• Responding to email notices you receive.
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  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

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    Posted 08/15/2025
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    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

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    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Ball Python Breathing problem

Chen Lai,

Thanks to the post by the web slave about keeping things business oriented, I have remembered what I had wanted to include but forgot to include in my other post on this topic. This is definitely business related:

If you just received this possibly very sick snake from someone, the first thing you should do, after taking it to a veterinarian, is to contact the person whom sold it to you to let him/her know about the situation. Hopefully you already did so as soon as you realized the snake was ill. The sooner you notify the seller, the more likely the seller is to honor any type of health guarantee. If you have not done so already, then notify the seller as soon as possible about the health problem. It is quite possible that the seller will offer and exchange or a refund (maybe even a partial refund if you decide to keep the snake but have to pay vet bills).

If you have already contacted the seller about this, what was the response you received?

Best regards,
Glenn Bartley
 
Glenn,

Don't forget though that the python in question was sent for free. There might be very little grounds for a claim on an animal you receive for free. He just wanted to sweeten the deal.

Regards
 
I know I'm probably going to get SLAMMED for saying this.... but, it needs saying!
I am all for healthy animals and taking care of the one's that are sick.... BUT.... if you think I would advise taking a $50 snake to a Vet, you guys are nuts! It will cost you a couple of HUNDRED dollars, the Vet will probably do the same thing we are saying, and.... taking a $50 snake to the vet, is like taking a disposable lighter in for repair! Do what you can for the animal by yourself.... give it as much TLC as you can and do your OWN investigating of what MIGHT be wrong, and try to heal it yourself.... if it doesn't make it.... well, what can I say.... I have seen so many people tell me they took their animal into the vet and spend $$$ just to have it die anyway?<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'> TO ME, it's just not worth it! Remember.... I'm talking about inexpensive snakes ONLY!!
If the Vet bill will end up costing more than the snake, forget it!
Call me cold-hearted, or whatever you want.... this is strictly a business decision....
OK.... slam away!

....Neil
 
Hey....my children didn't cost me anything to make either...so I guess when they get sick I'll just treat them myself no matter what's wrong with them.

If I heard that one of my clients hometreated one of my snakes unstead of taking it to the vet I would pitch a royal fit.

You buy the animal, you are responsible for it 100%.  Responsible for ALL care, every little expense....if you cant afford to take that $50.00 animal to the vet and spend $500.00 on it YOU SHOULDN"T HAVE BOUGHT THE ANIMAL!

It's called ethics Neil....get some.
 
Tegan.... you seem like an intelligent guy.... so, why do give me that BS about not taking children to the Doctor.... stop being an idiot! I'm talking about SNAKES! NOT KIDS! If you want to spend $500 on a Vet for a $50 snake.... that's certainly YOUR prerogative.... but, don't think, for one second, that I would recommend it! That's just MY opinion....

....Neil
 
I was talking about taking responsibility for living things in your care.  Be they children, snakes, dogs, cats or even feeder mice.  You chose to take that animal into your care and to take responcibility for it.  I'm sure that $50.00 animal really apreaciates being left to suffer because you dont want to spend the money on it to make it better because the snake is only worth $50.00.

That's why I was an "idiot" and gave you that "bs" about taking kids to a doctor, to show a point.  It doesn't matter what living creature you chose to take into your care.  If you don't think that animal deserves PROPER health treatment because the animal costs less then what the treatment would there is something ethicly wrong with you.

Thankfully they have LAWS to protect animals from people like that.

I'm sorry you don't care enough about your animals...ALL your animals....to think they are all worth the money it would take for proper care.

I just pray I'm never reborn as a "cheap" animal that comes into your care.
 
I have to agree with Tegan on this.  It isn't a matter of the cost of an animal but basic ethics.  As keepers/breeders/sellers, we are all responsible for the health and well being of the animals in our care & possession.  Vet care is part of owning any animal and it should not matter if it was a $20 snake or a $20,000 snake - it still requires responsible care.  I've gotten snakes for free or very little money in the past because the owners no longer wanted them and spent a fair amount of my own money rehabilitating them.  Should I have just applied the live or die rule to them?  No.  As soon as I accepted responsibility for that animal's care, that included any medical costs as well.  If I were to find out that any person I was looking to purchase an animal from displayed this type of attitude, you can rest assured that I would not be purchasing any animals from that individual.  I do my best to only support those with a genuine regard for the animals they deal with.  They are dollar signs, they are living creatures.

Dianne
 
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">They are dollar signs, they are living creatures.
</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

That was supposed to read 'They aren't dollar signs, they are living creatures.

<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>
 
Ya know.... I KNEW I was gonna get slammed for saying that.... but, if you guys would get off your soapbox for a second and actually READ what I wrote....

QUOTE
....Do what you can for the animal by yourself.... give it as much TLC as you can and do your OWN investigating of what MIGHT be wrong, and try to heal it yourself....
END OF QUOTE

Where in what I said, did I say I would just let the animal die???
I have almost every medicine known to mankind in my shop for treating all sorts of illnesses (should they ever arise), if they do arise.... I CALL THE VET!! I ASK THE VET!! I TAKE THE VET'S ADVICE!! AND IT'S ALL FOR FREE!! Usually, it works very well and the animal recovers....
Am I to assume that you two are the type that if you get a case of the sniffles, you'll go running to the doctor saying, "Doctor, I'm dying"! Charge me a couple of thousand dollars and give me some aspirin???
I'll say it AGAIN! You guys can do what you want... but, I'm STICKING with what I said!

....Neil
 
I would also love to hear everybody's views on what I said.... As I've said before.... I LOVE A GOOD ARGUMENT!!.... BUT, let's TRY to keep this on a professional level, without the name-calling??.... Just give me your views on the matter.... remember, these are YOUR opinions, so EVERYBODY IS GOING TO BE CORRECT!! Keep that in mind when you answer??

....Neil
 
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">BUT, let's TRY to keep this on a professional level, without the name-calling??</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Funny....didn't you call ME an idiot?

Oh wait you did...

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">stop being an idiot!</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

No where did I ever name call....so are you repremanding yourself now?  I beleave you were the one that first started the name calling Neil.

To get back to the subject I am not a Vet....I take my animals health very seriously however.  I DO take them to the vet at the first sign of illness.  Why?  Because I happen to care about them.  Because they can't take themselves to the vet and say "Doctor, I'm dying"! Charge me a couple of thousand dollars and give me some aspirin!"  They depend on me to take them to the Vet when they are ill.  I dont play with their lives by making guesses at what might be wrong with them and hopeing the treatment I use is correct.

I'm sorry your animals are only useful to you if you can make a profit off of them.  Like I said before I pray that I never am reborn as one of your "cheap" animals...and I'm STICKING to that.
 
Tegan.... Touche! But, you gotta admit.... that was a pretty idiotic analogy ( in MY eyes, anyway).... ok, enough of that, I'm sorry for name-calling first....

to the topic....

Maybe I'm talking with two different "hats" on.... the first hat I wear is my STORE hat! It would be crazy of me to take a sick baby ball or baby corn snake or really anything that is an inexpensive animal.... it's just not cost-effective.... and when you're in this for a LIVING.... you've GOT TO think in those terms (as far as illness is concerned).... these are also animals I would never even think of sending back to the wholesaler, if they come in sick or underweight.... Death is a fact of life! Lve with it!

Now, when I put on my OWNER'S hat.... My PERSONAL PETS are another story altogether.... those, I would take a lot more care of.... I still don't know if I'd spend hundreds on it with a vet.... but it would have a lot better shot if it was MY ANIMAL....
Tinker (my 25 pound Rat Terrier), would definitely go to the Vet, but, she cost me a lot more than $100! I've had her 6 years and she IS my baby.... but, she's different, she's NOT a cheap animal....

....Neil
 
Okay guys, REALLY!  There is no need to argue.  Now I feel guilty by starting this thread.  I took the snake to the vet, the vet believed it's RI, and treated it with an injection(a very long and odd name, can't remember now;  I am math major, not chemistry major, LOL).  The vet bill was only 80 dollars, it wasn't that bad.  Personally I believe every animal deserves a chance, if I got it, I should provide anything it needs.  But anyway, it's getting alittle better each day.  So, I think I should put an end to this thread.  I really do not want people argue over things that are insignificant.  And thanks for all that replied and gave me your opinions/suggestions.  Chen
 
Chen,
Glad it seems to be working out for your bp.  Best of luck.

Neil,
This is where I took it as 'just let it die':

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">if it doesn't make it.... well, what can I say.... I have seen so many people tell me they took their animal into the vet and spend $$$ just to have it die anyway?  TO ME, it's just not worth it! Remember.... I'm talking about inexpensive snakes ONLY!!  If the Vet bill will end up costing more than the snake, forget it!</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Is there another way I could/should have read it?  I'm not trying to be argumentative and I don't 'run to the doctor with every sniffle' (and you think WE'RE the ones name calling and being unproffessional! ). <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>  The average person does not have an arsenal of medications at hand nor are they qualified to use them.  In addition to that, certain strains of bacteria & viruses have mutated and are resistent to the most common antibiotics, thus making them ineffective or even harmful.  A culture is almost always part of any treatment to be sure that the infection will be erradicated rather than made stronger.  Yes there are some basic things an owner can do - increase heat, provide a quiet place, etc., but we aren't all vets and shouldn't be randomly diagnosing and prescribing medication without a certainty of the problem - at best it's an educated guess.  

Perhaps you look at things differently because you are a dealer and have so many animals running through your hands.  I'm just a small time breeder and ALL of my animals are my babies.  They are pets that I happen to occasionally breed.  It doesn't matter if it's my two stray cats that I found & took in (ask my other half, they're spoiled rotten! ), the three half wild strays outside that I feed, or any of my 18 snakes.  They're all treated the same, with the same regard for their health and safety regardless of their cost.  I currently have a $20 rat snake purchased at MARS with what looks like an old unhealed bite wound on his throat and an odd patch of scales on his side.  If neither of these start to show signs of improvement with my home treatment (soaking in a betadine solution & treatment with neosporin) and his next shed, I'll be making a two hour drive to the vet and pay whatever vet bills are necessary to clear the problem up.  I will probably make the visit more worthwhile by taking a couple of other animals that were purchased this year for their checkups, but for me vet expenses are par for the course.  

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">anything that is an inexpensive animal.... it's just not cost-effective.... and when you're in this for a LIVING.... you've GOT TO think in those terms (as far as illness is concerned).... these are also animals I would never even think of sending back to the wholesaler, if they come in sick or underweight.... Death is a fact of life! Lve with it!</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Almost all of my animals were purchased for under $100-$150 each.  By your example I should do the best I can because they're cheap and not worry about those that don't make it.  Once again, I guess I'm missing the point because I don't deal in volume.  But I look at it this way - these animals didn't ask to be in our possession and they depend on us for their care and well being.  Too many people think of inexpensive animals as disposable pets - just look through any rescue groups inventory.  By feeding and encouraging that attitude, more animals will suffer for it - all because of the attitude that it isn't cost effective to provide proper care.  If someone isn't going to provide proper care and expect to pay for medical expenses, they shouldn't have a living creature to begin with.

Off my 'soapbox' now.

Dianne
 
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