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Rescuing some Snakies :)

Vicic17

Vicic17

New member
Hey Guys.

I have been visiting a local 'pet store' in my area, and i have seen some disgusting things, however i have gotten to know one of the guys who works there pretty well, and he is a big softie for the snakes, he does everything he can to give all the reptiles what they deserve, however, it's too big a task for him. Yesterday he showed up at my door with a beautiful 09 blood red (however i think it is a hypo diffused) female, and he told me someone just brought her in they cant keep her anymore, and he doesn't want to expose her to the pet store, so he sold her to me for 80$. Today i got another call from him, and he told me they were getting a new shipment of snakes in so they're letting go of 2 adult snakes, one is an amel motley, the other a ghost. He knows i will give them a good home so he offered them to me for 60$, no tax. So now i'm up to 7 corn snakes, and one ball python. I really have a soft spot for the critters put in this condition, but i feel like im going to end up buying them all to give them a better home :( I'm already short on money. How would YOU suggest to go about POLITELY telling them these will be the last 2 i will rescue.. atleast til i have more money and space!

Thanks sorry for the 10000 word essay!

Nick.
 
If he wants you to "rescue" them then there should be no need for him to charge you for them. I'd let him know that if people come into the store looking to dump their snakes, he can take their name and number and contact you with it. You can talk to the owner of the snake without the store being involved. Otherwise, I agree that a simple "no, I can't take on any more" should suffice.
 
its not that i feel bad saying no or anything like that, i dunno i just see them and think ugh they deserve so much better! and then i want to buy them :(
 
That saying about "you can't save them all" is true. Tell them that you're full up for now. Perhaps suggest that they find a reptile rescue to take them in. OR, if you ARE willing to take more in, tell them that you can't afford to purchase these snakes AND buy habitats and food for them. They'll have to "donate" the snakes to you if they want you to have them from now on.

One way or another, it will probably lessen the amount of times this guy comes asking you to PAY for snakes they can't or won't care properly for. People sometimes take advantage of the "nice guys" out there.
 
its not that i feel bad saying no or anything like that, i dunno i just see them and think ugh they deserve so much better! and then i want to buy them
Click to expand...
I absolutely sympathise with what you're saying, but you do need to put your foot down with these people, who now see you as a ready source of cash.

The bottom line (and I'm really sorry to sound harsh because I know you're only trying to do the right thing by the snakes) is that you haven't "rescued" these snakes. You've bought them from a bad shop and helped to keep them in business a little longer. You've paid pretty much the going rate for them and the shop has had no outlay at all on feeding or upkeep. They now know that as long as they keep snakes in shabby conditions, they can convince someone to take them on as hard luck cases, and for a decent commercial price so that they can turn a quick buck. I'm sorry to say that you may just have made the problem worse.

The best way to deal with these shops is to walk straight out and never go back. Spread the word that they're not to be trusted and try to ensure that they don't get any more custom. You might have to accept that the snakes currently in the shop could be lost, but if they get the idea that they can't make a profit from them, then they'll stop buying them in. You'll be saving a whole lot more snakes that will then never go to that shop.

As for your new arrivals, at least they have a decent home. However, if they've been kept in such poor conditions I hope you have them well quarantined away from your other beasties.

You can't save them all. I wish you well with your new arrivals. Let us know how it goes and do post some pics to show them off! We love the photos.
 
I agree with what everyone is saying, and i did tell him, this is it for me, im out of space and money. the guy i deal with through the store is throwing in all free set ups for their new homes, as well as enough food for 2 months. if he could have it his way they'd go to me for free, but he works at a pet shop, and as we all know, pet shops don't care, and he doesn't want to lose his job over it. as for paying the going rate, i dunno, 60$ for 2 snakes thats extremely good around here 30$ a piece. as well as a detailed feeding schedule with sheds included. The guy i deal with is a really great guy unfortunately he is employed by a pet shop.
 
I understand where the sentiment comes from... but some people tend to forget that we also have an obligation towards our existing collection- bringing in "rescued" animals constantly will at some point expose them to disease and parasites.
And as Bitsy said, by showing remorse towards one animal, we end up making the lives of many other animals miserable because the pet store will continue to deal with them.

I wish it wasn't so, that showing remorse can actually end up causing harm, but such is the case when working with such establishments.
 
These particular snakes aren't in horrible condition either, i had the local breeder i deal with come in and ask all the detailed questions that the pros would need as well as inspect everything, the pet shop is NOT one of those horrible ones, I have seen some bad things, however they're not in horrible living conditions, they just don't get the attention they deserve based on the fact they have so many other animals/reptiles/fish etc to worry about. i will still be taking precaution and quarantining them. They are simply bringing in more reptiles and need to free up some space, the guy at the store knows me personally, seen my snakes and living conditions, and immediately called me, i did inform him that this is all i can take, and he said he appreciates that im giving these snakes what they deserve and personally offered to help me out with them if needed (financially, food tanks etc.) and because of the fact they are competing with some other reptile specialty stores around here they wont be getting more corn snakes, so i think im safe for taking snakes off their hands, even thought 30$ each is quite a steal around here.
 
Vicic, some conditions cannot be detected when they exist in early stages of development- mites and mite eggs -can- escape an untrained eye when there are still just a few. Cryptosporidium/other internal parasites- same.

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but honestly, their motives for contacting you are quite clear. Fact is, if they cared, they would have improved the snake's living conditions rather than simply bring different snakes into the same conditions.

They don't strike me as altruistic- they charged you good bucks for each animal they allegedly "gave" in order for them to be rescued.

They also have perfect control over their stock- they chose to bring more animals to make good profit even though they don't care for them properly and can't accommodate them. It's not a reality that was forced on them, they chose it.
 
This friend of your's should be able to understand that you have to put your own pets first. If you're tight on money because you keep taking in new snakes, what will you do if one of your own snakes requires veterinary care? Or something happens to a snake's enclosure and they need a new one? What if the "rescue" snakes are harboring unforeseen illnesses?

It's unfortunate that there are so many animals in this world living in bad conditions. When you love animals, it's natural to feel like you should do something to help them. But the best thing you can do is take exceptional care of your own animals. At the end of the day, you can say that seven corn snakes and a ball python are healthy and happy because of your care.
 
I'm assuming this is critter cove?
He's a nice guy, but tell him he should contact the Lost World (if it's still there) and see if they are able to take them.
 
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