I remember when Brandon came into the shop for the first time. He told me he had just purchased a captive bred red tailed green rat from The Serpentaium. He asked me if it was normal for a captive bred animal to have red bumps on its body and I said no, that it could be either "blisters" from being kept in very poor conditions or it could be subcutaneous parasites which are not found in captive bred animals. We talked about his choice as this is his first snake. He said he had well researched their care, spent a lot of money for its habitat including a humidifying system and was also sold uvb and basking lights( which according to Freight Freitas as quoted from his website " I particularly prefer heat pads for babies and juveniles, as light bulbs can be very drying to the air, which could promote dehydration, as well as shedding issues.") and knew that a captive bred animal was the only way to go. He had a set idea in his mind to the type of snake he wanted and the Gonyosoma oxycephala fit the bill. I told him I would be more than happy to check it out, but at that time he wasn't concerned as he had been assured by Robert at the Serpentarium that it would resolve quickly.
He didn't think he needed pictures, he trusted Robert Coral.
He is a newbie with a good heart.
He brought the animal in on 8-24-2012. The pictures are the ones we took of him. There are blisters present over his back. There is scale rot scars to the ventrals with scars and some broken ribs present on its body. There has been some sort of injury? to the right aspect of the head where as the animal holds his mouth oddly. There was also a mild upper respiratory infection present. He asked us what to do and we told him he needs to return it. He came back rather quickly and told us that Robert said he was sorry he shouldn't have sold him the animal as captive bred and he would refund his money. Brandon had been caring for this animal for that last couple weeks and does genuinely care about it. So when he asked Robert what was going to happen to it and was told either returned to importer or euthanized he was upset. He asked that a refund be made to compensate for the additional care this Captive bred, now imported animal would need. When Robert told him he was a business man that he couldn't do that, he took the animal and brought it to us. If I as a business person,( and I have been told too many times i am not a good business person because I care to much) had sold an animal under those conditions I would have refunded him his money and given him the snake because of my mistake/dishonesty.
He is simply just some one who cares for his snake. Should he have accepted it initially. As seasoned reptile people we all know the answer to that is NO, but early in my career, or really it was my hobby at that time I had purchased some iffy animals with the hope of bringing them around. But I did not have the word of Robert Coral( from The Serpentarium - A Living Reptile Museum (est. 1989) Your TRUE Reptile Specialists! (which is in itself a lie because The Great Valley Serpentarium was established in 1989, not The Serpentariium, which was "acquired" from Bill aprox. 3 years ago.) ) saying it would get better soon. He is a newbie, he made the mistake of trusting.
It appalls me that people are accusing him of trying to get money out of Robert. When he left that shop with his animal he wanted nothing else to do with that establishment. He just wanted to inform people that he had special ordered a captive bred animal and received a wild caught import instead. The Serpentarium took advantage of his naivete and ignorance on how dark our industry can be.
We should be here for the newbies, we should be supportive of them, not crucify them because they try to go up against a larger establishment.
You have to excuse Brandon's sarcastic remark about the 10 minute shopping spree because he truly has no desire to ever enter that establishment again.
Here are the pictures
