Setsuki
New member
I had a bad experience with Outback Reptiles over the past couple of weeks. However, I have been tossing around what to post here for a while because I know that BOI needs facts and not opinions.
First off, let me say this - I am not looking for Outback Reptiles to make things up to me. I have already written off my monetary loss. However, my intent is to show people the condition of some of their animals because I, as an avid animal lover and long-time reptile keeper, am devastated by the condition the Nile Monitor I ordered from them came to me in.
So here is the story:
On June 11th, 2010 I ordered a hatchling Nile Monitor from Outback Reptiles.
Receipt as Proof:
The Nile Monitor was shipped out June 15th and arrived June 16th.
When it arrived, it was visibly underweight. It had no fat reserves at all and it's pelvis and back bone were visible through it's skin. It was also visibly dehydrated and lethargic. My husband and I have been keeping a very wide variety of reptiles for 20 odd years and have NEVER received an animal in as bad of shape as this one. My husband and I discussed contacting Outback Reptiles about the condition of the monitor right away, but my husband determined that if a company was shady enough to be willing to send out an animal in this kind of shape, then they would do little, if anything at all. We also determined that, considering the condition the Nile was in, this monitor would not survive a return trip back to the facility as it was a miracle it survived the first trip.
We had our enclosure pre-set up with a cool side temp between 76-80'F, the hot end approximately 95'F, and a 115-120'F basking spot. Our ambient humidity in our reptile room is maintained between 60-65%.
Once provided an ample source of water, the poor thing guzzled water as if it had never seen it before. At first we offered the monitor some crickets. The Nile was too weak to even eat the crickets. It would chase one and then stop and fall asleep. Once it caught one and tried to eat it, but it passed out while the cricket was still alive and kicking. I then provided it with some soft mixed foods and a little raw egg. It would lap at the raw egg a little, but when it ate the food it would take a few bites and then pass out in the food dish. This continued for a week with little to no signs of improvement.
On June 23rd the Nile Monitor died. I then contacted Josh at Outback Reptiles about what had happened and he told me that because I hadn't contacted him right away about the condition of the monitor that all he could do was offer me a discount on the next Nile Monitor. I then told him that I would never buy another animal from them and I would inform other people of the situation.
After the Nile Monitor had died, I started doing some more research on Outback Reptiles and I found the threads here about the snakes sold with RI and other health issues and injuries, the Geckos that had been sent out with MBD, the Iguanas they have been seen selling with MBD, and I have read how they either ignore people they screw over by selling sickly animals, or offer them little to no restitution. I wish I had found this information first, because I would have never even considered buying from them if I had known.
Realistically, I don't care about the money lost, it wasn't very much. I care about the poor little Nile Monitor that arrived to me at death's door and all the other animals that have suffered through their hands. I believe that people have a right to know that they have no problem selling sickly and dying animals. People have a right to know the quality of animals that Outback Reptiles is comfortable sending to people.
{OPINION}Any decent person would be ASHAMED to let an animal get to the horrid state that this monitor and several of their other animals have been allowed to get to. Any decent company would not even consider selling an animal in the condition that this monitor arrived in. Through my own experience with reptiles, I know that the shape this monitor was in could not have been done in a week or less, this is the result of months of bad husbandry.{/OPINION}
Here are a couple of close-ups of the tail end of the monitor. You can see his pelvis bones jutting up at the base of his incredibly bony tail.
Here is a picture of the whole monitor:
First off, let me say this - I am not looking for Outback Reptiles to make things up to me. I have already written off my monetary loss. However, my intent is to show people the condition of some of their animals because I, as an avid animal lover and long-time reptile keeper, am devastated by the condition the Nile Monitor I ordered from them came to me in.
So here is the story:
On June 11th, 2010 I ordered a hatchling Nile Monitor from Outback Reptiles.
Receipt as Proof:
The Nile Monitor was shipped out June 15th and arrived June 16th.
When it arrived, it was visibly underweight. It had no fat reserves at all and it's pelvis and back bone were visible through it's skin. It was also visibly dehydrated and lethargic. My husband and I have been keeping a very wide variety of reptiles for 20 odd years and have NEVER received an animal in as bad of shape as this one. My husband and I discussed contacting Outback Reptiles about the condition of the monitor right away, but my husband determined that if a company was shady enough to be willing to send out an animal in this kind of shape, then they would do little, if anything at all. We also determined that, considering the condition the Nile was in, this monitor would not survive a return trip back to the facility as it was a miracle it survived the first trip.
We had our enclosure pre-set up with a cool side temp between 76-80'F, the hot end approximately 95'F, and a 115-120'F basking spot. Our ambient humidity in our reptile room is maintained between 60-65%.
Once provided an ample source of water, the poor thing guzzled water as if it had never seen it before. At first we offered the monitor some crickets. The Nile was too weak to even eat the crickets. It would chase one and then stop and fall asleep. Once it caught one and tried to eat it, but it passed out while the cricket was still alive and kicking. I then provided it with some soft mixed foods and a little raw egg. It would lap at the raw egg a little, but when it ate the food it would take a few bites and then pass out in the food dish. This continued for a week with little to no signs of improvement.
On June 23rd the Nile Monitor died. I then contacted Josh at Outback Reptiles about what had happened and he told me that because I hadn't contacted him right away about the condition of the monitor that all he could do was offer me a discount on the next Nile Monitor. I then told him that I would never buy another animal from them and I would inform other people of the situation.
After the Nile Monitor had died, I started doing some more research on Outback Reptiles and I found the threads here about the snakes sold with RI and other health issues and injuries, the Geckos that had been sent out with MBD, the Iguanas they have been seen selling with MBD, and I have read how they either ignore people they screw over by selling sickly animals, or offer them little to no restitution. I wish I had found this information first, because I would have never even considered buying from them if I had known.
Realistically, I don't care about the money lost, it wasn't very much. I care about the poor little Nile Monitor that arrived to me at death's door and all the other animals that have suffered through their hands. I believe that people have a right to know that they have no problem selling sickly and dying animals. People have a right to know the quality of animals that Outback Reptiles is comfortable sending to people.
{OPINION}Any decent person would be ASHAMED to let an animal get to the horrid state that this monitor and several of their other animals have been allowed to get to. Any decent company would not even consider selling an animal in the condition that this monitor arrived in. Through my own experience with reptiles, I know that the shape this monitor was in could not have been done in a week or less, this is the result of months of bad husbandry.{/OPINION}
Here are a couple of close-ups of the tail end of the monitor. You can see his pelvis bones jutting up at the base of his incredibly bony tail.
Here is a picture of the whole monitor:
