I saw a BRB for sale today

SuperSleuth · 12-09-13, 12:31 AM

I went to pick up rats for my two snakes today and saw that my pet store has a BRB for sale. I was a little taken aback because he/she is so brown and was kept in the same unit/area as the red tails (same long tank but with those dividers?) I saw a temp gauge that read 82 degrees and I'm assuming it was being kept at the same humidity as the boa and skink that shared the same unit (in other words, not nearly enough humidity, I'm guessing 35-50%). There was no price tag so I asked an employee what they wanted and she was asking a whopping $300 for this poor thing that they stated was 3ft long. I felt horrible and would have bought it right then and there but a few things stopped me.

1. They just bought it so I know if I bought it they would immediately go buy some more and I couldn't save every poor BRB that came through their doors (plus they would make a killing off me!).

2. My husband would probably kill me. I just got my amazing BRB from Cliff and he'd probably shoot me if I brought home another one.

3. I just don't know if I could bring myself to spend that much money on a snake I didn't really love. They don't haggle on price so it would be a flat $300, no negotiating.

4. Even if I wanted to spend the money I wouldn't be able to. My husband works off of commission at his job and December is notoriously a very bad month. I don't want to touch anything in our savings account in case we have to use it to pay the bills this month or January. While $300 (plus tank set up) wouldn't break us, I don't feel comfortable spending that much right now on something frivolous.

Now, had someone offered this snake to me for free or nearly free, I would have jumped on it and paid the 'consequences' to my husband... Lol. Plus he would understand that I was trying to take it out of a crappy situation. Argh, I just feel horrible walking away and leaving it there, because even if someone else does buy it soon, who knows if they will possibly give it the requirements it needs??

Picture of the snake below.

SuperSleuth · 12-09-13, 12:34 AM

And my picture uploaded sideways and I don't know why.

kwhitlock · 12-09-13, 02:25 AM

My local pet store is the same way..they keep an adult female with a red tail, kahl boa, a corn, and a ball python together. All of which are adults. It's in a tank on aspen, with 1 water bowl. They want $400! Last time I knew, it rarely ever leaves it's water bowl.

However, the thing about pet stores is they are meant as short term housing, and then when it's been there for a while it will go on sale and more than likely be sold. Just have to deal with it..

My local one has roughly 10-11 pythons in a 20 gallon long aquarium. One retic they have in there has these puffy eyes and just looks unhealthy..if I could afford to keep one I want to rescue it but..it will just give them the money to buy more animals. There is a thread posted somewhere about dealing with pet stores..

Snakesitter · 12-09-13, 03:03 PM

You made the right choice. It would feed the cycle of improperly kept animals at the store, and worse could have exposed your own reptiles to new diseases. It's heartbreaking, but we can't save every snake. :-(

SuperSleuth · 12-15-13, 04:01 PM

I went to get rats today and s/he was still there, huddled underneath the water bowl. The digital hygrometer read 83.9 degrees and 21% humidity. How long can it live like that??

Valvaren · 12-15-13, 05:18 PM

I would suggest to stop looking for it when you visit, as many people have stated buying from pet stores does nothing but worsen the problem and put more animals into the situation you just 'saved' an animal from.

SuperSleuth · 12-16-13, 12:15 AM

I ended up calling the store and talking to the manager. He said that they buy them so rarely (because of the cost) that he hadn't done any research on their requirements. He said he would talk to the person that takes care of the reptile area and they would see what they could do to move it to another area. He seemed genuinely concerned so hopefully they'll do something about it.

Hotchkiss · 12-16-13, 07:20 AM

I love my local Petco... Not sure if I'm allowed to use the name here, Noticed most people don't. both of the people in the reptile dept are snake owners with multiple snakes (one breeds kings? I don't remember what he said) And the snakes are always kept at proper temps/humididty... They even have enough hides for almost all of the balls.

Snakesitter · 12-16-13, 02:55 PM

Well done! You could also offer them a care sheet next time you go in, if you like, or point them to one.