Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so I live in Los Angeles, and I could spend almost everyday here rescuing ball pythons. (picked up two this weekend, and just spoke to another guy tonight about yet another) every time people are selling them, I ask the normal questions how old, what and how often are you feeding it etc...... and all I keep running into is people who have ball pythons around 2 years old and they feed them small mice. so I buy as many as my friend and I can (wish I had more money)(if they won't give them to us) and try to get them better homes. wish there was a way to tell anyone who has a snake how much the snake could really eat. and it is funny cause all of them think the snake is a very healthy eater. most of them measure in at around 2-2 1/2 feet long and very small (I don't have a scale to weigh them on). and while I am ranting, even some of the "reptile" rescue places around here need to have the animals rescued from them, because the conditions are far from good. just ranting sorry

>>so I live in Los Angeles, and I could spend almost everyday here rescuing ball pythons. (picked up two this weekend, and just spoke to another guy tonight about yet another) every time people are selling them, I ask the normal questions how old, what and how often are you feeding it etc...... and all I keep running into is people who have ball pythons around 2 years old and they feed them small mice. so I buy as many as my friend and I can (wish I had more money)(if they won't give them to us) and try to get them better homes. wish there was a way to tell anyone who has a snake how much the snake could really eat. and it is funny cause all of them think the snake is a very healthy eater. most of them measure in at around 2-2 1/2 feet long and very small (I don't have a scale to weigh them on). and while I am ranting, even some of the "reptile" rescue places around here need to have the animals rescued from them, because the conditions are far from good. just ranting sorry

you may want to keep in mind by buying them you are only supporting the seller who will continue to sell more snakes. The big reason for suggesting not to buy from petshops is not because of the hassle of gaining a possibly ill snake but because the more people buy them the longer the stores will continue to sell them. Just something to think about.
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Rob

yes, but all of these snakes are coming from people who are not really selling them for the money. most don't want them anymore or have "time" for them anymore (the story I hear more often), and all of the snakes come with everything the tank, hides, heat pads, stands ect.... people just want them gone.

>>yes, but all of these snakes are coming from people who are not really selling them for the money. most don't want them anymore or have "time" for them anymore (the story I hear more often), and all of the snakes come with everything the tank, hides, heat pads, stands ect.... people just want them gone.

That's pretty admirable of you to spend your money on those snakes. I hope you win the lottery some day!!
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Rob

Why not try to educate the people that want to give you their snakes? Originally they bought one with good intentions, one hopes. Maybe instead of "relocating" or as some people call it "rescuing" we could try to find a way to make the situation work. Just my thoughts on this matter. Generally the people bringing wildlife into their homes and lives mean well. Douglas Beard

It's a nice thought and maybe I'm just cynical but I really don't trust someone to keep a snake who is trying to get rid of it. Regardless of how much education you offer them I think if they had the desire it took to allow the snake live a decent life they would have sought the information themselves. Honestly I think it's the other way around and too many who don't want the snakes keep them anyway and just let them suffer.

I look at similar to dogs who people just don't give away to shelters but instead neglect and let starve. The emphasis to these people is to give the dogs away and don't let them suffer. If society were to push for these people to keep the dogs and shove education down their throats nothing would change, the dogs would still suffer and it would be a bigger mess than it already is.

However, regardless of all of the above, I do believe it is extremely important to continue to educate the public on all aspects of animals in general. I get the feeling the animal kingdom is finally beginning to make it's way into the hearts of more people and hopefully will continue to do so. I think people like Jeff Corwin and Steve Irwin, just to name a couple, who wreak of passion for the animal world, have done a great job with educating the public on how amazing, wonderful and important the animals of the world are.

As I sit here and think about it you may be right too but how do you go about it? Do you compile a VCR tape on how to care for these snakes and hand it out to everyone you meet that wants to get rid of their snake? Then just walk away from a snake that you know isn't wanted?

I do like to think all that is needed is education and exposure to the animal world to change these people's minds but I honestly don't know if that's quick enough acting to keep a snake, in the care of someone who wants to get rid of it, from suffering.

The point you have brought up I think is a good one and should probably be given a lot of thought. I know I will certainly put some thought into it.
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Rob

I wish I had the money to do that. I went to teh pet store this weekend and they had 5 small balls in one 5 gal. tank and it was covered with feces. Next to that they had two redtails in a tank with a water dish that had just about a half inch of scummy greenish water with mouse poops on it . Had a really hard time passing them up I wanted to buy them all. They also always have a load of iquanas for sale with really bad dispositions.I know most of these pets are going to homes where the people buy them as novelty pets and dont realize what they are getting into. I guess we cant save the world but sometimes its hard.
There is another pet store that I go to and it is the best. They have some of the cleanest tanks with very knowledgable people who obviously love animals.

That's just not right. There are things you can do to maybe help their conditions. You can write a letter and send it to multiple locations. Please read the link below.

Stop the abuse

Also, here is some more info on what you can do to help stop the problem. It is very good reading.

Stop the abuse II

The only way this kind of thing is possibly going to be stopped is if everyone who cares about the problem actually makes an attempt to do something about it.

Good luck!!
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Rob

The real point to educate people about care and needs of any pet is before they buy it. Some petstores are good about ensuring the homes their animals are going to know what they are getting. Unfortunately alot of petstores just consider animals a source of income, more concerned with selling the thing instead of it's welbeing. Most petstores have a no return/no refund policy for live animals so they pretty much wash their hands of the care of the animal they sell.

So many people walk into a petstore see some reptile, bird, cat dog or whatever and think 'Wow that's Cool" or Wow, that's just soo cute', and they buy it. They may ask what they need to feed/cage it from the petsore worker and some may know everything their is to know about it but others will just point to a cage, food, etc and say you need this this and that. Oh don't worry it won't grow if you keep it in a tiny cage. Then people trust they just received the best information, buy everything recommended and go home with their new pet. A month later they are wondering why it is sick, bigger than the cage, etc. or just think it is normal for it to be skinny, scabby etc.

Anybody who really cares for animals would be willing to buy a book, ask questions, talk to a vet, find information on the internet, come to forums like this one etc. to learn what they need to know. Maybe not before they get the animal but at least once they realize there is a problem. Ideally they should have researched before buying the pet to make sure it is suitable to them but unfortunately most people are impulse buyers, which the market exploits horribly.

With the pet stores, I live by one that is very good about their reptiles and other pets. All their animals are properly cared for and people are not allowed to work with an animal or a group of animals unless they actually know about them. Also, they refuse to sell animals like iguanas because they are mostly bought for novelty. I got my ball python there and he is very healthy. They will actually send a lot of the balls back to the breeders because the condition they are in isn't good enough and most keepers will not be able to get the animal to eat and help them with the other problems. They try as hard as they can to be sure that people have the proper set up by creating pre made tank sets with everything that will be needed and a book on the care of the animal in it. Sorry if you don't think this really fits with the way this thread is going, I have wanted to make this point for some time because I always here people saying that pet stores are bad and you shouldn't buy from them. Some are good. I'm young now but if my plans for the future go as I would like them to them I will have a pet store with many reptiles, as well as other pet and feeder animals bred by myself. Thanks for listening.
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1.0 ball python (vakker)
0.1 dogs
2.1 cockatiels
1.1 chinchillas
Coming soon... 1.1 corn snakes
0.1 axanthic ball python

I agree there are good pet stores out there. I hope you open one up yourself as they are far and few in between. Good luck to you!!
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Rob