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Bad Guy Reptilian Paradise

Sounds like you've got things well in hand. Thanks for the answers. It's a shame more can't be as forthcoming.

I think a bit of time and a bit of work and you'll have a fine snake there.
 
ronritzer said:
She also doesnt seem to be complaining in her facebook posts
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I also thought you may want to see this. I refer to her as Elizabeth (the whole idea came from them also being called "royal" pythons and my dad is from England and the whole thing kinda just fit itself together)
 

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I would like to say a quick thank you to everyone offering up helpful advice. I was directed here by one of your users after I posted an ad on craigslist and I'm so glad to find a community of people who know what they're doing and can help. You guys are awesome.
 
Yes, thank you for explaining and providing pictures.
I can't see how they could look at that snake and refuse to take her back on account of being perfectly healthy. Hopefully they'll speak up and a resolution can be reached.
In the meantime, I hope Elizabeth does well for you.
 
I do feel the snake is in better care now, and although it may seem difficult... i'd advise that you continue to care for her. I'd almost feel guilt returning her to people that obviously have no passion or care for the animals health in question. If you feel up to it, i'd urge you to keep her, heal her and enjoy her for years to come.
 
ronritzer said:
I personally believe it would be pretty difficult for a snake to have problems that bad just weeks after being brought home if it were due to the new owners care.
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How many snakes of what species have you kept for what length of time?

I'm trying to figure out if your opinion should carry any weight.
 
A Ball Python isn't going to develop scale rot and go through multiple sheds (probably due to the scale rot) in three weeks time if its due to the new owners care. Im aware that no industry "warranty" on an animals health is extended that long, but that doesnt change the fact that they sold her a lemon.
 
ronritzer said:
A Ball Python isn't going to develop scale rot and go through multiple sheds (probably due to the scale rot) in three weeks time if its due to the new owners care. Im aware that no industry "warranty" on an animals health is extended that long, but that doesnt change the fact that they sold her a lemon.
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I am not accusing nor criticizing, I would just like to say that most of her problems became evident within a couple of days, not even 3 weeks. Their warranty HAD NOT expired when I called and they had said bringing her down a couple days later would be fine. They then refused to take her back on the grounds that she was "healthy".

Furthermore, the burn on her nose must have been there before I got her, it was just hidden by her shed. There is no way she could have been burned in her current set up.

I would like to also point out that this store most likely KNEW they were selling me a "lemon" and thus, they would not take her back. They will not respond on here or try to make things right, they will simply pretend they did not see it, however I've been told they've been notified. These are people who seem legitimate until you have given them your money, and then they are some of the most sleazy people you've met, willing to sacrifice an animals health for profits.

I will be calling the Department of Agriculture and seeing what they can do for me and my baby girl. I love my little girl and I cannot imagine letting this happen to any other animal under their care. I will not stop spreading the word, and I will not stop trying to stop them until they have done right by my baby girl and proven that they are capable of taking care of animals or until they have been shut down.
 
Ya I would say if you have the time/resources you should keep and care for her at this point. The problems you describe suck for sure but not a game ender for a bp if she's eating for you and doesn't show any kind of bad ri/neuro issues. Good luck and if you need any advice/guidance your in the right place.
 
ToreinNichole said:
I am not accusing nor criticizing, I would just like to say that most of her problems became evident within a couple of days, not even 3 weeks. Their warranty HAD NOT expired when I called and they had said bringing her down a couple days later would be fine. They then refused to take her back on the grounds that she was "healthy".

Furthermore, the burn on her nose must have been there before I got her, it was just hidden by her shed. There is no way she could have been burned in her current set up.

I would like to also point out that this store most likely KNEW they were selling me a "lemon" and thus, they would not take her back. They will not respond on here or try to make things right, they will simply pretend they did not see it, however I've been told they've been notified. These are people who seem legitimate until you have given them your money, and then they are some of the most sleazy people you've met, willing to sacrifice an animals health for profits.

I will be calling the Department of Agriculture and seeing what they can do for me and my baby girl. I love my little girl and I cannot imagine letting this happen to any other animal under their care. I will not stop spreading the word, and I will not stop trying to stop them until they have done right by my baby girl and proven that they are capable of taking care of animals or until they have been shut down.
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The mark on the nose does not look like a burn to me. It looks more like she scratched it trying to peel the stuck shed off. Also...The fact that she is shedding poorly is more on your husbandry than anything. After having her for a few weeks of time, she should be shedding just fine (assuming proper parameters are met). I also see no belly rot. Snake looks pretty healthy to me.

I'm not picking any sides in this; just stating what I am observing.

Good luck with the snake.
 
DemmBalls said:
The mark on the nose does not look like a burn to me. It looks more like she scratched it trying to peel the stuck shed off. Also...The fact that she is shedding poorly is more on your husbandry than anything. After having her for a few weeks of time, she should be shedding just fine (assuming proper parameters are met). I also see no belly rot. Snake looks pretty healthy to me.

I'm not picking any sides in this; just stating what I am observing.

Good luck with the snake.
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I was hoping she would get her shed off herself, but I finally wound up peeling it off, which is when the burn showed up.

She had obvious scale rot, but like I said, I've been treating it and finally pulled off the belly shed on top of it. Like I said, one of her scales was completely brown, with several darker scales above and below it.

I had been to several other reptile stores where I got second and third opinions and all agreed on the burn, scale rot and that I had been doing my best short of assisting her shed. She had humidity up in the 60% zone, had a half hour soak every other day and a one hour soak every other day. I had been applying shedding aid every day. She has a water bowl she can COMPLETELY submerge herself in.

I wound up assisting her shed and it came off pretty well.

Just explaining things a little better.

I cannot believe that someone could say she looks good though. She's beautiful and sweet and I love her, but between her nose, her remaining shed (in the images, it is gone now) and her eye caps, she doesn't look great. She's alright, nothing life threatening and I will keep her and make sure she does regain her health, but she wasn't healthy when I got her.

ALSO, IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFORMATION REGARDING COMPLICATED PREGNANCIES, if you could just let me know what I might do. I'm at a loss and the vet has estimated ungodly high costs.
 
ToreinNichole said:
I had been to several other reptile stores where I got second and third opinions and all agreed on the burn, scale rot and that I had been doing my best short of assisting her shed.
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Torein, on this particular forum, you cannot quote anonymous third parties. You need to name the people in those stores who gave opinions.

ToreinNichole said:
I cannot believe that someone could say she looks good though.
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Base on the Facebook photos she looked fine to me. The face picture showed no burn, and the later picture could have been a patch from a manually removed piece of shed.
 

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I recommend you do more research Torien. 60% humidity is kinda low for a royal in shed. As mentioned before the wrinkled and dimpled eye scale is not stuck shed. It is caused by low humidity. If you raised her humidity to 60% for the shed ( which I believe is the low end on their daily care) that means you were keeping it lower than that.

I think you just need more time and experience keeping herps. Pretty much everything you have said is husbandry issues and none of your pictures support your claim.

Glad to hear you are keeping her. With a little research you could have a long lived and happy pet. Also be very careful with that blood python as they are nothing like royals.
 
Lucille said:
Here are the Facebook pix:
Click to expand...

This is where I initially became confused in all of this. Like Lucille has stated, those pics on your Facebook page do make me believe that she actually looked pretty good when you got her. The only reason I didn't bring it up was that I was confused on the chronological order of the pictures presented.

It seems to me that those pictures on your Facebook are before all her problems started, correct (i.e. her bad shed/humidity problems)?

I also notice that you keep her in a glass aquarium; this may be part of your humidity issue. Glass aquariums are NOTORIOUS for drying out and not holding humidity for very long. I would recommend moving her over to a tub and bumping humidity up past 60% (I personally bump it up to around 75%-80& when they go into shed).

I know most people don't want to be told that their animal's husbandry may be off but I only say all this to help you. When I first started out, I got a small normal with bad shed issues and was keeping her in a 20 gal (your story sounds almost identical to mine) but once I switched over to tubs, complete sheds with eye caps every time. :)

Keep us updated on her, okay?
 
I've lived in the Denver Metro area for four years now having moved here from southern California. I've kept a wide variety of snakes over the past 20+ years. Being from southern California, I've seen my fair share of reptile shops & Colorado shops leave much to be desired. That being said, Reptilian Paradise is one of the better shops I've seen. The staff is knowledgeable & their animals are clean & well kept. They are also very flexible when it comes to bringing back animals, store credit & other such things. I also know that in recent years there has been a lot of petty slandering between rival reptile shops in the Colorado area. I would be very interested to hear Reptilian Paradise's side of this before dismissing them all together...
 
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