Robert you knew I was not that experienced with snakes, I confided in him that I was new to this ballgame! He should have never sold me that snake to begin with. A "finicky eater" and a Non Eater are two entirely different things. I've talked to a few other breeders and they've said they NEVER NEVER have had to force feed a boa. I did set an appointment to get him to the vet as soon as he started losing weight, after Robert told me not to. It was just to late.
There are a couple of things that caught my eye about the above paragraph. While you state that Robert should never have sold you that boa (and I'm not disputing that), some of the responsibility does lie with you - as an inexperienced keeper, you should not have tried to deal with a "finicky eater". Why not?? Because in the care of an inexperienced person, there is not necessarily any difference between a finicky eater and a nonfeeder. There are lots of things to try to get (or keep) snakes eating; but, if you don't know what they are, the likelihood of success is dramatically reduced.
Did you take the snake to the vet? or did it die before the appt? If you brought him, what did the vet say/do?
I personally don't think that, under ordinary circumstances, a 24hr clause should be applied to a nonfeeding snake. However, with species that are known for being troublesome, or specific snakes that are sold as problem feeders, I don't think the seller is necessarily responsible to replace or refund.
I have mixed feelings about the failed return of the snake...while I understand the concern for the animal's well being, choosing not to return it as requested does somewhat increase the keeper's responsibility (or decreases the strength of the claim). I, too, have chosen not to return animals because I felt shipping was not in their best interest...and, in so doing,understood that I was accepting the risk that they might not survive in my care.
Then, of course, there is the matter of the balance due for the DH sunglow (poss super). You might have been a good customer that Robert wanted to work with, but I would think that status would have suffered after 4 months of nonpayment.
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