• 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 MJC Serpents...

For the record, Mindy did apologize to me and so did Andy. While I am far less quick to forgive Andy -- a 40 year old man vs. a 19 year old teenager -- given the gravity of his words and actions against me (calling the place I Externed at, attributing false statements to those veterinary professionals and their place of business, calling places I interviewed at, threatening not just me but my 8-year-old daughter, degrading military veterans as well as veterinary personnel, etc.), Mindy is a different story. The lines of communication are open and she is finally hearing. She is aware of her mistakes and looking to fix them. I am more than happy to help her in any way that I can.
 
Mindy, there is nothing wrong with having a heart and caring and even loving your animals. None of us would be in it if we didn't care. Don't worry about Andy, I really don't have a very high opinion of him even after all this. He is a grown man and should know better. Just keep doing the right things and you will fit into this community very well. Pay attention to your QT, and test whenever you suspect anything in your collection. And by all means, keep a heart, it makes you a better keeper and seller. Keep an open mind and keep learning.
 
Just remember that if it weren't for Andy, this would have never ended. And by "ended" I mean the tests being done. He is the one who is getting me on my feet.
 
Guy Castro said:
I'm confident this site gave you a push, too!;)
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^ This.


Mindy, there are a lot of members on this forum that don't mind (heck, some even love!) mentoring young herp enthusiasts. It's your age bracket that will rapidly replace the retiring keepers/breeders out there and determine the future of this industry.

If I could give you any advice, it would be to humble yourself and find one. You need a mentor, and your boss Andy isn't one. The way Andy and his wife behaved, if you were my 18 year old child I would let you associate with them! And all your Facebook antics??? Search the pages of any of the professional breeders you idolize and might like to become one day and see if you read any nasty language or curse words on their pages. Or if they have "a list" like the stupid one you created of the members here trying to push you in the right direction.

If you really had wanted to, you would have found a way to afford those tests without your boss's generosity. But that's all water under the bridge, you got negatives.

Now just conduct yourself in a mature, professional manner and get a mentor who can teach you things you've always wanted to know. Do that, and you'll go far. Good luck.
 
Magic said:
Mindy, there are a lot of members on this forum that don't mind (heck, some even love!) mentoring young herp enthusiasts. It's your age bracket that will rapidly replace the retiring keepers/breeders out there and determine the future of this industry.
Click to expand...

Very true!

Magic said:
If I could give you any advice, it would be to humble yourself and find one. You need a mentor, and your boss Andy isn't one. The way Andy and his wife behaved, if you were my 18 year old child I would let you associate with them! And all your Facebook antics??? Search the pages of any of the professional breeders you idolize and might like to become one day and see if you read any nasty language or curse words on their pages. Or if they have "a list" like the stupid one you created of the members here trying to push you in the right direction.
Click to expand...

I like many other breeders I know, consider cursing in our business dealings and on our pages unprofessional.

Andy may be able to advise you on operating a store, but not in professionalism.
 
Not trying to get anything fired up, actually trying to do the opposite. But isn't this thread about the health of my snakes? The rest can be dealt with elsewhere, no? This thread keeps getting off track and started back up again with things that don't pertain to the initial and biggest issue in this thread. I have and have posted publicly the results of the testing conducted to ensure the health of my snakes. I'm not going to try to shove it down peoples' throats, if they feel leary and don't want to buy from me - so be it. I appreciate those who have privately conversed with me about the matters being brought back up in this thread. Now, please, why can't this thread just end on a good conclusion with the negative tests results? Everything else is more than covered. The viewers can choose for themselves what decisions they make and I respect them. Repeating the same things over and over doesn't make me want to comply, it does the opposite - it frustrates me. It would be greatly appreciated and a lot less stressful for everyone if this ends on a good note and we all let the future bring whatever it decides to bring, and go from there.
 
The thread is about you as MJC Serpents, not just the health of your snakes, that was simply an issue that arose during discussion. It's for people to review, ask questions and give feedback on their dealings with you. People can also post questions and continue discussion as long as it remains on topic.
 
Its not fair to me at all that we keep bouncing back to the same stuff. People are speaking about the future when the future isn't here yet. That's just how I feel. The more this keeps going the more people reading may not know that tests were ever conducted. Not many are going to go trhough this whole thread. That's all. People are judging me for things that haven't happened yet, if they ever do, and so on. I want to better myself, but I can't with this weighing me down. People should be more willing to give someone a chance.
 
Mindy, there are many prominent herpers who end up with a negative thread at one point or another. How you continue to conduct yourself in the face of the inquiry that is inherent to human nature, and ESPECIALLY potential clients is just as, if not more, important than the results of one health screening.

It's great you did the test, it's relieving that it was negative. That doesn't give you permission to revert to the defensive, hostile attitude that got you into this mess to begin with.

People don't believe until they see. They'll push you and prod you because they want to prove that you haven't really changed. The only way to prove them wrong is to respond in a polite, diplomatic and honest manner. This will put you at an advantage when potential customers read the thread.
 
I am not getting defensive or hostile. But why are people being given permission to poke me with sticks and expect me not to say anything about it?
 
Oh, you answered it already. They want to "prove that I haven't changed." Is that really right? That's sad. Anyways, I look forward to this being a thing of the past and longing for the day when this thread has no meaning to my business. I sincerely want this to not be under my belt and I wish it was easy to just wipe it away. Unfortunately, it is a tattoo. And I understand that. Do I like it? No. But I AM trying. And nobody can prove otherwise. I should, at least, be given a chance. Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe you just feel like I'm a worthless speck of dust in the community not worth giving a chance to shine. Because that's how I feel like I have been and am being treated by many. Not the reptile industry as a whole, but probably about half of it. If its true, well then shame on me I guess. But I will reach new heights. That I am sure of.
 
It's not *not* responding, it's responding maturely. Someone says: "she only did it to save her own skin". You responding with: "thank you for your concern, I hope I can improve your future opinion of me." Or "I'm sorry I've given off that impression, would you mind telling me how I can remedy this?"

That gives off a totally different vibe than: "I can never change with this thread weighing me down. "
 
I also never said that I can't change with this thread weighing me down. That is not anywhere close to what I said. I said I just wish I didn't have this thread continuing to weigh me down before i even have a chance to grow from it.
 
That's not the point that I'm trying to communicate. This thread, your future are what you choose to make. Your priorities will shape the public opinion of you. Is ego or public image more important? Pride or customer service? Victory or humility? That's true of life in general, not just ball pythons.
 
Would you have ever wanted to grow, without this thread, I wonder??


Growth and change can be painful Mindy. Please stop feeling like you are being bullied, because you are not. Many times you were just as much an aggressor as any of the inquirers on here.

You have a thread on the BOI. THATS A FACT NOW. Move on. It can't be changed.
Learn from it. Keep yourself above reproach from now on and learn all you can from a good mentor. Come back a couple years from now and laugh about your hot headedness. It'll be good for you.
 
Agoralyx said:
Mindy, there are many prominent herpers who end up with a negative thread at one point or another. How you continue to conduct yourself in the face of the inquiry that is inherent to human nature...
Click to expand...

I have one myself just from this summer, the only one I've ever had. I wasn't able to get a snake shipped out as scheduled due to unforeseen circumstances, the buyer got frustrated and wanted a refund that I didn't have right then, and made a Bad Guy thread here. Within a week I had her money refunded in full by selling off some stuff locally. The transaction was complete, both parties satisfied, all observers/commenters satisfied, and it was dropped from there. No negativity, no harassment, and it has not impeded my business.

As Elizabeth said, it all revolves around how you handle yourself during such inquiries/reviews and the manner in which you respond. By having the tests done, acknowledging your mistakes, and apologizing, you've already started out on the right foot. Just have to continue heeding advice, not taking things too personal, and being mature and professional. Your buyers will see that and THAT is what will win them over. :)
 
mjcballpythons said:
I also never said that I can't change with this thread weighing me down. That is not anywhere close to what I said. I said I just wish I didn't have this thread continuing to weigh me down before i even have a chance to grow from it.
Click to expand...

Then just zip it and move on. Enough 4yr old whining. You are just starting out.Learn
from your errors, and try being more humble. Learn from many here that have a wealth
Of knowledge.The "know it all" crap needs to end. How you handle things moving forward,
will define you.
 
Thank you, Jen. The way you are wording things to not sound like subliminal personal attacks like saying I am "whining like a 4-year-old" is what will be encouraging for me.
 
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