Bad Guy dan@DTSHERPSINC

[doom23]

Well i bought a ETB off him, it arrived with a wonderful personality, turns out its RBC count is near null and it has intestinal parasites. Which was proven by the vet.So Dan goes on stating how " omg who would take blood from a baby emeralds heart" like the doctor was out of her fin mind or something? She is from a very well known exotic pet hospital known as chicago exotics which was recommended to me by both BSR and The chicago reptile house.

He then goes on writing me pages of random bs telling me how i am responsible for its condition due to being a inexperienced owner, when I've only owned the snake for two weeks. Apparently using a under the tank heater on with reptibark and moss is toxic and can make your snake braindead! (lol).

He then went on saying how there is no way the snake wasn't captive born and bred, even if the snake tests positive for blood parasites which according to the vet, really only occurs in wild caught. She did already test positive for intestinal parasites which he also blames on me due to stress and dehydration to the snake from "baking it". I have the temps at 77-83 degrees during the day, with a 85 degree basking spot. I mean i use a thermostat which turns on/off based on its reading of the cage, so sometimes the ceramic heat emitter can be on for almost all day due to the fluctuations occurring in chicago. This would not cause dehydration though as i keep humidity high and spray her often.

Oh the best part of all was when he said he does this "for the animals", not for money at all!

All in all all he wrote me like 10 pages of crap trying to tell me how bad i am.

Im considering taking legal action against him and am wondering if anyone else here who had a bad experience with him could send me their number so i can create a case against him.

 

[hhmoore]

Just for the sake of clarification, before I comment further, you started out mentioning intestinal parasites...then jumped to blood parasites. What, specifically, did the vet identify, and how did she take the sample in which she found the parasites.

 

[SPJ]

So Dan goes on stating how " omg"

And I go, OMG, another person who sent money to Dan.
How many bad guy threads do there need to be before people STOP buying from him?

 

[Lucille]

All in all all he wrote me like 10 pages of crap trying to tell me how bad i am.

My opinion is that he has that 10 pages saved as a document in his computer and simply inserts the name of the customer he is emailing, any customer who has dared to tell him the truth about a bad experience with their transaction with him.

 

[doom23]

The vet got pooped on while inspecting her actually lol... So this was the freshest fecal sample ever, She has flagellant parasites which according to the vet eat away at the nutrition from the food she eats. The blood work will be in later today, until it is i don't know if she has anything else.

 

[doom23]

And I go, OMG, another person who sent money to Dan.
How many bad guy threads do there need to be before people STOP buying from him?

I was honestly told he wasn't bad by a friend who ordered from him previously, then i started to do research more on him after he stopped being so quick to respond and i got suspicious about the snake.

 

[hhmoore]

I just wanted to make sure that it was still intestinal parasites, not something different...
Your vet might be great, but a statement that parasites really only occur in wild caught is simply ridiculous. Flagellates might be more common in WC; but, even if your particular snake was CB, Dan Scolaro deal with a lot of WC (transmission is easy enough).

 

[doom23]

I just wanted to make sure that it was still intestinal parasites, not something different...
Your vet might be great, but a statement that parasites really only occur in wild caught is simply ridiculous. Flagellates might be more common in WC; but, even if your particular snake was CB, Dan Scolaro deal with a lot of WC (transmission is easy enough).

No, she said that the blood parasites are common only with wild caught.

 

[hhmoore]

That's why I asked specifically what she identified & where they were found......

 

[hhmoore]

Still, Dan S deals with a lot of imports and WC....I can't comment on his husbandry practices, but transmission is easy enough if one isn't trying to avoid it.

 

[AggielandReptiles]

The most common blood-borne pathogen in snakes would be Hepatozoon, an intracellular apicomplexan (similar to babesia in mammals). Snakes get infected via either a vector (mosquito carrying the pathogen) or through eating an infected animal.

This is why its so uncommon in captive animals.

1) We don't have a high prevalence in captive animals, so even if your collection is exposed to capable vectors, the likelihood is next to nill that they would be carrying this pathogen UNLESS kept in very close proximity to infected WC animals.

2) Prey animals susceptible to Hepatazoon and other hemogregarines are basically restricted to other reptiles/amphibians. Feeding properly raised mammalian prey items (mice, rats) also basically eliminates any risk.

SO, your vet gave you correct, albeit simplified information. Its well-known that Dan sells many WC animals, so he "could" be telling the truth that this animal was CB and simply housed close to WC. But most Hepatozoon infections tend to be subclinical, so the parasite load would have to be IMMENSE to cause that severe degree of anemia you described.

SOURCE: I'm a 3rd year vet student at Texas A&M University.

 

[Wilomn]

There are 2 ways to tell if dannyboy is lying.

The first is easy but only works if you're talking to him in person. Just watch his lips. If they're moving, he's lying.

The second way to tell if he's lying is a bit more difficult until you've seen it a few times. If he's typed a response to a problem you've had with an animal you got from him, he's lying.

He's a liar. He's a thief. He's a poor excuse for a human being and a blight on the reptile industry.

But, he sells his crap cheap and as long as price is the major factor in your purchasing of living creatures this guy and his ilk will keep on taking your money and selling you crap.

 

[doom23]

The most common blood-borne pathogen in snakes would be Hepatozoon, an intracellular apicomplexan (similar to babesia in mammals). Snakes get infected via either a vector (mosquito carrying the pathogen) or through eating an infected animal.

This is why its so uncommon in captive animals.

1) We don't have a high prevalence in captive animals, so even if your collection is exposed to capable vectors, the likelihood is next to nill that they would be carrying this pathogen UNLESS kept in very close proximity to infected WC animals.

2) Prey animals susceptible to Hepatazoon and other hemogregarines are basically restricted to other reptiles/amphibians. Feeding properly raised mammalian prey items (mice, rats) also basically eliminates any risk.

SO, your vet gave you correct, albeit simplified information. Its well-known that Dan sells many WC animals, so he "could" be telling the truth that this animal was CB and simply housed close to WC. But most Hepatozoon infections tend to be subclinical, so the parasite load would have to be IMMENSE to cause that severe degree of anemia you described.

SOURCE: I'm a 3rd year vet student at Texas A&M University.

There are 2 ways to tell if dannyboy is lying.

The first is easy but only works if you're talking to him in person. Just watch his lips. If they're moving, he's lying.

The second way to tell if he's lying is a bit more difficult until you've seen it a few times. If he's typed a response to a problem you've had with an animal you got from him, he's lying.

He's a liar. He's a thief. He's a poor excuse for a human being and a blight on the reptile industry.

But, he sells his crap cheap and as long as price is the major factor in your purchasing of living creatures this guy and his ilk will keep on taking your money and selling you crap.

This wasn't my motivation at all as stated before... I will never buy off him again. the last animal i bought was a green tree python like 8 days ago off of Ben Segal which was an absolutely wonderful experience. Its an aggressive feeder just as it should be. The Emerald is pretty much anorexic. I had to leave the rodent in the tank for 2 hours, then rub her with it and put it right in front of her face to even get her to open her mouth. I honestly can't wait to see the blood work on her. I suspect she was extremely neglected. And as for her severe anemia, idk how else besides the parasites it could've happened... When i got her she wasn't really dehydrated and isn't now... So i guess I'm really just lost for words. The only thing i can think of is she really did have a massive infestation of parasites.

 

[AggielandReptiles]

Ben Siegels is a great guy, and runs an A++++ operation. His animals are the best, awesome service, etc. Definitely a better choice IMO.

I'd love to see the bloodwork too! When it comes in, shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to help interpret it for you if you would like.

And as for the ETB, husbandry is the best way to treat blood-borne pathogens. Proper temp, humidity, and consistent feeding and hopefully she'll recover and clear the infection on her own.

 

[Snake-Queen]

If I'm not mistaken, a severe infestation of mites can also cause anemia.

I'm not saying that this is the case, just offering another option other than blood borne parasites.

 

[AggielandReptiles]

If I'm not mistaken, a severe infestation of mites can also cause anemia.

I'm not saying that this is the case, just offering another option other than blood borne parasites.

Yes, Snake-Queen, you're absolutely right. External parasites such as ticks or mites are the most common causes of severe anemia in CB reptiles.

 

[doom23]

Ben Siegels is a great guy, and runs an A++++ operation. His animals are the best, awesome service, etc. Definitely a better choice IMO.

I'd love to see the bloodwork too! When it comes in, shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to help interpret it for you if you would like.

And as for the ETB, husbandry is the best way to treat blood-borne pathogens. Proper temp, humidity, and consistent feeding and hopefully she'll recover and clear the infection on her own.

The ETB is on Metronidazole for the next 14 days:/. She doesn't seem to have gotten worse since i got her, just not better. But ya, ill def pm you when i get the test results!

 

[hadenglock]

Still, Dan S deals with a lot of imports and WC....I can't comment on his husbandry practices, but transmission is easy enough if one isn't trying to avoid it.

Very true. Dan is a large scale dealer not a breeder. Dealers sell animals they dont breed them or raise them for long periods of time. Therefore know what your getting into when you buy from a large scale dealer. Ive bought from dan knowing these risks, heck i only like him cuz he gets all the weird stuff in that nobody has (odd and end racers, vipers, etc) but again i know im taking a risk when im buying these kinds of animals from somebody like him. If i were you i would have taken the ETB straight to the vet after arrival regardless of condition, im not saying what Dan did was okay, but you need to leave no stone unturned.

 

[doom23]

Very true. Dan is a large scale dealer not a breeder. Dealers sell animals they dont breed them or raise them for long periods of time. Therefore know what your getting into when you buy from a large scale dealer. Ive bought from dan knowing these risks, heck i only like him cuz he gets all the weird stuff in that nobody has (odd and end racers, vipers, etc) but again i know im taking a risk when im buying these kinds of animals from somebody like him. If i were you i would have taken the ETB straight to the vet after arrival regardless of condition, im not saying what Dan did was okay, but you need to leave no stone unturned.

See i get the risk, hell theres a risk in buying any animal... But when your sent a sick animal and the seller takes 0 responsibility, i asked him just to pay for the treatment to make the snake better as the vet said herself there is no way i could've made her in the condition she was in in just 12 days. He basically said fu to me, that it was completely my fault as to why she was sick. So now I'm going to take an alternative rout with him.

 

[Lucille]

i know im taking a risk when im buying these kinds of animals from somebody like him.

I know what you are saying, but in my opinion, there isn't anyone else who is quite like him. A search of past threads about this seller will show him badgering and insulting those who have had issues with him.
Here is a quote from Dan from a past thread, and it is actually fairly representative of what he says when he gets (easily) riled up:


By the way, that BOI is a junk website full of nasty losers who do nothing but pick on people and don't do anything good for any buyer or seller or the industry for that matter. I joked with those morons who think they could put their 2 cents into someone else's business and on many instances stepped in to defend folks they were picking on which made their gang look like fools many times so they retaliate and its fun to know they still love me and cannot get me out of their minds. Rarely are all of the facts are presented and it's actually no one else's business what goes on between a dealer and seller as any person who is kind will always get sugar and anyone mean usually gets its back one way or the other and that's the way the world works obviously. It's only a place for scam artists to go to read about how to rip off the next guy and for pubescent boys and hag gals to yell at someone besides their mirror to make up for their dissatisfied and boring lives.

Dan