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NEWBIES learn from my mistake

Thulsa

Thulsa

Purging is at hand
Back around the beginning of June, I attended Repticon here in Tampa to purchase my first ever snake. After rounding the facility several times I decided on a baby Gray-Banded Kingsnake . Being ignorant and wowed by the beautiful coloring, I plopped down my coin. The breeder I purchased him from who will go nameless (some people on this forum know him) claimed all I had to do to get him to eat was collect a lizard and scent the pinkie with it. So I went home with my new pet.

Well to make a long story short the snake would not eat no matter what we tried and we tried it all, Scenting the pinkies with lizard scent and blood (taken from a tail that will grow back), Using different sized pinkies, etc.etc.

At this time I was very frustrated and worried for the snake so I decided to take the snake to a local Herp shop. I told the owner to please take him to someone who knows what they are doing. I dont care about the money that I lose I just dont want to see him die and maybe he would have a chance with an experienced snake handler. At the same time I also purchased a Corn Snake from him that was guaranteed to feed (I have purchased another snake as well since then from him).

Lesson Here...Make sure you know what you are getting and make sure the breeder is straight with you as to the animals feeding habits.

P.S. Little did I know for the last month and a half the Herp Shops Part Time Girl has been working with my snake and after 6 weeks finally got it to take a pinkie with assistance. I had no idea they were doing this for me and in about 2 or 3 weeks he will be returning home to a very happy and smarter owner.:crazy02:
 
I'm really sorry this was your first experience with corn snakes, and I'm sure many more experienced owners empathize. Corn snakes are usually the model example as far as classic temperament... feeding habits... general disposition are concerned. I hope your new baby will model this example wonderfully, and iif not...I'm sure you'll come to love his quirks. After all, its what makes him unique.
 
I wouldn't jump to blame the breeder... maybe it was feeding, for him, but some smell or sound or disturbance at your home bothered him into holding off, or maybe he sold it to you before a guaranteed meal, in which case you take your own chances, or maybe the snake itself has some bigger issues the breeder cannot possibly keep track of, like my Mouse did (RIP). It's hard to place blame for something as common as babies refusing to feed. If a newbie is worried about dealing with nonfeeders, my advice is to buy an adult if at all possible.
 
King snakes are different than corn snakes, and any one corn snake is different from another. Don't give up before you can experience at least some of the contentment and thrill of owning and caring for a nice corn snake.

And it sounds like you might owe "Herp Shop Part Time Girl" lunch. Or something equally kind and thoughtful. It is always a pleasure to run across those people in the world that, whether anyone is watching or not, are doing the right thing.
 
Was it a breeder, or a dealer? I guess it doesn't make much difference, but breeders would probably have had a chance to get to know the particular animal's quirks, whereas a dealer might have had it for two days or so, and just be guessing.

I'm so glad the kingsnake is eating now! Grey-bandeds are so lovely. If I were the Herp Shop Part-Time Girl, I would have a terribly difficult time giving such a pretty little foster back! I agree-- you should get her lunch, or a thank-you card or some such. Sounds like a pretty cool shop!
 
Having bred and produced greybands myself I know personally how difficult they can be to get started. I also know that even after getting them started eating - that selling and moving them can result in them stopping eating again. It is entirely possible that the breeder did tell you the truth, but that for whatever reason, this little one decided to quit eating after the move to your home. I had a similar experience with a greyband I bought at a show a few years back. Greybands take a lot of patience and a lot of work to get eating regularly and especially to get eating on rodents. They are worth the effort if you are successful and they are overall one of my most favorite species.

I am glad to hear that this unfortunate circumstance led you to cornsnakes and also that the gal at the shop has been able to get your greyband started feeding again.
But you do make a good point - any new person should definately know what they are getting in to when purchasing any new pet.
 
It's also important to remember that if you are having problems with a hatchling, especially one that you were told was feeding, you need to contact the breeder for help sooner rather than later. In this case the breeder was not contacted about problems with the snake, and was never given a chance to offer advice or a replacement animal. I would want to know after the second missed meal so I could tell the new owner the best way to proceed.
 
Grey bands are beautiful, but can be tricky to start. I would ask the breeder how many times it has fed - before buying one. The more times it fed, the less likely it is to stop because of stress related to the new home.

For future info: If they won't eat scented pinks, live lizards often will get them going again. Anoles will often work, but try (live, or scented with) geckos or sceloporus, too - they often work better.

Glad the little guy is starting to eat again! Sounds like that shop is worth patronizing!
 
Nanci said:
It's also important to remember that if you are having problems with a hatchling, especially one that you were told was feeding, you need to contact the breeder for help sooner rather than later. In this case the breeder was not contacted about problems with the snake, and was never given a chance to offer advice or a replacement animal. I would want to know after the second missed meal so I could tell the new owner the best way to proceed.
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I agree to disagree...The breeder ( and it was a breeder) should have been straight with me from the start as to the difficulty in feeding this animal. There is nothing wrong with my home as my other two snakes feed just fine. Being a breeder yourself you are not exactly an unbiased observer here either. Why should I have to contact him? A good business person would have contacted ME to make sure that all was going well with the product he has sold me. But thats neither here nor there, my concern was for the snakes welfare not for the less than honest breeder who sold him to me.
 
Thulsa said:
I agree to disagree...The breeder ( and it was a breeder) should have been straight with me from the start as to the difficulty in feeding this animal. There is nothing wrong with my home as my other two snakes feed just fine. Being a breeder yourself you are not exactly an unbiased observer here either. Why should I have to contact him? A good business person would have contacted ME to make sure that all was going well with the product he has sold me. But thats neither here nor there, my concern was for the snakes welfare not for the less than honest breeder who sold him to me.
Click to expand...

Actually, just about all major breeders do not follow up with customers who have purchased snakes from them. It is up to the buyer to contact the breeder if any problems arise with any animals purchased.

The animal you bought may have been feeding just fine for the breeder so they felt no need to advise of any problems as they were not having any. I cannot say for certain since we don't know who the breeder is and were not at the sale or with the breeder when they were feeding the snake in question.

I believe Nanci may have told me who the breeder in question was - and like you I will abstain from posting that info here - but if it is the same person I can tell you without a doubt that they are one of the most well respected names in the business and are far from being "less than honest". You would be hard pressed to find anyone with anything negative to say about that person.
 
Most likely the breeder told you what he knew about that snakes feeding habits...that it would eat lizard scented pinkies. And most likely that snake did eat scented pinkies for him. That's more honest than some people...who might have sold the snake without saying anything about feeding quirks. In transporting/displaying/whatever the stress/environment may have messed with it's feeding habits, and that's perhaps why you were having issues.

I bought a cornsnake from a breeder I respect, the cornsanke was eating F/T pinks just fine for them, and I believe them. However, when I got it it would not eat for me at all...not F/T, not scented, not brained, not live nothing. After working with it for a month or so I finally got it to take a live pink (and now, ultimately, back on F/T). I do not think this was the breeders fault and I don't think they were being dishonest, some snakes just don't play by the rules.
 
Thulsa said:
I agree to disagree...The breeder ( and it was a breeder) should have been straight with me from the start as to the difficulty in feeding this animal. There is nothing wrong with my home as my other two snakes feed just fine. Being a breeder yourself you are not exactly an unbiased observer here either. Why should I have to contact him? A good business person would have contacted ME to make sure that all was going well with the product he has sold me.
Click to expand...

If the snake was eating just fine for the breeder, with the caveats he gave you, then why should he follow up with you? Maybe if it had been a serious problem feeder for him, and he had tried to dissuade you from buying it, that would be reasonable. (But why, then, would he take it to a show?) Especially if he is, as it sounds like he is, a relatively high-volume breeder, it's unreasonable to expect him to call up each and every one of his customers just to make sure that the animal they bought from him is okay. I can't think of a single situation in which I expect someone I made a purchase from to call me, out of the blue, and make sure I am not having problems. That really is the responsibility of the customer. And frankly, to argue otherwise is a bit silly.

I'm still glad it worked out for you in the end, though. Grey-banded king snakes really are stunning. In the glorious imaginary world in which I have a full-sized snake room some day, I want one too. And it's VERY good to learn, just in case that miracle does come to pass, that they can be tricky eaters! Good stuff to know in advance. :)
 
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