Inquiry Southeastern Exotics

[hephaestos]

I have had good experiences with them in the leopard gecko department. However, I am concerned about a snake that I bought from them. I have included pictures of both the snake and the tub I bought him in.

Obviously he was marketed as a grey-banded king/corn hybrid. It was also told to me that he would be fertile, but that wasn't very important to me. What is important to me is, after some very thorough research, I was able to come across one or two other snakes marked as the same hybrid as him and that look the same, but I also found out that he looks suspiciously similar to a red milk snake. I'm about 90% sure at this point that I was lied to by the seller. Further, the snake's size is much closer to that of a red milk.

Now, all of this would be upsetting, but not a problem, except for the state that I live in and bought him in prohibits owning a species very close to his (they're both subspecies sharing a common species name). This is very concerning to me. Opinions?

 

[englishaussie]

My first question is why would the seller lie? why sell a non hybrid as a hybrid? does`nt make sense to me. All these snakes can be highly variable especially with all the morphs & hybrids around these days. Unless you DNA test to identify sp i wouldnt worry about it, you have a very beautiful snake.

 

[hephaestos]

I paid $100 for this snake and red milks are much cheaper than that. And yes, to me it does matter, because as I said, red milks are very closely related to eastern milk snakes, which are illegal to own if wild caught. A new name and a higher price are both reasons why someone might lie. If anyone has actual pictures of this pairing, it would be nice to see?

 

[nickolasanastasiou]

http://atlas.moherp.org/photo/?latr

Looks extremely similar.

 

[hephaestos]

http://atlas.moherp.org/photo/?latr

Looks extremely similar.

Yes, I thought so too. So I was sold a mislabeled, overpriced and potentially wild-caught snake by Southeastern Exotics. Awesome.

 

[RegenerationReptiles]

This is the problem with hybrids... getting sold as pure animals, pure animals getting sold as hybrids, etc. Too much confusion.

 

[hephaestos]

This is the problem with hybrids... getting sold as pure animals, pure animals getting sold as hybrids, etc. Too much confusion.

I can see where I would get mixed up by a mislabeled animal but I think it's pretty hard for a breeder to accidentally "mix up" a pairing they probably never had to begin with.

 

[hhmoore]

So a similar looking animal automatically makes the seller wrong?
Try looking up pictures of what the hybrid looks like...you may not be as certain of your stance.

 

[nickolasanastasiou]

This is the problem with hybrids... getting sold as pure animals, pure animals getting sold as hybrids, etc. Too much confusion.

There are many distinct hybrid animals. It is not always an all-or-nothing case.

 

[nickolasanastasiou]

Yes, I thought so too. So I was sold a mislabeled, overpriced and potentially wild-caught snake by Southeastern Exotics. Awesome.

I am not saying anything to the effect of a conclusion. Simply that the red milk snake looks extremely similar to what you have posted.

 

[hhmoore]

So I was sold a mislabeled, overpriced and potentially wild-caught snake by Southeastern Exotics.

Jump to conclusions much?
You do know this thread is permanant, right; and you're making some pretty maligning comments.

I think it's pretty hard for a breeder to accidentally "mix up" a pairing they probably never had to begin with.

Did the seller tell you he produced them?
If not, why make a statement like that?
If so, didn't you already state that you had seen other greyband/corn hybrids that look just like yours? Have you bothered to ask the seller about it before posting here?

 

[lshornsby]

The original poster has made a mistake in thinking that he purchased this snake from Southeastern Exotics.

We do not currently and have never in the past kept any corn snakes.

We have never kept or sold any corn snakes due to the fact that we are from GA. In GA, you are not allowed to keep anything that is non venomous native to the State of Ga. That includes corns snakes and any variation of corn snakes. We had been licensed by the Department of Agriculture in GA for 8 years and they do regular, spontaneous inspections and we wouldn't keep anything that would get us in trouble like having a corn snake would.

We moved to NC last Summer and still do not keep corn snakes or variations of.

Anyone that is familiar with us can confirm that.

Thanks.

 

[hhmoore]

For clarification; was the above post made by Lee or Susan? Having both names in the signature creates confusion.

 

[lshornsby]

I'm sorry.

This is Lee Hornsby.

 

[lshornsby]

I wanted to point out that all animals that we keep and sell have ID cards with each animal. They are given to the buyer at time of purchase.

Each card has:
SoutheasternExotics.com
Type of Animal
Hets
Date of Birth

You can see these cards in the attached photos of our facility and a photo of our booth at an expo.

The tub the original poster bought their snake in has a piece of masking tape on the lid of the tub to identify the animal. We have never marked our deli cups this way.

Thank you,
Lee Hornsby

 

[englishaussie]

It does look like a red milk, not so much an eastern milk. The poster seems sure he has been duped by the seller but where is the proof. I do not like morphs especially unnatural pairings like gray banded kings x corn snakes, cali kings x corns, this does not occur in the wild with these species. If it does occur naturally, fine no problem but otherwise leave it alone.
The only way to be sure is DNA test the animal. Then you may have a legitimate case.

 

[Ron Allen]

That is no red milk snake. 100%

 

[hhmoore]

Yes, it does look like a red milk....it also looks like the greyband/corn crosses I have seen (in person, and online). It seems the OP has a bit of buyer's remorse, fed by her notion that she got taken on the deal. I'm curious whether that was fed by online chatter (that looks a lot like a red milk snake), or it just occurred to her spontaneously.
I don't know the laws in her state; but if red milks aren't illegal to keep, it doesn't really matter if they're related to eastern milks (does it?? ) If they are, I can understand that concern...but that would have been best resolved by simply getting a receipt that indicated the type of snake purchased for her records.

Now that the seller she named has clearly denied having sold her the snake, I'll be interested in the course of this thread.

 

[hhmoore]

That is no red milk snake. 100%

There is a resemblance...especially if one is simply looking at images online; but I am inclined to agree.

I wasn't going to do this; but googling blairicorn yields several images, including this one (owned by www.terraristik.com)

 

[Charlie Redmon]

Tennessee has a very wide range for what they consider to fall under the laws as indigenous, some animals that aren't even native to the usa fall under our state laws. They go by genus so anything Lampropeltis or Elaphe are considered native by the state. Basically all milks, kings, rats/corns are regulated by the state so it doesn't matter which it is and being a hybrid or morph makes no difference. Where the state comes into play though, is for someone selling them. What you have to buy is a 250$ a year propagation permit that allows you to sell, or produce and sell, native wildlife so long as you obtained the animals legally. If you just aquire an animal legally (as the OP did here) to keep as a pet, you don't have anything to worry about with TWRA...so the argument that the OP wants one snake and not the other between a hybrid GB/corn, eastern or red milk, is invalid. Personally I think it was correctly labeled as what it is though.