• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    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.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    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....

Inquiry - RyanT Ryan Trude

S

Scott Ashton

Gnitubirtnoc Rebmem
Joined
Nov 8, 2005
Messages
846
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
New Jersey
First a little background -

I am new to this insanity of Ball Pythons.

My nephew got me into the whole thing.

I responded to an ad on this site with the intention of purchasing a female Graziani line pastel from RyanT.

After I had started a dialogue with Ryan (who my nephew recently bought 2 balls from) I found some entries on the BOI that concerned me. While my nephew is a good kid, he is just that, a kid and he tends to be a great bit more trusting than my jaded self.

I am looking for anyone who has purchased Balls from Ryan and would like your feedback. Please, do not rehash what I have already read about him.

I believe that people can change, and I'm willing to consider what I have read to be in the past if others can attest to the quality of his current animals.

Thanks in advance.

-Scott Ashton
 
I recently made a trade with Ryan. The animal I recieved was not a ball python, but rather a boa. The animal I recieved was in perfect condition. He ate 3 days after arriving with no hesitation. The packing job was perfect and I could not have been happier.

Based on my experience with Ryan, I would not hesitate to do business with him again.
 
I lost

Jason,

Thanks for the feedback.

I've also heard from someone who recently dealt with Ryan and was extremely satisfied with the animal he received as well as all aspects of Ryan's service.

Unfortunately, I let previous feedback on this board prejudice my decision and I lost out on what is undoubtedly an excellent female pastel.

I can say that based upon my research to date that I would absolutely NOT HESTITATE to do business with Ryan in the future.

-Scott Ashton
 
Unfortunately, I let previous feedback on this board prejudice my decision and I lost out on what is undoubtedly an excellent female pastel.
Click to expand...

Forgive me if I'm reading you wrong here, but that almost sounded like a stab at the BOI. It just didn't read well to me. The "previous feedback" you had mention in most cases may have kept you or someone else getting burned, although this wasn't the case with Ryan. I've done business with him as well, and the transaction went very well. I'd consider yourself lucky that the worse thing that happened here was not being able to purchase the animal.

Quick word of advice, let the previous feedback on this board prejudice your decision with regards to making any purchases from Carolina Reptile Exchange, Bearded Pets, Digital Reptiles, Reptile Pit, Boca Raton Reptiles, Emily Fegan, DHSERPS, Dan Bifield, Sergio Martinez, _____________, well...you get my drift :)

My apologies for this intrusion, and in no way did I mean to sound like I was attacking you for being ticked for missing the chance to purchase I nice animal, I just thought I had a valid point here. We must take the good with the bad.

Again, my personal experience with Ryan was superfantastic - but as far as your luck goes, be grateful, you could be sitting $3,000 in fake het Pieds from good ole' Bearded Pets.

Peace :wavey:
 
No stabbing here

screamdreams said:
Forgive me if I'm reading you wrong here, but that almost sounded like a stab at the BOI.
Click to expand...

I forgive you. No stab intended.

screamdreams said:
Again, my personal experience with Ryan was superfantastic -
Click to expand...

That's all I really wanted to hear.

My uncertainty was due largely to the fact that there was mixed feedback. Clearly Ryan's feedback is not as black & white as some of the others whom you mentioned. And much to his credit, he has acknowledged his lapses in judgement, which in my opinion are behind him.

My final conclusion is that which I posted above. Based upon your feedback and Jason's, as well as one from someone whom with Ryan recently did business, I would conduct business with Ryan in the future - without hesitation.

-Scott Ashton
 
I purchased 2 large adult female ball pythons from Ryan, and while I'm not happy about how they were packaged, I am happy with both females and how the transaction went. He stayed in constant communication, waited for me to send my postal money order via mail and then payment for the 2nd girl via PayPal a week later, and shipped immediately the next day. Both girls are in great physical condition and are very lively and (so far) pretty docile. Their weights are exactly what he said they were, and I'm happy to have them.

Lola -- 2674g

8-1-07-2016.jpg


Dawn -- 2542g

8-1-07-2017.jpg


This is how they were packaged...needless to say, a few improvements need to be made, namingly the addition of a sturdier, appropriate box, insulation on all sides, and more padding. FedEx obviously dropped this box as it arrived damaged, so I'm lucky the girls are OK.

8-1-07002.jpg


8-1-07003.jpg


8-1-07004.jpg
 
critical bill said:
I would've named those snakes Lucky1 & Lucky2.
Click to expand...


No doubt.

Jen, anyone who would ship live animals this time of year like that has absolutely no care or consideration for the animals at all.
 
I'll repost exactly what I said in Jen's post on the Ball Forum.

Nice photo work Jen. I'm gonna miss that bigger girl so much. As far as the packing job, I don't know where the newspaper went that was under them, but it was there when they went out. I've shipped and received many snakes like that. They're fine. No matter what, you can't prevent what FedEx does with them between the time they leave their origin and get to their destination. I do apologize for neglecting to mark them as Fragile. That was my fault. Although, that makes no difference either. I kind of doubt the handlers and drivers don't get a little complacent after seeing Fragile written on hundreds of packages a day. Anyway, good luck with them. You're looking at 15+ eggs from the 2 of them this coming season, guaranteed.
 
You've been around long enough to know shipping in a POS box with no insulation and cold packs is unacceptable in this weather.
 
RyanT said:
As far as the packing job, I don't know where the newspaper went that was under them, but it was there when they went out. I've shipped and received many snakes like that. They're fine.
Click to expand...

Ryan, the pictures were taken as I opened the box from the top and removed layers -- the snakes remained where they were from the moment they arrived. There was no newspaper underneath them. Regardless of that, even if there had been, there still should have been insulation on all sides and top and bottom -- that's standard practice when shipping reptiles. It not only provides a buffer for any jumbling, but also keeps OUT a lot of heat. The box was very flimsy -- if it had gotten wet, the weight from the snakes would have busted through the cardboard and they would have dropped right out. No animals should ever be shipped this way -- if this is how you've been shipping all of your reptiles, then you are only lucky person to not have any dead or injured. As I mentioned, I am extremely pleased with the snakes themselves as well as our transaction. No regrets. The point of bringing up shipping was so that you would become aware and make the necessary improvements next time you send something to someone. :thumbsup:
 
Thank you for the advice Jen. I'm glad they got to you safe and sound. Talk to ya later. :)
 
RyanT said:
I do apologize for neglecting to mark them as Fragile.
Click to expand...

Oh the poor baby. What his excuse? His crayon broke when he was coloring and he didn't have anything to write on the computer box not suited to even ship a computer in?

Why don't you grow up Ryan and just say I screwed up and didn't ship the snakes properly. Next thing I'd do is contact Jen and offer her a refund for the shipping charge and standard professional packing that she paid for.
 
This is how they were packaged...needless to say, a few improvements need to be made, namingly the addition of a sturdier, appropriate box, insulation on all sides, and more padding. FedEx obviously dropped this box as it arrived damaged, so I'm lucky the girls are OK.
Click to expand...
Given the overall appearance, it is just as conceivable that the box was damaged PRIOR to being packed... I know that the boxes that I have received damaged in transit have never been taped over (whether it be from DHL, UPS, or FedEx).
 
I am sorry but there is absolutely NO excuse for shipping an animal in that type of box. Proper shipping of animals requires one to use a STYRO lined box or something similar.

During transit, boxes without proper insulation and structure can easily be crushed. Of course, everyone knows that but I am just shocked at the lack of attention to detail that this seller had and lack of concern for these animals.

Again, there is no excuse, and Ryan, please leave this hobby if you do not plan to improve your shipping. That box you used to ship to Jen is just an example of borderline animal cruelty.
:angry:
 
hhmoore said:
Given the overall appearance, it is just as conceivable that the box was damaged PRIOR to being packed... I know that the boxes that I have received damaged in transit have never been taped over (whether it be from DHL, UPS, or FedEx).
Click to expand...

That actually happened to Bill "Box Hole Boa" Leverton once. It apparently slipped through a hole in the corner. Whooops...my bad...as I recall he never had the snake packed in the box to begin with.
 
DISCERN said:
I am sorry but there is absolutely NO excuse for shipping an animal in that type of box. Proper shipping of animals requires one to use a STYRO lined box or something similar.
Click to expand...

Some of the best sellers in the industry will even halt shipping during the summer months altogether. While styro and cool packs are standard this time of year, any shipping delay throws those standards out the window. This is the time of season when folks should try to deal locally with each other for exchanges or take in a few shows to buy directly. That or simply wait until the temps allow for the safest shipment of the animal.

Just my feelings. Its just really gotta suck to die in a hot box.
 
Back
Top