I saw an ad in the kingsnake classifieds for a very nice, clean looking baby male BCI for $185 shipped. When I e-mailed Inner City Reptiles about him, they said that he was on sale that week only for $150 shipped, so I called them to discuss. They said he was about 1 ft long, eating, healthy, and had a good temperment. They said they would ship him overnight with heat packs to me here in Maine. I decided to buy with Paypal, and they said they would ship him out on Thursday.
I then got an e-mail from the breeder telling me that they had *just* noticed that he was too thin, and they didn't want to ship him. They offered to hold him and feed him up for a few weeks and then ship, or I could take another baby that they had in stock (I had been told in a previous phone conversation that he was the only baby they had). They said that someone had been feeding him mice that were too small, but that they had switched him up to *fuzzies* now, and he should put on weight, if I still wanted him (it's my understanding that baby BCIs can eat adult mice right off the bat) I was worried about the animal's health through shipment, too, so I accepted the substitution of another baby male BCI, even though the animal wasn't nearly as nice as the one I originally paid for (pictures of both were provided). I want a pet, not a breeder, so I decided to go for it. They said they would ship him out Friday for delivery on Saturday.
Saturday rolled around and he didn't arrive. I went to the Fedex website to track him, and the estimated arrival day according to Fedex was Monday, 3-17!! That means he would be in transit all weekend! I called Fedex immediately to figure out what was going on, since I was told he would arrive on Saturday. Fedex told me he had been shipped at 9pm Friday, overnight shipping, but that Saturday delivery had not been specified, so overnight delivery meant next business day delivery. I was very concerned because heat packs don't last that long, so I told Fedex that the box contained a live animal, and asked if there was any way he could be shipped in the cab of the truck and kept in warm areas overnight, because otherwise he would be DOA. That's when I learned that FEDEX DOES NOT ALLOW THE SHIPMENT OF LIVE ANIMALS!! The breeder should have known this!!!
Fedex has been very nice about this, however, since I was unaware, and promised to flag the box and do their best to keep him warm. Immediately after contacting Fedex, I called Inner City Reptiles to discuss everything with them, and plan what to do in case the boa was DOA. According to their answering machine, I called during business hours, but no one picked up. They have not returned my call since then (I called Saturday night, as I write this it is Monday morning)
The snake arrived this morning. He was ice cold, curled into a knot, and was starting to turn upside down. There was only one tiny heat pack in the box with him. The snake was put on a heat mat, and massaged vigorously. He is now moving around and behaving normally. I have Fedex to thank for his live arrival.
I will never again buy from Inner City Reptiles. They alomost killed this poor baby BCI with their recklessness, and still have not answered my phone call to account for their actions!
- Victoria Roush
I then got an e-mail from the breeder telling me that they had *just* noticed that he was too thin, and they didn't want to ship him. They offered to hold him and feed him up for a few weeks and then ship, or I could take another baby that they had in stock (I had been told in a previous phone conversation that he was the only baby they had). They said that someone had been feeding him mice that were too small, but that they had switched him up to *fuzzies* now, and he should put on weight, if I still wanted him (it's my understanding that baby BCIs can eat adult mice right off the bat) I was worried about the animal's health through shipment, too, so I accepted the substitution of another baby male BCI, even though the animal wasn't nearly as nice as the one I originally paid for (pictures of both were provided). I want a pet, not a breeder, so I decided to go for it. They said they would ship him out Friday for delivery on Saturday.
Saturday rolled around and he didn't arrive. I went to the Fedex website to track him, and the estimated arrival day according to Fedex was Monday, 3-17!! That means he would be in transit all weekend! I called Fedex immediately to figure out what was going on, since I was told he would arrive on Saturday. Fedex told me he had been shipped at 9pm Friday, overnight shipping, but that Saturday delivery had not been specified, so overnight delivery meant next business day delivery. I was very concerned because heat packs don't last that long, so I told Fedex that the box contained a live animal, and asked if there was any way he could be shipped in the cab of the truck and kept in warm areas overnight, because otherwise he would be DOA. That's when I learned that FEDEX DOES NOT ALLOW THE SHIPMENT OF LIVE ANIMALS!! The breeder should have known this!!!
Fedex has been very nice about this, however, since I was unaware, and promised to flag the box and do their best to keep him warm. Immediately after contacting Fedex, I called Inner City Reptiles to discuss everything with them, and plan what to do in case the boa was DOA. According to their answering machine, I called during business hours, but no one picked up. They have not returned my call since then (I called Saturday night, as I write this it is Monday morning)
The snake arrived this morning. He was ice cold, curled into a knot, and was starting to turn upside down. There was only one tiny heat pack in the box with him. The snake was put on a heat mat, and massaged vigorously. He is now moving around and behaving normally. I have Fedex to thank for his live arrival.
I will never again buy from Inner City Reptiles. They alomost killed this poor baby BCI with their recklessness, and still have not answered my phone call to account for their actions!
- Victoria Roush
