| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jenjen23 |
Posted - 11/12/2012 : 21:05:59
Hi,
I am loving having Basil and think I might be hooked on having snakes! I am looking for a heavier bodied snake for my next, as I fancy something different. What I met today was a bit heavier than I was anticipating though! In my local shop they have a 5 year old Borneo Blood python, she is huge! Absolutely gorgeous and really soft and docile, like a puppy. The shop are really keen to get rid of her, and I would love to 'rescue' her, as she is in a viv that is much to small and with basically nothing in it except a slab of wood to hide under and a too small water bowl. They said I can have her for free if I bought the viv and all the kit from them, so roughly £220 altogether. Here she is:
I do have a few concerns though. As she is 5, will she cope ok being transferred to a completely new environment? Especially as she is in a very small viv at the moment-could transferring her to one more appropriate stress her too much? I think she has been in the shop basically her whole life by the sound of it. I am also concerned about her eyes: they look like they have some sort of crease in them, to me it looks like retained eye caps but I don't really know anything about it and I have never seen them so don't know really. When I asked the guy he said they have always been like that and she sheds fine, but they didn't look right to me. If there is any one in Bath, UK that could have a look at her for me then that would be great!
Finally, is it just ridiculous for me to get such a huge snake as I am such a beginner to snake keeping?! I guess I just fell in love with her and would like to rescue her.
Sorry for the essay! |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Mamma |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 15:51:00
Just to let you know... Bloods can be very very snappy as babies/youngsters. And they do tend to chill out as adults. But again, I personally wouldnt opt for one as my 2nd snake if just started. |
| jenjen23 |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 12:18:28
quote:
Originally posted by paulie78
Royals are ace and if you want a heavier bodied snake just get a female they tend to get a lil bigger generally the rspca rarely follow up such matters it seems the best thing to do is report your concerns to the local authority who issued the pet shop license
Thanks, I have just reported to the council, will see if any thing comes of it. I suspect they are probably just within guidelines, even though the conditions are not ideal. |
| paulie78 |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 12:13:24
Royals are ace and if you want a heavier bodied snake just get a female they tend to get a lil bigger generally the rspca rarely follow up such matters it seems the best thing to do is report your concerns to the local authority who issued the pet shop license |
| jenjen23 |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 12:08:37
[/quote]
Id pretty much echo what everyone else has said and to be honest if the shop would rather sell here than upgrade her housing to a more appropiate size it doesnt really sound like the kind of shop u wanna be spending your money in they clearly dont have the poor snakes best interests at heart for 220 quid u could buy a full setup and a young hatchling that u will bond with as it grows and get to know every aspect of its personality as it does so which i think has to be better than buying a 5 year old snake whose history you dont know much about and being stuck in a shop probably hasnt been handled too much and then theres the fact that if you buy her theyl likely just replace her with another cramped snake :-( thats just my twopence worth though lol
[/quote]
Thanks, I agree with all your points, I don't really want to spend my money there any way. I was looking at getting a hatchling Royal before getting side-tracked! I think i'll stay away from that shop in the future, just tugs on the heart strings seeing the conditions. Will the RSPCA be interested at all or will they not really care as the conditions are not awful, just not ideal? |
| jenjen23 |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 12:03:19
quote:
Originally posted by Georgina
It's a major snake to get into. Eye caps may well be coming off with sheds but there can still be retained from previous sheds. If say if you want to get a big snake save for a baby one and you will learn about each other whilst its growing up. This snake might be calm and docile because its lazy. Given the correct care it may well become active and feisty x
Good points! Yes I think I would rather get a younger snake, as I did with my corn, watching him grow and change is one of the best things about having him  |
| paulie78 |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 12:02:24
quote:
Originally posted by jenjen23
Thanks everyone!
Both petshops near me sell big rats, but not rabbits, she is fed on large rats at the moment.
The cost of setup would be for a 4ft x 2ft viv, plus ceramic heat source and fittings. I think I would probably buy other bits like thermometers online, I would just buy the minimum from the shop.
I think they want to get rid of her because she has been there so long and I get the impression that there may have been complaints about her being in a small viv, but the owner would rather get rid of her than find space for a bigger viv.
She seems extremely docile and friendly at the moment, but I would be worried that her temperament would change with moving her and changing her environment etc.
The better petshop near me will look after snakes while you are on holiday, they said any size of snake is fine and they supply food and can supply a viv if they have spare ones.
From what I have read online it does seem like the dented eyes may be a humidity thing, as the guy in the shop said she sheds fine and the sheds always have eye caps. Obviously I would need to see her shed myself to be confident of that.
I'm definitely going to have a good think about it, I can't do anything until after christmas any way.
Thanks all
Id pretty much echo what everyone else has said and to be honest if the shop would rather sell here than upgrade her housing to a more appropiate size it doesnt really sound like the kind of shop u wanna be spending your money in they clearly dont have the poor snakes best interests at heart for 220 quid u could buy a full setup and a young hatchling that u will bond with as it grows and get to know every aspect of its personality as it does so which i think has to be better than buying a 5 year old snake whose history you dont know much about and being stuck in a shop probably hasnt been handled too much and then theres the fact that if you buy her theyl likely just replace her with another cramped snake :-( thats just my twopence worth though lol |
| Georgina |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 10:54:34
It's a major snake to get into. Eye caps may well be coming off with sheds but there can still be retained from previous sheds. If say if you want to get a big snake save for a baby one and you will learn about each other whilst its growing up. This snake might be calm and docile because its lazy. Given the correct care it may well become active and feisty x |
| jenjen23 |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 10:17:50
Thanks everyone!
Both petshops near me sell big rats, but not rabbits, she is fed on large rats at the moment.
The cost of setup would be for a 4ft x 2ft viv, plus ceramic heat source and fittings. I think I would probably buy other bits like thermometers online, I would just buy the minimum from the shop.
I think they want to get rid of her because she has been there so long and I get the impression that there may have been complaints about her being in a small viv, but the owner would rather get rid of her than find space for a bigger viv.
She seems extremely docile and friendly at the moment, but I would be worried that her temperament would change with moving her and changing her environment etc.
The better petshop near me will look after snakes while you are on holiday, they said any size of snake is fine and they supply food and can supply a viv if they have spare ones.
From what I have read online it does seem like the dented eyes may be a humidity thing, as the guy in the shop said she sheds fine and the sheds always have eye caps. Obviously I would need to see her shed myself to be confident of that.
I'm definitely going to have a good think about it, I can't do anything until after christmas any way.
Thanks all |
| herriotfan |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 08:56:05
I think you've already answered your own question by the doubts you're having....
|
| Thorne Walker |
Posted - 12/12/2012 : 02:16:57
Personally I'd be worried about the temperament of the critter.
Both of the top 2 links I found with a quick search mentioned that they can be touchy. |
| Figs |
Posted - 11/12/2012 : 23:41:39
What a bargain! Haha 
From what I've seen, some baby bloods cost nearly that alone 
The eye creases may be down to humidity being too low - she is absolutely gorgeous
I'd question why they are so keen to get rid too though... |
| Auld Baldy |
Posted - 11/12/2012 : 22:04:29
I would be very careful about an impulse buy like this. There is a big difference between this and a Corn and with less than a year experience you need to do a lot of research on the care and proper housing requirements for it.
Can you afford the vet bills if the eyes do have retained caps?
It looks big enough to be on either rats or rabbits. Have you sourced these?
What are you getting for your £220? Little point if it is the small viv that she is already in.
What heating source and thermostat?
Why is the shop is so keen to 'get rid of' it?
What would they sell the snake for by itself and would you get a better deal buying the required kit online?
Think about care for it when you are on holiday. Do you have someone willing and capable to babysit while you are away.
I'm not trying to put you off but there is a lot to give serious thought to before jumping in. |
| jenjen23 |
Posted - 11/12/2012 : 21:56:13
quote:
Originally posted by Donnie
If I were you I would do some serious research into keeping bloods and seriously think if you want a blood or do you just feel sorry for this one as it is not being kept in the best conditions?
You're right of course, I'll do some more research, but I think she is too much for me really, even though she is very docile. I wish someone experienced would take her on!
Thanks |
| Donnie |
Posted - 11/12/2012 : 21:51:26
If I were you I would do some serious research into keeping bloods and seriously think if you want a blood or do you just feel sorry for this one as it is not being kept in the best conditions? |
