Would like some advice please

Kavyrie · 09-05-12, 07:44 PM

As some of you know, I work at Petco. We have a dumerils boa at Petco that hasn't eaten in like two months that I'm worried about. The problem is that we aren't allowed to feed live, so we don't know if she is only a live eater or if something is wrong. She is gorgeous and has such a nice temperament but we think she might be wild caught, and everyone is like pressuring me to buy her cause they know that I would be able to care for her. I would really like to but I don't have the space or the money for her unless I get rid of some of my guys. But if I don't she is probably gonna be sold to someone one day who has no idea what they are doing that are going to give her away once she gets too big for them to handle.

I don't know what to do, but I'm worried about the little girl and would really appreciate some advice on what to do. She is $200 and in my opinion is stunning, she has a gorgeous shade of pink that runs down her sides. Like I said if I had the money I would snag her in a heartbeat, but I don't have a place to put her.

alessia55 · 09-05-12, 10:30 PM

Sometimes Petco husbandry isn't great. Temps? humidity? Setup?
The boa is also on display with lots of people walking by all day. That can be stressful.
Is the boa housed alone? Often Petco snakes are housed together, which is also stressful.
How often are they attempting to feed it?

Lankyrob · 09-06-12, 03:31 AM

Unfortunately it is the same old story, should you take this one they will just replace it with another. Best thing in the long run is to let it die so they realise its not worth getting another one in

shaunyboy · 09-06-12, 04:34 AM

Dumerals are covered bi C.I.T.E.S in the uk

so they ALL have to be micro chipped

does the USA not have them covered by legislation ?

RE CITES
CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international agreement between governments that came into force in 1975. The import, export and use for commercial gain of certain species requires a CITES permit.
Animal Health's wildlife licensing and registration service is the part of the UK CITES management authority responsible for dealing with CITES applications.
Animal Health also deals with the prevention of the spread of disease into and out of England, Scotland and Wales for live animals and products of animal origin. See our Imports and Exports section for more information.

cheers shaun

snake man12 · 09-06-12, 05:15 AM

Dumerils are typically very shy and would rather hide than be handled, the reason I say that is because all day kids and people stick their finger at the glass and get really close to the poor thing, I know Dumerils to be great eaters when left alone to eat and digest properly.

shaunyboy · 09-06-12, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kavyrie

As some of you know, I work at Petco. We have a dumerils boa at Petco that hasn't eaten in like two months that I'm worried about. The problem is that we aren't allowed to feed live, so we don't know if she is only a live eater or if something is wrong. She is gorgeous and has such a nice temperament but we think she might be wild caught, and everyone is like pressuring me to buy her cause they know that I would be able to care for her. I would really like to but I don't have the space or the money for her unless I get rid of some of my guys. But if I don't she is probably gonna be sold to someone one day who has no idea what they are doing that are going to give her away once she gets too big for them to handle.

I don't know what to do, but I'm worried about the little girl and would really appreciate some advice on what to do. She is $200 and in my opinion is stunning, she has a gorgeous shade of pink that runs down her sides. Like I said if I had the money I would snag her in a heartbeat, but I don't have a place to put her.

can they not move the snake to a part of the store,where the customers are not allowed near,say a quiet back room.then let you work on getting it feeding ?

or would they not let you take it home,just to get it feeding ?

or can you not try a live feed once the store is closed for the day ?

either way i would NOT buy it.....

as they will just replace it with another snake and the whole scenario starts all over again

cheers shaun

Kavyrie · 09-06-12, 05:46 AM

She is alone by herself in her tank, and a coworker is going to try to feed her live on Sunday. I didn't write down the temps (I'll check on Monday), but I believe we do actually have a decent setup for her. She is on eco-earth with a hide, large water bowl and some fake plants to hide in. We never feed them right in the tanks where everyone can see (most people are afraid of snakes and would freak if they saw one eating). I believe he tries feeding her once a week, he's tried pinkies, fuzzies, and hoppers but no luck. He has also tried scenting the mouse. She recently had a mild case of mites that we treated her for, and no longer has them, but I think that might be a reason she wasn't eating for a little while. We house our ball pythons together and baby corn snakes together, but all of our other species of snakes we house separately.

It just sucks because I wish there was something more I could do for her or have some way to be sure that she will get a good home. This is the hardest part about loving snakes and reptiles, wishing you could save them all.

rmfsnakes32 · 09-06-12, 10:33 AM

Dums are pretty hardy can you talk to petco and see if they will give you an employee discount and as for housing look on craigslist I just got two zilla cages for $40

Kavyrie · 09-06-12, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmfsnakes32

Dums are pretty hardy can you talk to petco and see if they will give you an employee discount and as for housing look on craigslist I just got two zilla cages for $40

I do get an employee discount and we even have a $1 per gallon special on tanks right now so I could get a nice 40g breeder with a sliding lid for under $40, but I'm already saving money for a bp morph and for a set of rings for my fiance and I. I think one of the guys at the reptile store I work at wants her, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

rmfsnakes32 · 09-08-12, 07:51 PM

Good luck I think she will do much better in a home setting than a busy store

Kettennatter · 09-09-12, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alessia55

Sometimes Petco husbandry isn't great. Temps? humidity? Setup?
The boa is also on display with lots of people walking by all day. That can be stressful.
Is the boa housed alone? Often Petco snakes are housed together, which is also stressful.
How often are they attempting to feed it?

It is also possible that somebody in the store is underfeeding the dumeril on purpose. It wasn't Petco, but I ran into exactly the scenario of an underfed dum at a pet store yesterday.