Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last year, I was in he local pet shop waiting for the employee to get crickets. I peered into their back room and saw a tank with a sinble baby ball python in it. I asked the girl and she said, oh, that snake has been returned twice because it bit the people who bought it. so we looked at her a bit, and she appeared skinny and miserable. The worker said that they had basically written her off as "shrink" which means unsellible or damaged merchandise. We decided to adopt her, and they gave her to us for free.
Now, our "little" snake is doing very well! She has tamed down immensely and now does not mind being handled. She eats ravenously and is the light of my herp collection. Here's a pic; she is the larger snake on the right. As you can see, this chance encounter with a forgotten animal in the back room has led me to get into python/snake keeping. So now I have three of them!

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*~Ginevive~*

How wonderful! Bless you for your great kindness! Such a lucky girl!

I just want to make the point that pet shop rescues such as this rarely turn out as happily. Pet stores need to get the message that they can't just deal with animals as if they were mere merchandise. By writing the ball python off as "shrink" they were dooming it to a slow death in the back room. All agree? Since this animal was given to the "rescuer" it was, at least, profit lost. But in those previous returns after biting (very suspicious if you ask me for a ball to bite like that), who knows how much other merchandise was sold with it. That store might not have even returned the previous purchasers money and sold the damn thing twice before giving it away. Instead of bailing pet stores out by buying animals in need of rescue, we should encourage them to carry higher quality animals (captive bred), and encourage them to have vets look at animals that need treatment. Would a car salesman try to sell a lemon these days? NO. Would a car salesman sell a new car without a manual? NO. Would a car salesman tell you that it's easy to take care of when it requires tons of maintenence? Well, yes, but you get my point. These are animals and not just items on a shelf. Pet stores that do not care should not get our business, and repeat offenders should face penalties.

Sorry to be so preachy, but I care.
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Zoodude

1.1 Acrantophis dumerli
0.1 Python molurus bivittatus
0.0.1 Morelia veridis
1.1 Elaphe (panthertophis?) obsoleta lindheimeri
0.2 Bogertophis subocularis
1.0 Pogona henrylawsoni
0.1 Geochelone carbonaria
3.2.1 Phelsuma laticaudal laticauda
1.5.1 Eublepharus macularius
0.0.1 Lampropeltis gutulus hobrooki
2.1.12 Elaphe guttata guttata