Shop Horror

[Plums]

I am posting this as I want to know what will happen...any ideas ??...



About a year ago, We visited this place as we wanted to buy our 1st snake. We saw a beautiful Royal Python who we instantly fell in love with.

To cut a long story short, we should never of been sold a Royal Python as our 1st snake. Being inexperienced, we listened & trusted everything the (very hairy) man informed us. He set up the vivarium with the heat mat & lamp required etc and we paid him the £180.00 & we set off with our little Polly.

Over the following few days we noticed she was very withdrawn. Not knowing if this was normal or not we took her & the set up to a very good shop with an outstanding reputation nearby.. He actually informed us that the Vivarium that we had been sold was far from perfect....

1) The heat mat was stapled to the floor on the inside of the viv (snake could have been burnt to death)
2) There was a live wire hanging out of the bulb they fitted, which could of caused a fire in our flat. (which was the wrong type of bulb anyway & killed the snake)
3) The snake was so distressed as we were sold a 4 ft Vivarium, Baby Royal Pythons need a more compact space to make them feel secure. Poor little Polly was distrought.
4) A Royal Python should never be sold as a good 1st time snake.
5) The glass on the vivarium is the wrong type of glass, as it could of easily smashed.

All in All this place should be banned from selling exotic pets as they do not have the first idea on how to keep them, let alone advise people on how to keep them.

Its shocking to think that this goes on. I have also reported this to RSPCA, & contacted The Sun, as I know they are doing write ups on cruelty to animals at the moment.whether they will do anything I don’t know but its worth a try.

I again visited the shop in question again yesterday & was once again shocked by what I saw...

. They had a baby corn snake that was so shrivelled up, it must have been dead. The poor little thing must have been there for a while. It looked lifeless, and as if it had been there a while.

They had 2 x boa's in 1 cage. ,and a hide that wouldn’t even of fitted 1 Boa in, let alone 2..so they were so squashed into they were hanging out. There was maggotts in the viv's where chrickets had been left to rot..I could go on forever.

It breaks my heart... :shrugs: :grin01: :bang:

 

[noodles]

A terrible shame happens to often, only thing with the Sun and RSPCA is they want to stop people keeping snakes all together and this gives them ammunition.
I would never listen to one persons way of caring for a pet you need to look at things from all angles and research how you think to do things from the evidence all this should be done BEFORE thinking about any pet.
If someone who wanted a Royal Python spent time researching them and there care they can be a first snake.

 

[Plums]

I know. We were extremely foolish in trusting this guy, we were after a corn, but he reasured us that The RP was definatley a good choice to go with.

You live & definatley learn

 

[Plums]

I cant believe that reporting this sort of thing goes against people who actually take an interest & look after their pets properly..??

Its too late now as I contacted them before I wrote this thread...

have i made a mistake ?? :shrugs:

 

[nerys]

my first ever snake was a live feeding burmese, what can i say...

bar, plums, where is this shop?

UK side, you could try contacting a group called REPTA, who kind of oversee reptile shops..

the only downside is, repta is associated with a guy, who himself owns a shop, so i have heard people accuse conflict of interest.

other option is to conact your local animal licensing department, which can be done via your local country council

RSPCA... don't make me laugh... exotics inspectors who keep snakes and yet don't know what a thermostat is.... inspectors who think baby royals need 4ft vivs.. etc etc etc... i have respect for those in that bunch who help the animals, but not a lot of the heirarchy who spend all their money re-building their HQ..

anway, i digress...

UK, bad pet shops... sontact your local council and ask for animal licensing, put in a written complaint, and be prepared to chase it..

or repta, who mean well enough, but in experience with local cases, have done little to actually make a difference.

N

 

[kimbyra]

I'm so sorry you went through all that! I've seen a lot of bad shop practices here in the states. What the heck is wrong with shop owners/employees? I mean, I would assume that if people have pet shops, it is because they care about animals, but that just isn't always so. Ugh!

 

[Plums]

Ahh, maybe thats my next step then.. I had a feeling that RSPCA were gonna be useless.. another member of another forum asked me to send a PM to him to tell him what the shop is called & where it is..He has lots of contacts.

I am going to find out now about the council.

Cheers

 

[Plums]

I'm so sorry you went through all that! I've seen a lot of bad shop practices here in the states. What the heck is wrong with shop owners/employees? I mean, I would assume that if people have pet shops, it is because they care about animals, but that just isn't always so. Ugh!

I think this guy inparticular see's dollar signs & nothing else !

 

[nerys]

that on tanyas plums?

N

 

[Plums]

Albino Corn Snake Forum ???

 

[nerys]

uh huh... nope don't know that one... link me??

tanyas one has moved by the way...

in fact anyone who knows of the UK Corn Fan Club???

we are now at www.reptilefanclub.co.uk



N

 

[Plums]

http://john1979.proboards43.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=1139226642

here we are..

 

[Taceas]

I think this guy inparticular see's dollar signs & nothing else !

Sadly, that's the way most petshops are run, both in the US and abroad. All they're there for is to make a buck. Some of them care about the animals sure, but they're still going to try to get things done as cheaply as possible on their end. And your story is so familiar to ones I've seen here locally.

The best ammunition is to always research what you're going to buy beforehand and have everything ready before you get your animal home. Stores make their big money off of impluse buyers who don't know the basic necessities of the animals they're purchasing.

I've had a local store employee tell a college-age couple that they can keep two corns together because "they get lonely and really like each other". Well if that's the case, why are most of their own stock housed individually?

He then went on to recommend this and that for their viv, stuff that isn't even practical. When he went into the back room I went up to them and handed them the Corn Snake Manual off the rack not a foot away and told them all of the info they need is in here, not from an employee looking for more money. They thanked me and ended up walking out with the book and nothing else.

If I were to ever work at a petstore, I don't think I'd have the conscience to do such things. It would go against the way I was raised to put money over being honest.

And I second the BP/RP as a bad first snake choice as well. While their temperments are good for a first snake, their somewhat complicated husbandry and lack of eating sometimes is not the best trait to find in a beginner's snake.

Sometimes the best thing I've found is just talking to the store manager and bringing attention to what you think is a travesty in his store. Maybe he's unaware of it, as some managers can be. See if he will rectify the situation before you can contact another association to bring bad press to his store's name.

Although, truth be told, I think petstores should have to pass a licensing to sell reptiles of different varieties. Their care is so much more involved than that of a cat or a dog or fish, that stores should be willing to work for doing it right before they have the priveledge of selling the animals in question.

But your best bet for high-quality reptiles is to skip the stores and buy directly from a qualified and respected breeder, locally. They have the willingness to help and the resources and experience to point you in the right direction. And the chances of getting an animal laden with parasites of one sort or another is also definitely lessened a great deal.

Let us know how it all goes down. Sometimes one squealer from the public is all that's needed to change things.

 

[Plums]

Thanks for everyones responses.

As I stood in the shop on Sunday, looking at these poor little things, & saw the owner of the shop (the one that sold us Polly) I so wanted to talk to him & point out where I think he is going wrong.

The more I thought about it the more angry I was getting, & im afraid that with people that have pure ignorance to the needs of any animal, I find hard to keep my cool with. I would of lost my temper, so I had to stay away from him.

I posted this thread on many other forums & have been speaking to a guy who has good authority as far as reptiles go. Paperwork is being sent over this morning & he will let me know the outcome of that. I have also written to the local council, Enviromental health & The Sun newspaper, also local papers.

Hopefully if worse comes to worse at least people wont go buy from him, and eventually it wont be worth keeping them ???

lets keep our fingers crossed...

It just saddens me so much..just think of how many years he could of been keeping, supplying & giving out totally useless bits of info on basic care etc...

The hardest thing was walking outa there & leaving them...broke my heart.

 

[Plums]

Well you were right guys...they have done NOTHING

local council visited with a vet & apparently nothing is wrong...I emailed her back & said "did you see any baby corns at all...??" she replied no i wasnt looking for particular species....in other words the baby corn i saw that was obviously dead had been thrown and was no where to be seen.

MAKES ME SOOOOOO MAD & SAD :shrugs: