I recently went to a pet store (the name and location I will keep unsaid) and the living conditions of the snakes were atrocious! At least I think they were atrocious. Maybe they were normal for a pet store carrying larger snakes. You tell me what you think.
There were three tanks in particular that bothered me. The first of which was what looked like only a 3 gallon plastic cage (the kind you keep a pet hamster in) that was housing a young (about 2 years) ball python. There was no hide box, no water, no substrate, and no heating devices AT ALL!!!
The next cage was a 55 long tank that was housing a juvenile burmese python (about 5 feet long), a mid-sized carpet python (about 5 feet), and two mid sized boa constrictors (about 4 or 5 feet each). All in the same 55 long tank!! And there was enough shedded skin and piss on the bottom of the cage to cover 70% of it. I'm not talking recent shed or piss either. There was piss, then shed, then piss on top of the shed, then more shed and more piss on the shed. Is that terrible or am I over reacting!!??
Lastly, there was a 75 gal tank housing an adult burmese python (about 12 feet) a juvenile boa constrictor (about 4 feet) and a mid sized boa constrictor (about 6 feet) in the same cage. The same situation as above, there was shed piss and feces covering 50%-60% of the bottom. But what got me was that the water the burmese and juvenile boa were soaking in was dark greenish-brown. My wife pointed out to me that there was even dead flies floating in the water. That CAN"T be healthy!!
The other tanks in the store were all smaller (10-30 gal) and they were all generally lacking in cleanliness and maintenance but those three were the ones that really stood out to me.
Now! My question, as a new snake keeper but long time animal lover is, were the conditions that those snakes were living in normal for a pet store carrying larger snakes or does it seem like maybe the store ordered those snakes, couldn't sell them and now doesn't want to spend the time to keep them in good living conditions, therfore hindering there chances of being sold even more?!?
It just seems to me that a pet store should take the time and effort to give each snake adequate living space and make that space as comfortable as possible. I know it sounds cheesy, but it must be bad enough to have to live in a pet store without an owner to lavish hours of loving time on you, but to have to live day to day surrounded in your own sloughed skin and defication, what a tragedy.
Thats the end of my rant. Thanks for listening. If anyone can tell me that I'm right in thinking that the conditions were bad and has any input on actions I can take, I'd love to hear them.
