Steve Plath
New member
I know a few dealers too, that breed some of their own as well as purchase animals from others, and occasionally even they get 'taken' by shady people. It's just a sad reality of life that there are dishonest business people out there. Always have been, always will be. Fortunately with the progress of modern technology there's a place like this BOI in which information can be gleaned about both good and bad dealers/breeders. As discouraging as it can seem sometimes, by doing a little homework here you can at least narrow down the likelyhood of running into a bad deal. And, as has already been exhibited, people are willing to share information about others they've had good business relations.
When you get yourself involved with living organisms there's always the fact that even under careful husbandry nature still can have a hand in 'survival of the fittest'. When we breed our snakes, aside from the few slugs or premies that come along, we nurture and pamper the rest that make it past their first shed. The reluctant feeders we persist in getting to feed (occaisionally to the point of force feeding) and one way or another get them 'kick started' into a hopefully long and happy life. I have no statistics specific for most snakes species, but in the wild I'd venture that the majority of babies in any clutch don't survive the first year. Those that are weak feeders either starve or get picked off by the next crow or coyote. If one or two individuals out of the litter actually make it to maturity and reproduce they're lucky. In captivity we tend to break the rules a bit. A weak animal that otherwise would have perished not only survives due to our intervention but can be allowed to reproduce and in some cases pass along weak genes. Where am I going with all this? Well, I'm just trying to say that even for the best breeders and most honest dealers stuff happens with the animals that's just out of anyone's control.
I know the majority of people here are already aware of this. I just wanted to express this for the benefit of any new people that may come along after their snake, that they had for a number of weeks, died without obvious signs of illness or injury. Some may figure it's automatically gotta be the breeder/dealer's fault. Depending on how the business warrants their product will determine whether the buyer has any recourse or not. Just be sure to read and understand the conditions of the sale and if you have any questions ask the dealer. If you get straight answers, that's a good sign. If you get a bunch of double-talk, be careful!
When you get yourself involved with living organisms there's always the fact that even under careful husbandry nature still can have a hand in 'survival of the fittest'. When we breed our snakes, aside from the few slugs or premies that come along, we nurture and pamper the rest that make it past their first shed. The reluctant feeders we persist in getting to feed (occaisionally to the point of force feeding) and one way or another get them 'kick started' into a hopefully long and happy life. I have no statistics specific for most snakes species, but in the wild I'd venture that the majority of babies in any clutch don't survive the first year. Those that are weak feeders either starve or get picked off by the next crow or coyote. If one or two individuals out of the litter actually make it to maturity and reproduce they're lucky. In captivity we tend to break the rules a bit. A weak animal that otherwise would have perished not only survives due to our intervention but can be allowed to reproduce and in some cases pass along weak genes. Where am I going with all this? Well, I'm just trying to say that even for the best breeders and most honest dealers stuff happens with the animals that's just out of anyone's control.
I know the majority of people here are already aware of this. I just wanted to express this for the benefit of any new people that may come along after their snake, that they had for a number of weeks, died without obvious signs of illness or injury. Some may figure it's automatically gotta be the breeder/dealer's fault. Depending on how the business warrants their product will determine whether the buyer has any recourse or not. Just be sure to read and understand the conditions of the sale and if you have any questions ask the dealer. If you get straight answers, that's a good sign. If you get a bunch of double-talk, be careful!