Info TexHiss Jimmy Horton - Poor Animal Condition, Bad Shipping Practices

[Kuamata]

Hello, I'm here to share my experience with a breeder in Arlington, TX that goes under the business name TexHiss. His name is Jimmy Horton.

Prior to purchasing, I looked here, on the BOI, and saw good things about this breeder. I learned, the hard way, to do research on anybody you're considering buying from. That being said, I decided to continue with purchasing a red tail boa from him.

The boa was advertised as a male Anery 66% het for snow and albino, Kahl line. The picture used showed a healthy boa, seemingly a baby. The original ad, I do not have a screen shot of, as he immediately removed all his ads after I agreed to purchase the snake labeled 'Anery male #10'. He did relist the exact ad, today, just minus the one I bought. I do have a screen shot of that so you can at least get an idea of how he was listed.

After agreeing and getting the paypal info, I immediately paid price and shipping up front and scheduled for him to be sent out on Wednesday, 9/30, to arrive Thursday, 10/1(today). I even sent Jimmy a reminder like he had requested.

The boa arrived a little later than expected(most of my shipments, reptile wise, arrive in the morning and not later), but that was fine. I was about to leave for errands when the Fedex truck conveniently pulled up behind me for the delivery. I excitedly waited for the driver to pull my package from his truck. I was handed a regular brown box... Not your standard white box with red lettering that made it clear there was an animal inside and to hold it upright, but a plain brown box with just the shipping labels... not even any writing that would warn someone there is a living animal inside the box and to handle it with care...

I thanked the fellow and sat back in my car, worried about the snake, as a plain brown box was all too reminiscent of when I had a DOA from another 'breeder' that I stupidly did no research on. I cut it open to reveal a mass of shredded newspaper... no styrofoam.. no heat pack, with temperatures ranging from 50-60F... I dug through the shredded paper to find a white sock with the end taped up. In the video you can hear my aggravation at the cheap shipping job,"A sock?... Really?..." I untaped the sock and pulled out the boa, sitting with a dry paper towel.

The boa was wrinkly, skin pinched up, obviously dehydrated, and the spine and ribs could be visibly seen. He was limp, but still alive. Very cold... I immediately went to warm him up and offer him some water, texting Jimmy of the condition he came in while I walked, and said I'd have to ask around before I had an opinion, but I was fairly certain that a snake should not go from healthy to malnourished in one night...

In the process of getting the snake all suited up and cozy, he tried to call me. Out of frustration, knowing myself, and being too preoccupied with the little scaley, I ignored the call. As you can see in my text I sent to him, I'm usually more compliant on the phone and I wasn't going to be talked out of this. Either I'm compliant or I'm not all that nice... it really depends on where you catch me, I'm socially awkward and suffer anxiety, but that's not the point..

At any rate, I posted elsewhere to ask some opinions on the situation. I got a couple and relayed them back to him, at which point he got upset and started to argue with me. He claimed that nothing was wrong with the snake because he doesn't 'powerfeed', but... I'm fairly certain this isn't a result of not powerfeeding, I don't powerfeed, either, and my other boa is filled in, not boney, and has nice, sleek skin and scales... No wrinkles or pinching up.

Anywho, here's screens of our conversation, the box, inside the box, the boa, the ad, the original picture used for 'Anery male #10', and a video. Decide for yourselves, I just feel others have a right to know. Thanks.

The reposted ad:

The image used for the boa purchased:

Proof of purchase:

The shipping:

 

[Kuamata]

The boa:

(The image below is after he'd been on a heat mat, thermostat controlled, for half an hour and given water.)

The conversation:

 

[Kuamata]

 

[Helenthereef]

The image used for the boa purchased:

The tail in the picture the seller posted before sale also looks flat and thin, as shown in your newly unpacked photos. I think there is no question that this boas is underweight, and was so before it was sent to you

 

[Kuamata]

The image used for the boa purchased:

The tail in the picture the seller posted before sale also looks flat and thin, as shown in your newly unpacked photos. I think there is no question that this boas is underweight, and was so before it was sent to you

Hmmm.. I'm looking at the tail and not seeing it, but I'll give you benefit of the doubt on that, but you don't see any wrinkled skin that would suggest dehydration, and no bones showing.

 

[hypocamaro]

He offered your money back. Ship it back. Get your money back and be done with it. Great seller!!

People are people... we all make mistakes... he is willing to make this right.

 

[Kuamata]

He offered your money back. Ship it back. Get your money back and be done with it. Great seller!!

People are people... we all make mistakes... he is willing to make this right.

I've never shipped a live animal. In these temperatures, with my inexperience, and the condition he came to me in, that would be a death sentence... this isn't about money, this is about mistreating animals. I'm NOT ok with it, and I'm NOT going to do that to the boa.

I only posted this so people know that this is what they'll get. Cheap shipping, and an animal that will need some TLC.

The community I've gone to for help is confident he will be ok in a few feedings with some good husbandry and hydration.

 

[Helenthereef]

Hmmm.. I'm looking at the tail and not seeing it, but I'll give you benefit of the doubt on that, but you don't see any wrinkled skin that would suggest dehydration, and no bones showing.

Well, I'll bow to those with more experience with Red Tails, it's not my species, but doesn't the body here (circled in orange) look flattened and thin to you? Would this be considered normal in a 4 month old snake that had supposedly had 6 meals?

I'm genuinely asking - as I said, not my species.....

 

[Kuamata]

Not to me, no. He looks healthy and muscular in that picture, as boas should be. Nice and filled in. As far as age, he didn't offer a hatch date, so I really have no clue how old he is.

 

[hypocamaro]

I've never shipped a live animal. In these temperatures, with my inexperience, and the condition he came to me in, that would be a death sentence... this isn't about money, this is about mistreating animals. I'm NOT ok with it, and I'm NOT going to do that to the boa.

I only posted this so people know that this is what they'll get. Cheap shipping, and an animal that will need some TLC.

The community I've gone to for help is confident he will be ok in a few feedings with some good husbandry and hydration.

Shipping looks fine. The snake was in a bag or "sock" (same thing) and it got to you alive. The weather to you did not need an insulated box or heat pack this time of year. He had plenty of paper in the box to ensure the snake didnt "rattle" around.

I do agree that the snake is dehydrated and thin. It could have been an honest over look on his part. He should have noticed it and not shipped it.

The Seller did what he could to make it right.

He offered your money back. He seems like a stand up dude to me.

Look at all the post of bad guy threads here and it usually is a scam with money lost.

I would avoid buyers like you.

We are dealing with living breathing animals. Very unpredictable. NO ONE can explain why sometimes Healthy 6 year old specimens just up and die. Anyone who has been doing this long enough has had an animal die with no apparent reason and nothing deemed terminal on necropsy reports.


For the same reason we dont know why 2 year old kids get cancer and die. Life is always unpredictable. Dealing with animals is always a gamble. I hope the snake does well.

 

[Kuamata]

Shipping looks fine. The snake was in a bag or "sock" (same thing) and it got to you alive. The weather to you did not need an insulated box or heat pack this time of year. He had plenty of paper in the box to ensure the snake didnt "rattle" around.

I do agree that the snake is dehydrated and thin. It could have been an honest over look on his part. He should have noticed it and not shipped it.

The Seller did what he could to make it right.

He offered your money back. He seems like a stand up dude to me.

Look at all the post of bad guy threads here and it usually is a scam with money lost.

I would avoid buyers like you.

We are dealing with living breathing animals. Very unpredictable. NO ONE can explain why sometimes Healthy 6 year old specimens just up and die. Anyone who has been doing this long enough has had an animal die with no apparent reason and nothing deemed terminal on necropsy reports.


For the same reason we dont know why 2 year old kids get cancer and die. Life is always unpredictable. Dealing with animals is always a gamble. I hope the snake does well.

I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm not saying I have a problem with the transaction. I paid for a snake, I got a snake, even if he wasn't in the same condition as the picture in the ad suggested. I'm upset that the shipping was such a cheap job and that he was in such a shape, I would not have sold an animal looking like that... I'm sorry that I think it's wrong to send a customer, who has invested their trust in you, an animal that looks dehydrated and skinny. If he had had some insulation, and a heat pack, he wouldn't of been ice cold and limp when he arrived. I mean he was COLD...

As for randomly up and dying, I can't say I've ever heard about that or known of that being a common phenomenon. I'm young and grew up with a mother that was fearful of reptiles, so I don't have the luxury of being in the herp field for decades. I wish I did, but, for that reason, I look to people that HAVE been and still are. I've gone ahead and asked them if this is, in fact, a common phenomenon, as I'm not sure of that, myself. I'm sure they'd know. It just sounds so bizarre to me, an animal randomly dying and no cause or reason showing up on a necropsy, assuming one was done. I know I'd do one.

 

[Black Adder]

Shipping looks fine. The snake was in a bag or "sock" (same thing) and it got to you alive. The weather to you did not need an insulated box or heat pack this time of year. He had plenty of paper in the box to ensure the snake didnt "rattle" around.

I do agree that the snake is dehydrated and thin. It could have been an honest over look on his part. He should have noticed it and not shipped it.

The Seller did what he could to make it right.

He offered your money back. He seems like a stand up dude to me.

Look at all the post of bad guy threads here and it usually is a scam with money lost.

I would avoid buyers like you.

We are dealing with living breathing animals. Very unpredictable. NO ONE can explain why sometimes Healthy 6 year old specimens just up and die. Anyone who has been doing this long enough has had an animal die with no apparent reason and nothing deemed terminal on necropsy reports.


For the same reason we dont know why 2 year old kids get cancer and die. Life is always unpredictable. Dealing with animals is always a gamble. I hope the snake does well.

I am sorry but the shipping does NOT look fine at all!
Every guideline is to label boxes with live harmless reptile labels and keep upright etc, do I need to post SYR or RepExpress guidelines?
EVERY SINGLE SNAKE I SHIP leaves in a box clearly labeled as described AND fully insulated no matter what the temps or distance!
About the only part of the shipping I dont have a big issue with is the sock( hope he washed it though!), although I would never use one, or even have considered it, on reflection it serves its purpose.

The animal definitely looked dehydrated which does not happen overnight!
I think the seller needs to think long and hard on his shipping setup AND the condition of the animals he is selling

 

[Kuamata]

I am sorry but the shipping does NOT look fine at all!
Every guideline is to label boxes with live harmless reptile labels and keep upright etc, do I need to post SYR or RepExpress guidelines?
EVERY SINGLE SNAKE I SHIP leaves in a box clearly labeled as described AND fully insulated no matter what the temps or distance!
About the only part of the shipping I dont have a big issue with is the sock( hope he washed it though!), although I would never use one, or even have considered it, on reflection it serves its purpose.

The animal definitely looked dehydrated which does not happen overnight!
I think the seller needs to think long and hard on his shipping setup AND the condition of the animals he is selling

Thank you! I can actually get him in trouble with Fedex for shipping a live animal without proper marking. :/ There was NO indication, NONE.. NO insulation, and as I said above, he was VERY cold... He spent hours in ~50F weather, and it's been cold and rainy all week... All but ONE shipment I've received, now two, was clearly marked with the red letters saying live animal. The first was from Backwater and that was a DOA, but even they DID insulate. Now this one is my second blank box, and I can guarantee you that if there had been any kind of delay, he probably wouldn't of made it, because he had no insulation. If he had at least been in a proper box, with actual insulation and done up the way he should have been, then I wouldn't of been bothered by the sock(though a snake bag would of been ideal), but no insulation, blank box, and only newspaper?... The sock was just kind of further insult to me.

My complaint was never the transaction, it's exactly what this fine individual pointed out, that it doesn't happen over night, and it makes me worry just how long this boa went without water and/or food, as well as worry about the other reptiles in his care. The last BOI I found on this man was in 2011. I get sometimes things happen over the years, but this is now, and this isn't what I'd call quality...

Note that I didn't even say bad guy... it's more of a.. buyer beware, in essence. The transaction was smooth, but I can't say the same for the rest of it.

 

[meowmeowkazoo]

Shipping looks fine. The snake was in a bag or "sock" (same thing) and it got to you alive. The weather to you did not need an insulated box or heat pack this time of year. He had plenty of paper in the box to ensure the snake didnt "rattle" around.

I do agree that the snake is dehydrated and thin. It could have been an honest over look on his part. He should have noticed it and not shipped it.

The Seller did what he could to make it right.

He offered your money back. He seems like a stand up dude to me.

Look at all the post of bad guy threads here and it usually is a scam with money lost.

I would avoid buyers like you.

We are dealing with living breathing animals. Very unpredictable. NO ONE can explain why sometimes Healthy 6 year old specimens just up and die. Anyone who has been doing this long enough has had an animal die with no apparent reason and nothing deemed terminal on necropsy reports.


For the same reason we dont know why 2 year old kids get cancer and die. Life is always unpredictable. Dealing with animals is always a gamble. I hope the snake does well.

It was good of the seller to offer a refund, but when an animal is in bad condition, being shipped back and forth is only putting its life at risk.

And I disagree with your opinion that "anyone who has been doing this long enough has had an animal die for no reason."

 

[Deborah Stewart]

Shipping looks fine. The snake was in a bag or "sock" (same thing) and it got to you alive. The weather to you did not need an insulated box or heat pack this time of year. He had plenty of paper in the box to ensure the snake didnt "rattle" around.

Are you serious???

This is absolutely not fine

1/ Animals should be shipped Priority Overnight not Standard Overnight

2/ Regardless of the season the animal should be shipped in a foam insulated box. Heat pack should be used as needed and temperature should be check in 3 point origin, main hub and destination

3/ The box should properly be labelled as per the requirements of the Lacey act.

If this box was sent to Fedex for certification, it would fail.

If you believe it's ok to ship like that you either

A/ Have no experience shipping or receiving animals from reputable breeders.

B/ Use this methods to cut corners any way you can which is a poor business practice.

The only things that are debatable about the shipping are the sock and the brown box.

The sock is nothing new some breeders have use them to provide extra insulation, I would not do it (the idea of a sock does not look professional to me ) but some breeders and buyers are fine with it.

The color of the box is not important color may be brown there is not requirements for the box but it should be insulated and properly labelled.

So those are preference but the rest is just wrong and I am not even taking about the animal's condition.

 

[JCCS]

I have to disagree with you, Helen. The picture posted of the boa in Jimmy's care is perfectly healthy in appearance. Honestly, it looks like it might be a bit overfed. That might, in fact, be the issue. He may have overfed it to the point of gurging and it never got it back to health. It's not terribly uncommon and I've heard that Jimmy has a tendency to feed his babies large meals.

 

[AaronSerio]

Shipping looks fine. The snake was in a bag or "sock" (same thing) and it got to you alive. The weather to you did not need an insulated box or heat pack this time of year. He had plenty of paper in the box to ensure the snake didnt "rattle" around.

I do agree that the snake is dehydrated and thin. It could have been an honest over look on his part. He should have noticed it and not shipped it.

The Seller did what he could to make it right.

He offered your money back. He seems like a stand up dude to me.

Look at all the post of bad guy threads here and it usually is a scam with money lost.

I would avoid buyers like you.

We are dealing with living breathing animals. Very unpredictable. NO ONE can explain why sometimes Healthy 6 year old specimens just up and die. Anyone who has been doing this long enough has had an animal die with no apparent reason and nothing deemed terminal on necropsy reports.


For the same reason we dont know why 2 year old kids get cancer and die. Life is always unpredictable. Dealing with animals is always a gamble. I hope the snake does well.

I give the seller credit for offering the refund. Good for them. The buyer simply declined the offer and decided to post their transaction here. Just because the seller offered something it doesn't mean the buyer can't share their experience. It's what this place is for.

To be fair, the buyer didn't try to take a refund and keep the snake or ask for too much. They decided to keep the snake and just share their experience.

As for the actual situation, let's take a look at the time line shall we?

Ad says babies born first week of May. It is now about the beginning of Oct. That's 5 months and the baby that arrived looks a lot like a thinner version of the baby born in the first week of May. That's never a good sign nor what the buyer was expecting or paid for.

Further, as discussed, the shipping is severely lacking in some areas that go with shipping animal regulations. This is the type of stuff on cutting corners that just gets the hobby in trouble. Pay the little bit extra for priority overnight, insulated box and PROPER labels.

 

[Big Time Reptiles]

Are you serious???

This is absolutely not fine

1/ Animals should be shipped Priority Overnight not Standard Overnight

2/ Regardless of the season the animal should be shipped in a foam insulated box. Heat pack should be used as needed and temperature should be check in 3 point origin, main hub and destination

3/ The box should properly be labelled as per the requirements of the Lacey act.

If this box was sent to Fedex for certification, it would fail.

If you believe it's ok to ship like that you either

A/ Have no experience shipping or receiving animals from reputable breeders.

B/ Use this methods to cut corners any way you can which is a poor business practice.

The only things that are debatable about the shipping are the sock and the brown box.

The sock is nothing new some breeders have use them to provide extra insulation, I would not do it (the idea of a sock does not look professional to me ) but some breeders and buyers are fine with it.

The color of the box is not important color may be brown there is not requirements for the box but it should be insulated and properly labelled.

So those are preference but the rest is just wrong and I am not even taking about the animal's condition.

Deborah, You hit the nail right on the head!

EXTREMELY WELL SAID!

I couldn't agree more!

Lynn Peterson
Big Time Reptiles

 

[JCCS]

John, if you think that pulling a snake out of it's tub, examining it, putting it in a bag, and sending it to someone without ever noticing (or more likely, caring) that it is in well under optimal shape is understandable, I am sorry for the animals in your care and for your customers. Also, a box should always be insulated, I don't care if temps are perfect. That styrofoam is very cheap and at the very least adds a bit more structure to a small box that could easily get crushed. Helping to stabilize temps decreases stress on the snake.

 

[Kuamata]

Thank you all. The 'brown box' was simply descriptive as to say that it's not properly marked, it's just an ordinary box, like one you'd ship regular every day goods in. I didn't literally mean the color was a problem, lol.~ I do agree on the professionalism with the sock thing. I mean, it's not horrible, it's just not too professional to me, and with the way the rest of the shipping job looked, it was a little irritating to boot. I can say the sock was clean.. at least it looked it, I'm not so peachy keen on sniffing random socks, LOL!

I must of skimmed over the approximate date of hatch. I do recall me asking what prey size he was on so I could place an order and he told me fuzzies were fine... I gotta say, after being face to face with this little fella, I'd believe fuzzies are a little too big.. A boa I got earlier this year(simply amazing experience all around) was listed as on fuzzies/hoppers when I got her and, at the time of purchase and receipt, she was roughly 9 months old. She's now on small medium mice, and she's a little over a year old!