Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think all of you have read the post of my friend buying the cool looking Ball Python that I wanted. (ALOT)
My friend (Mark) was talking to me at school today. Then I ask so what's your ball python housed in? He says its in a 30 gallon tank. Im thinking thats a nice size cage.... I ask what hes using as the bottom. Like the bedding. And he says glass with a heater... I told him you need some kind of bedding even newspaper! Then he asks me to buy mice for him because his mom said she wont waste he money!!! I told him he needs to be ready to feed once a week, he just told him mom i'd buy mice for him.
What should I tell him? He also has it with an Armidillo lizard lol... I told him to research before he bought anything. But he didnt listen.
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

I misspelled alot! Sorry!
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

Unfortunately, your friend is like the average kid buying a pet.

Sit back and wait, and don't buy mice for a snake that is not yours. As sad as this is, just wait. The snake will begin to look neglected, or it will smell, or it will become aggressive because it's hungry...your friend doesn't seem like the type who's going to stick with it once it gets tough.

Once the snake looks visibly neglected (I know, I know, this sounds awful), call your local animal control and report him. I've had to do this before with a friend's roommate who got a burm she couldn't care for - you can't report someone for not researching how to take care of an animal, but once it is neglected and looks it, it's easy to get the animal removed.

And you definately don't need to be the one doing all the work caring for the snake. It is also not your job or your parents job to buy food for the snake. Tell him that if his family can't or won't help him take care of the animal, he shouldn't have gotten it in the first place.

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

He was an idiot for buying it - you were an idiot for not talking him out of it and the vendor that sold it to him is the biggest idiot of them all. And then everyone stands around wondering why they would want to take our snakes away from us.
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Tosha
JET Pythons

I was BEGGING him not to get it.... It was his money and his responsibilty. I cant control him. I dont know you would think I just let him do it. And the vendor was saying that a Caymen would be fun for him because he wanted an Alligator.
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

Hell look what jen did,talk about public lime light.. And You did this to your friends room mate... A nice kitten would be a better pet if you can supply food and a litter box. Tosha Ive been banned from Kingsnake for saying less then you just have. This post is Unreal.. I'm going to another board were I can say how I really feel...!

Van
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Forever Trust in what we are,and nothing else Matters

Van .. Hear, hear.

& Jenny .. I'm sorry but waiting until the animal is visibly neglected isn't the answer. That's abuse. And letting it happen is as bad if not worse than doing it yourself.

.. my 2 cents.

-Tami*

What are you supposed to do? If the animal looks healthy, animal control is going to think you're the crazy one. The owner has the right to take care of their animal the way they feel is appropriate. You can't say that way is wrong until it shows that the animal is neglected or abused in some way.

When my friend's roommate had that burm, I tried and tried to talk them into giving it to a rescue, to housing it differently, to feeding it more often. I was there every other week at most, and nothing I said made any difference to that roommate. She finally hid the snake in her bedroom because every time I saw it I'd mention something I saw wrong with the snake or cage. When I heard my friend was moving out, I helped out and while I was there peeked into the room to see how the snake was doing. When I saw how it was living (more feces than bedding, mites crawling all over the skin, no heat, no water, 4 foot burm as skinny as a corn snake), I called animal control. My friend moved out that weekend, so I never found out what happened to the snake, but I hope the roommate got in a lot of trouble.

When someone refuses to take care of an animal, refuses to give up the animal so that it can go to a home with adequate care, refuses to let you take the animal, what are you supposed to do? I feel that it is wrong to let yourself get taken advantage of caring for an animal that the owner can't be bothered to care for themselves. Not only that, but if anything goes wrong, the owner has a scapegoat - YOU. "Well, so-and-so was taking care of it, I don't know why it's looking so horrible now."
It's just a no-win situation. All you can do is wait and try and help when the time comes.

If you have a better solution, I'm all ears.

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

I don't know that I required that level of defensiveness.

At any rate, there are many ways to talk to someone about the welfare of their pets without making them feel like you are condescending or that they are not worthy of owning that pet. I agree that seeing an animal that is not being -ideally- cared for is difficult, but helping to educate that person on the whys and hows, I have found, is more affective in the long run than pointing out flaws or offering to take the animal. I'm not saying that this is the route that you took, however based on your tone I am assuming (you know what they say about assumptions) that you may not have been entirely as patient with that person as you let on.

I also don't know where you are located, but in Massachussets the animal welfare laws are quite clear about what is considered neglect, and the animal does not have to be ill or malnourished to be considered neglected & the owner acquire a hefty fine. Maybe I misunderstood your statement, but I would probably act at the first sign (lack of access to fresh water, etc.) & have the lesson learned, not wait until the problem progressed.

Just my opinion, for whatever it's worth.

yeah i totally agree tosha.if your not ready to care for an animal then dont get one.just like some pet stores i know that will new reptile buyers a retic or burm and tell them that it will be a good snake..no wonder why we are fighting a ban.

No need to call Josh an idiot. That's not going to solve this situation. He tried to talk him out of it, but it wasn't like he bought it for his friend.
Josh, I think one way that might work is in a little while, to offer the kid some money for it, not alot, just enough that the kid might take it. Good luck.
Josh

Im going to offer him some money. Its a very nice looking Ball python. And he said hes going to use it in a "Breeding Project". Its his first snake ever. And thanks for the help everyone. If I get him ill post pics.

Thanks
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Got Balls?
Josh Molone

Yes Josh was the holds the least amount of responsibility in this bad situation - but from his previous post I don't get the feeling that he honestly tried to get him not to buy the animal - more like he was hoping his friends mother wouldn't let him keep it and he'd get a free snake. Where was his concern about this snake when his friend was plopping down the $$$$ for it. Yes there are lots of things he could have done to dissuade the friend but I guess at his age that kind of responsibility might be too much to expect.

This kind of irresponsibility needs to stop - until this industry can police itself it has no business complaining when the government steps in to do it.
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Tosha
JET Pythons

Hey all mighty Tosha, how do you know what happened when this snake was purchased,where you there? Maybe he trueley did try to talk his buddy out of purcahsing the animal,some people are just stubborn and won't listen.

Im joshes Brother and believe me we tried to get him not to buy the snake even though my brother might have worded this post wrong.

Have you guys thought about loaning your friend a book or two on how to take care of a ball python? Make the information on how to care for one easily accessable to your friend.
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Brad Ratliff
Ratliff Reptiles
Email

i get this discouraged at times as well.

on one side you have new keepers (or even "experienced" keepers) buying disposable animals that they are not prepared for, and end up neglecting to actual death or abandonment.

on the other side, legislators that want to end it all. funny thing is, they have the most power.

there has to be a middle ground, but if folks continue to get in over their heads with reptiles, quickly and blindly, somebody is going to end up laying the smackdown.

this time it is a ball python. but it is just as often a retic, anaconda, iguana, nile monitor, etc.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Robyn, more often than not it's the large boids and monitors that this happens to. People either don't understand, or care, just how big and what it takes to care for these guys. Then they either wind up as rescues or just get stuffed in a back room and ignored till they die. It's just a shame it has to happen at all.

Quig
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

when we did walk in retail business, i couldn't count on TEN pairs of hands how many leopard geckos came back to the store as a bag of bones near death. they started as robust, healthy babies and juvies.

it happens with ALL of the species, and is one of the main reasons we got out of the retail store business, it was just too soul sucking.

there are few reptiles more simple than a leopard gecko. believe me, it is not about just the giant stuff, it is all of it.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles