Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this, and either knows or would recommend a better company. I live in Denver and for the life of me cannot find a Suriname Red Tail. One of the larger companies online called Scales has them, at the age I'm looking for, and for a great price. There is some obvious concern with this, due to shipping, not looking at them prior to purchase, pets health, etc. Has anyone ordered snakes 'online' before, and how was the experience / pet? Thanks!

Yes, I have purchased animals over the internet, which is a common practice in this hobby. In my case, I wished to acquire a species not commonly kept/bred in great numbers. I also purchased from reputable breeders who were recommended to me by other enthusiasts who frequent these forums. Note: the recommendations were made by private email, not in the public forum.

That being said, there are questions to ask a potential seller.
Guaranteed live delivery? Guarantee of health. . .for how long?
Affadavits from other customers? How to pay? Will money be refunded if anything goes wrong? Shipping charges? Insurance?

You live in Denver, which is cold this time of year--this makes a difference in terms of shipping an animal. Some sellers may refuse to ship until warmer weather. I have heard horror stories of internet acquisitions, and I have also heard the opposite. Best of luck in acquiring the redtail you desire.

regards,
althea

I agree. I have only ever order parrots and geckos from internet sources, but I have had 'mostly' good experiences. You just need to know what to ask, and the previous post was well outlined. A good breeder will not be oppossed to you asking for some credentials, names and contact info of satisfied customers, etc. I used to breed parrots, and I sold them a lot through the net, and was always more likely to sell to the people who asked these questions than those who did not.
Good luck!

I also have had a good expierience. I got my snake online in these classifieds. I e-mailed the guy about 10 times with tons of questions. He sent me pictures of the snake gave me all the info i needed, the whole live arrival guarentee, etc. Just e-mail the company ask for any and all information on the snake or snakes and ask for pictures. Also JUST INCASE they send you a snake that is different than what you expected like it had mites and they told you it wouldn't, etc. I saved all of my e-mails on my computer if the occasion ever arose where i would need to refer to them. It's always better to ask question and find out more before you purchase than be disatisfied after you recieve the snake and there's nothing you can do about it. Good Luck!
-----
-Doug Daly

"Brian theres a message in my Alpha-Bits, it says: "OOOOOOOOOOOOHHH""
"Peter Those are Cheerios..."

0.1.0 Leucistic Texas Rat Snake