sent them, stop looking at it as if they're the ones in the wrong and start looking at yourself to try to find out why this is happening. I don't believe in coincidences.
 
crotalis40741 said:
I really hope it is going to take more than you coming on here trying to be all nice and apologetic before this ever goes away.
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Cant speak for anyone else, but I will never purchase anything from him. I don't care if he fixes the problem, it doesn't change how he handled the situation for 2 years. How he mistreated good people and animals.

(Clarification so I don't :shootfoot . The "I don't care if he fixes the problem" is referring to it not changing my feelings, not that I don't care if the problem gets fixed.)
 
I have to agree with you both! I also want to know, why now is he taking some sort of blame? After another "big name" gives a suggestion as to what it may or may not be? After passing the blame to so MANY others, as to them being unexperienced snake keepers, not speaking english properly, blaming the weather in which they were ship, the list can go on and on! Yet, like you both have said, those that recieved the babies questions him on this subject more than once!

I may be new to this online world of snakes and not know as much as others or have the experience level, but I do know when something is wrong and I do know when my snakes, who by the way are family memebers, are sick or just aren't right? Is one's own arrogance that blinding that they do not see a problem with snakes in their care? Or does it come down to the all mighty dollar?


I have another question and I have a call into my reptile doc as well to find out the answer... But can snakes have thyroid issues? Hyperthyroid in other animals presents itself as lethargic, sluggish, slow growing and yes in extreme cases can eat away at muscles... not giving an excuse but something to look into!
 
SDiBiasi said:
I have another question and I have a call into my reptile doc as well to find out the answer... But can snakes have thyroid issues? Hyperthyroid in other animals presents itself as lethargic, sluggish, slow growing and yes in extreme cases can eat away at muscles... not giving an excuse but something to look into!
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I don't think the probability is very high. that would mean, using the conservative figure 25 deaths/500 hatchlings, that 1 in 20 of his hatchlings have a fatal thyroid issue. If 5% of corns had fatal thyroid issues I think we would have heard of it before now. and it wouldn't only crop up in his lines.
 
snakes do have thyroid and parathyroid glands. i have never seen documented cases of hyper or hypo thyroidism in large boids. however, there have been minimal documented deaths of snakes dying from ibd related symptoms, and when complete necropsies have been done, tumor(s) were found on the thyroid gland(s).

although, this is extremely unlikely that its related to whats going on here with very young snakes. if multiple snakes are dying or have died from one person's housing, there is something going on there that isnt right and probably either contagious or common in the environment that isnt being noticed and rectified (or at least rectified)
 
I alerted Josh Hardee to this thread, and the way I treated him in the other thread is one of my biggest regrets.
 
Thank you for your responses about the thyroid! I didnt think it was likely to be the case in these snakes! Just had popped into my mind last night thinking about how the poor creatures had no muscle tone and were mushy!
 
Dakafall said:
I know I'm jumping in a bit late, but I figured I'd share my story as well. I received a 2.0 pair from Doc that I won in the same drawing that Dee won hers from. My initial 2 snakes arrived on the 8th. One of the snakes was very lethargic, the other was showing response to when I moved and when I touched him. Both were "mushy" feeling as Dee put it. Within 12-24hrs the lethargic snake was dead. I talked to Doc and sent him pictures at which point he offered to send me another snake to replace the one that passed away along with a female at his shipping cost. The replacements arrived on the 10th looking healthier and more active than the first shipment, but still felt "mushy". I checked on them daily, and found that the replacement male had passed away on the 14th during the early hours of the morning. I once again emailed Doc and let him know what happened.
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I am very glad that you decided to post here. I know yours was the first of the raffle animals to die.
I had a bad feeling when I saw that Doc had donated several snakes to the raffle. After everything that Bob went through, I knew I would not be surprised if any of the donated babies ended up dying.

Lack of feeding may be playing a big part of all of the deaths, but I would not be surprised if there was more to it.
I have seen snakes that have been maintenance fed for a while, that have way more energy & appear healthier than the description of the snakes that people have goten from Doc.

I have to agree, that testing remaining animals is in order. Two years in a row, of these kinds of deaths, & lethargic & mushy snakes. I would certainly want to rule out any other health factors.

Doc, I keep seeing where you say that the animals are perfectly healthy when they leave your place, yet so many have arrived in very poor shape. Maybe you should re-evaluate what "healthy" means.

iHerp has an excellent FREE online tracking system, where you can put the animals into groups, & set up batch feeds, where you feed a whole group, & mark which ones have eaten, which ones have not (due to being in shed, etc) & there is a dashboard feature, that shows you how many days it's been since each snake has eaten.

If in fact, the sole problem is not enough feedings, this could make a big difference.
 
BTW, how much should a baby corn snake weigh? I not yet produced any babies and have only bought one baby corn.
 
Beth, thank you for telling Josh Hardee about this thread. It was because of his harsh treatment that I almost didnt post this thread.

I want to say a big thank you to Everyone who has come in and posted and supported me on this issue. It is wonderful how a community can come together to try to help fix a situation!
So far between Just between myself and Dakafall, we have lost 1/2 of the hatchlings we received. 5/10. That number is shocking to me! I can only hope the rest make it but its not looking promiseing. We may have won them in the raffle but they certainly werent free. Take into account the ticket cost, shipping and having to deal with sickness and watching them die off. I am very proud of what we all did for the raffle! Another showing of the community coming together in a wonderful way! The only dark spot is this situation and I hope that it doesnt make anyone feel badly towards anyone but the breeder in question.

So many ppl lost so many babies, money, time and being called so many things.... I am just so glad that Finally the community is realizeing where the problem stems from. I cant beleive it took 2 seasons for that to happen. I hope that Doc Walker will stop with the dishonesty and trying to grab any scapegoat he can and the false apologies and honestly trys to fix whatever is going on at his place.
 
reptilebaby said:
BTW, how much should a baby corn snake weigh? I not yet produced any babies and have only bought one baby corn.
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That's going to vary.
Some babies hatch really small, some hatch much bigger. I've had babies hatch as small as 4 grams.
They grow at different rates too. I have some babies from a clutch that hatched around 5/22. A couple of the babies are only 14grams now, while a couple others are at 25-27 grams. They've been on the same feeding schedule.

I have another baby that was given to me as a non feeder. He weighed 5 grams when I got him. He was still alert/active, & had good muscle tone, but he was tiny. I got him eating & he has gained a few grams since then.

My point is, I wouldn't worry about specific weights, I would be more worried about how they act & feel. Are they alert/active? Do they have muscle tone or are they mushy?
 
That's what I am worried about from this one I have coming from Doc. I haven't had to deal with a mushy corn snake yet. And I DON'T want to have to start now.
 
I hope people realize that there are pleanty of good breeders on cornsnakes.com. i'm realy sad to here what is going on with doc's stock. I really like him he did not seem like the type of person to do business like this
 
There are several breeders of both corns and balls that I REALLY like and have not had to worry about the health of the animals.

The pics Doc sent me of my boy are beautiful-he's a pretty snake...but you can't tell if a snake is mushy from a picture. :(
 
Vinman said:
I hope people realize that there are pleanty of good breeders on cornsnakes.com. i'm realy sad to here what is going on with doc's stock. I really like him he did not seem like the type of person to do business like this
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There are many good breeders there and here as well. I even said that I dont think Doc Walker is a 'bad guy'. I basically started this thread as a warning that he is having some problems and is unwilling to address it or try to fix what may be wrong with his stock. AND to kinda stick my neck out when there seems to be so many ppl afraid to speak up because of what happened in Josh Hardee's thread. I did kinda expect the same treatment but I am so very pleased that ppl have taken the time to read and understand that SO many ppl Cant be wrong. :)
 
I dont want this thread to die because Doc Walker came in with some rebbish about how what Rich Z said is exactly what must be happending. I called scapegoat at that time and I still do now. I dont believe that Rich Z and Eoc had a long exchange in words, texts or messages. I am sorry but at this moment I refuse to beleive anything that comes out of Doc Walkers mouth. Might be just me but that is exactly how I feel.

I really am hopeing against all hope that when repilebaby gets her snake that it will be beautiful and healthy!!! And show us her pretty babu and that it will thrive for her!!! heaven forbid something isnt right.... Well, either way, comes in and lets us all know what is happening. The wauting is almost as bad for me as it must be for her :)
 
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