Abuse of Columbian Redtail(s) - PLEASE HELP

[CruiserMaiden]

I went into a pet store today and went to look at the snakes.what i saw was just horrible. they had 4+ snakes (that I could count, but they were all curled and tangled up) in one 75 gallon tank,which looked and smelled as if it hadn't been cleaned in a long time, there was some kind of aspen or pine shavings on the floor, but they were soaking wet. In this one tank, there were three c.redtailed boas and a burmese python. They all were about 3-4 foot. The burmese wasn't bad looking and one of the boas looked "ok" but for being very very dull. They were all pretty thin for their lenths.
There was one redtail that REALLY caught my attention. HE was (pictures one and two below) was very friendly, and was apparently wanting to get out of the tank to see us. His head was about twice the size it should have been due to the large infection/abscess on it. Looks like he got bit by a rat where the top teeth pierced the top of his mouth, and the bottom teeth went through the roof of his mouth. His eye is being pushed out the way of the infection, and the lip of his mouth on that side cannot close. He is severely underweight, appears that he has not been eating at all, I'm sure due to the infection. You can see his spine clearly and he has probably an inch of skin on either side of him folding over, as you can sort of see in the second picture (unfortunately we only had a camera phone, we are going to try to go back with a camera tomorrow). Beyond all this they are trying to sell him for $200 (the only reason we didnt bring him home RIGHT THEN).
There is also another snake in the tank (picture 3 below) whos head was smashed up against the single water bowl in there (which I must admit wasnt much bigger than the bowl I would give my 2 foot ball). His mouth was stuck open, very white with puss and blood, and his bottom jaw was about 1/4" to 1/2" recessed from the top so his mouth wont close at all (picture three, his head is circled). His nose He was missing a circle of flesh from his eyes to the end of his nose - was pink, red and white.
We questioned an employee - he said that the one with the infection had just come in yesterday, that somebody had found it in an abandoned house and brought it there. He also tried to say that the one with the infected mouth was "normal" and only looked that way because of being in the bowl with the other python, and that the sores on his head were due to him "scraping his head" on the top of the cage. This whole situation is making me sick!
I am willing to try to buy the first snake (with the knot on his face, picture one) but I cannot afford to get them both. Of course, after swallowing the cost of the snake, I will also need to find a vet willing to work with me on cost of helping him get better. I am also hoping to find someone who can go and help out the other one (with the infected mouth, missing flesh). This store is in the Marrietta, GA/Atlanta, GA area. I am located in Woodstock, GA. Any suggestions for vets who might be willing/able to help, or anyone who wants to help these guys, please respond. I hope to hear from somebody soon, so I can help these two out!
Mary

[NicoleRussell]

I think when Louise sees this bad things might happen.

[Fairy_of_insanity]

This is very upsetting. But my advise to you, as cruel as it sounds, is to not buy them. If you buy them, you give the store business and therefore allow them to continue this aweful treatment. The best thing to do is go and get really good pictures and contact your local Animal rescue branch.

[unluckyseventeen]

Great thing of you to do. I would help right now but I do not have the space or time to handle any of these guys at the moment. I feel very sorry for them, but I must also add one thing:

A lot of times these pet stores will take rescues of all kinds. They will do everything they can without the help of a vet to actually get them completely fixed. A lot of times they are actually better off in a tank with 3 others and lying on top of one another than they were in the previous home.

There's a petstore just like this and I give them a lot of credit for taking in so many rescues and trying to make them better with the incredibly limited amount of space and lack of funds to get a vet in there all the time.

You have to understand that if someone has a boa that isn't being treated well, but they feel to bad to let it die, they will drop them off at a petstore almost 90% of the time. At least give some kudos to them for housing them as best as they possibly can, but you can't really blame them a lot of the time. I personally don't blame them in a situation like this because it's really rare for a boa to grow up in the care of the petstore, so most of the time the bad things that happen aren't their fault - rather they are the fault of the previous owners.

Good heroics shown on this thread. If I were down there and I had the time and money to manage an adult, I'd be all over this. Unfortunately I am 1800 miles away and I don't have the time, money, or space for one of these guys. I would personally buy one even if it is supporting the petstore, just because it's the right thing to do. If you can save a life of something or someone that needs saving, then I give you all of the credit in the world.

Life is more important than business.

I hope you can get everything worked out! Please keep me closely informed. Get as much information about their past as you can from the guys at the petstore.

[Fairy_of_insanity]

But even you have the sense to say "no" when you know you cannot properly house them. I know of stores that do the same thing as mentioned above, but they don't try to sell them for $200. usually if my local petco get's something like this they have a "Free to a good home" sign. You shouldn't try to make money off a poor sick animal. I really don't think this case is one where their heart is in it.

If it's just a small local place as opposed to a large pet supply branch (Petco), the most successful way to end this is to end THEM. They have to go under. Giving them business is putting more animals in their care to be hurt.

[unluckyseventeen]

I think you should view it from both sides of the coin. If you ran a petstore and had a snake left on your doorstep, or any kind of animal... even if it's abused and near death, if you had no other option but to house it under seemingly crappy conditions, I think you'd take it in rather than push it away... regardless of how much space you think you have. I know a petstore with questionable boas as well, but they take in a LOT of rescues, and I mean a lot. Literally every time I go in there I see someone bringing an animal back beacuse they don't want it, and usually they look terrible.

A lot of times people will just drop off animals on a petstores door and leave. Yes, people do suck that bad.

I would support the cause, but I wouldn't buy a baby animal or something from petco. I don't think they even take in rescues anyway...

[Fairy_of_insanity]

Originally Posted by unluckyseventeen

I think you should view it from both sides of the coin. If you ran a petstore and had a snake left on your doorstep, or any kind of animal... even if it's abused and near death, if you had no other option but to house it under seemingly crappy conditions, I think you'd take it in rather than push it away... regardless of how much space you think you have. I know a petstore with questionable boas as well, but they take in a LOT of rescues, and I mean a lot. Literally every time I go in there I see someone bringing an animal back beacuse they don't want it, and usually they look terrible.
A lot of times people will just drop off animals on a petstores door and leave. Yes, people do suck that bad.
I would support the cause, but I wouldn't buy a baby animal or something from petco. I don't think they even take in rescues anyway...

Yes but should they be asking for $200? They've gone through how much trouble to make this snake better? and they are asking $200? They care how much about this animal going to a good home if they are charging $200? I think that's a pretty good sign that they are only in it for money...otherwise they could atleast offer the animals for a lower cost to make room for the veterinary bills the new owner will have to pay.

and ps. I've thus far seen the petco in holyoke take in a rat, very young python, and a Leopard gecko (missing multiple toes) and offered them to a good home for free.

[CruiserMaiden]

Originally Posted by unluckyseventeen

A lot of times these pet stores will take rescues of all kinds. They will do everything they can without the help of a vet to actually get them completely fixed. A lot of times they are actually better off in a tank with 3 others and lying on top of one another than they were in the previous home.
There's a petstore just like this and I give them a lot of credit for taking in so many rescues and trying to make them better with the incredibly limited amount of space and lack of funds to get a vet in there all the time.

In that kind of situation I would commend the store, However in THIS situation its not the case. 10 steps from this tank of snakes was a 100 gallon tank on the floor for sale, next to some other tanks for sale (not new, they were clearly used and marked "store used tanks, will not hold water, for sale" and then the price. This is clearly this store trying to turn these poor animals around for a profit, if they even came in that way rather than this happening at the store itself. This store actually stopped selling fish (they used to do a lot of aquarium work) because the fish kept dying. I saw their fish before they got rid of them, they were so dirty that you couldnt see them unless they were right in front of the glass. I also had someone tell me once that he got his snake from the store because he was so sick he was almost comotose - the store owner refused to give him the snake even though he was going to THROW IT AWAY. The man ended up buying the snake just to get it out of the store. Just FYI about that store. Most people in the area I've talked to KNOW about this place.

[Fairy_of_insanity]

BRING THEM DOWN! with that much error, it won't be hard! Take lot's of pictures, contact animal rescues, newspapers! Those animals are onnly few that will be hurt if this business is allowed to continue. If animal rescue will take it seriously, they will be put in a shelter and you can rescue them and keep your $200 for medical bills.

[ball python chick]

i have bought animals many times because of the conditions they were living in.i am to far away to help them.if i were you i would offer 200.00 for both of the sick ones if you can afford to save them and still vet them after.i understand they will just get more in but this isnt about that.its about getting them the care they need and deserve.i have never regreted having to pay to save a animal in need.