[Wanted] Wild Cornsnake

Hello! This is kind of a feeler ad, just to see if there is any interest.

I bought this male wild corn snake from this website, and he's a wonderful boy, sweet, great eater, intelligent snake, that I've had almost a year now.
I was hoping someone in Florida that does some herping might be interested in 75.00 dollars I could pay for your time to put this sweet guy back into the wild. He is such a sweet boy, but he seems depressed, he eats, poops and does all normal things, but he, I think would be much happier being in his wild environment. He has some sort of fatty growth under his chin, but that doesn't cause problems in any way, he lays around and looks out the little whole in the tub all day.
Again may seem weird to ask to put him back, but I feel so strongly that he be happy I'm willing to pay you for your time to put him back in a nice area...I would need your word and pictures of him in the wild. I'm hoping there are some honest, kind people that would carry out my wishes for him.

If interested please contact me, not pm me but email me at anweilermelisa@gmail.com
Thanks!

No, do not put an animal that has been in captivity for months back into the wild. There's almost no way you're getting him right back to the location he may have originally come from that would have been his territory, he likely would not readily even recognize that territory if you did and may not survive the transition back, there are any number of pathogens that he could have acquired while in captivity (not necessarily even reptile pathogens but things that could be harmful to other organisms in the wild) that should not be introduced to the wild, and a snake would not be showing "depression" if the cage setup is large, complex, and stimulating enough to be suitable for them. A growth should be seen by a vet, not dropped as something "the wild should fix" when it might instead be what kills him if it happens to be pathogenic, and if you are unable to provide the proper setup and veterinary care he needs he just needs to go to anyone who can, not the outdoors.

THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! Please do not do this for all of the reasons listed by a previous poster above. It is also illegal in most, if not all states.

Why not try to find a nature center or education program you can donate him to?

Every single wild animal ever collected would be "happier" in its wild environment. That's why we breed reptiles for sale as pets -- among a handful of other reasons, to minimize the number of wild ones that are made "unhappy".

The snake has a physical abnormality and is "depressed" -- these are signs of illness. The snake needs a vet visit, and after any issues have been diagnosed and treated it needs housing and care that suits a wild caught animal (which should be be expected to be less tolerant of typical captive conditions than a F125 CB animal). If you're not willing to do this, then pass it on to someone who is or surrender it to a legitimate (i.e. not a general animal shelter/"humane" society) reptile rescue.

Don't release any long term captive animal into the wild, and absolutely don't release an animal that is exhibiting symptoms of illness. Florida's herps have quite enough problems without some new pathogen being introduced.

Release into the wild may also be illegal in FL. It is where I live.
Rehoming with a responsible new owner would be the best choice.

Terri

This is NOT a comment based ad guys. I appreciate all of the information, I did not know it is illegal to release an animal back into the wild in Florida. However just so the fauna community feels a little better, he absolutely HAS been seen by a Veterinarian about his fatty lump, he did NOT reccomend removal, he has also been tested for every parasite, we did a whole battery of testing which cost over 600.00. My Veterinarian is absolutely capable and we cannot find any reason for him to be acting this way. While I appreciate the need to be an advocate for an animal's welfare, and I think it's very heartening to see everyone advocating for this sweet boy, it really is misplaced. The comments can be educational but not rude please. Opinionated comments are fine, but please don't assume something the worst about someone. He is in a huge tub for reticulated pythons, he has no nose rubs and his heat isn't too high. He's perfectly healthy guy. No one would say anything if I was selling him, to God knows who, in what type of setup, so before you jump to conclusions about me, I'm willing to pay money for this guy to be happier. I do thank mostly everyone who commented on this ad, your opinion does matter to me...but I'd rather someone being more proactively helping me than judgemental. Thankyou.

I don't think people were being rude, they were just correcting you on a very bad idea. I'm sure there are people that would gladly take this boy in and give him a great home. Yes, when people have a passion in what they do, they can sometimes sound pushy and judgmental. The number one rule for keeping herps is never release in to the wild.

No, there are definitely some who are being rude and judgemental. I don't need to be corrected, I'm an adult. No need. Maybe you didn't see he is FROM THE WILD, I would never take any of my other corns born in captivity and just put them out the door. I have gotten several contacts who are willing to do exactly what I'd like, and I'm not in a hurry, I can comb through and take my time and judge who I think will be the most honest, so I don't need comments.
I am passionate about my animals as all of you are. I don't need comments. I don't need a "home" for him, he has a good home already as I've explained. Thanks anyways.

Originally Posted by Kfen

THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! Please do not do this for all of the reasons listed by a previous poster above. It is also illegal in most, if not all states.

Why not try to find a nature center or education program you can donate him to?

Originally Posted by Terri Bienkowski

Release into the wild may also be illegal in FL. It is where I live.
Rehoming with a responsible new owner would be the best choice.

Terri

To the best of my knowledge, no, releasing NATIVE herps into the wild in Florida is not illegal. But if someone can point me to a link showing where it is, I would appreciate the enlightenment.

This is how we get diseases spreading, taking animals into captive situations where they may be exposed to foreign pathogens and then re-releasing them into the wild. Also, surviving the in wild is a very tough ordeal. Even translocating animals to a different site usually results in their death. There are plenty of studies you can read to see this. While these things, translocating and/or releasing captives, make us feel good they are actually harmful to the animals and create a biosecurity risk that could do tremendous harm. When you take something out of the wild, you need to be making a commitment that house, feed, and care for that animal (or find someone who can) for the rest of its life.