Lather, rinse, repeat.

Xeikeness · #1 (**permalink**) 03-24-2009, 08:20 AM

So, some of you may remember the three rescues I took in last year (Marilyn, the boa with the massive cyst on her face, Phoenix, who was adopted by Icicle and later died of unavoidable health complications he received prior to being surrendered to me, and Molly, the ball python who was recently discovered to have been the likely snake that brought staph into my collection) and the *lovely* guy who surrendered them to me.

This last Wednesday, Mr. Great calls me up again. Tells me that he'd been running errands all day long, and that when he came home, there was a snake in a tank on his doorstep. Mind you, this is Oregon. The weather here has been fluctuating between 35 and 50 all week.

Mr. Great insisted he had no idea who the snake belonged to, why it was left on his doorstep, and that he'd be at my house in about 20 minutes to give me the snake, and ohbytheway it's infested with mites and probably really sick. Kthnxbai.

The snake was absolutely beautiful. Pink and gold sides (a boa, a suriname cross, by the looks of it) perfect symmetrical bow-tie saddles. Absolutely lovely. At least, if you could look around the massive dehydration, horrible (HORRIBLE) shed, the insanely unsanitary conditions of the cage(so much feces and urates that it had created a fine dust on the bottom of the cage and all over the towel that was it's "substrate", and the hideous amount of mites covering everything in the cage and making mud of the urate/feces dust in the cage bottom. The white towel was peppered. Not to mention, the bizarre neurological symptoms it was displaying, which, really, could be attributed to severe lethargy/exhaustion.

Despite my best efforts, the snake passed away a few hours later. I of course kept the snake FAR away from the rest of my collection, in my cement washroom.

I was so angry, I didn't call Mr.Great. And why should I, anyway? Grrr.

I didn't have to, because he called earlier today, and says "Hey, uh, how's the snake? The guy who left it here wants it back."

Irritable, I told him the snake had died, being entirely too far gone to save. He said, "Oh... Well... Could you call his last owner and tell him that? His name is xxxx and his number is xxx-xxx-xxxx and don't lay into him about leaving the snake on my doorstep, he'd be mad."

What an odd thing to say. Purely for curiosities sake, I called up the snake's last owner.

Long story not much shorter, previous owner cave this snake to Mr. Great in DECEMBER, when it had excellent body weight, great care, a loving home as the pet of two young girls and their dad, and his relocating to on-campus living prohibited him from keeping the snake.

When he'd surrendered the snake, it had a minute mite issue.

Mr.Great has been trying to suck money out of previous owner for supposed "mite treatments", "mite sprays", "mite bombs", "mite oils"... since December. When it was an owner-surrender-with-possibility-of-returning kind of situation.

Not only that, but the previous owner was absolutely devastated. He didn't know how he was going to break the news to his kids, who absolutely loved the snake. I apologized profusely for both the tone I had when I called, and for the atrocities that Mr. Great had done to his family pet "in good faith".

I'm mostly venting right now. And here is as good a place as any. I'm kind of wasting time so I don't call Mr. Great screaming incoherently.

It's one thing to lie to me. It's completely another to lie to me regarding the welfare of an animal. And it's completely another to try and fork off ALL responsibility for YOUR heinous actions onto a completely innocent individual.

I offered the previous owner to come by and meet my other snakes, and adopt one (free of charge) if he'd like, and that if I don't have what he's looking for, I'll cover half the cost of an equal value snake.

I am just so angry with Mr. Great right now I can hardly see straight. I'm going to be lodging ANOTHER complaint with animal control, and the previous owner said he is going to as well. Am I missing anything I could be doing for this? Suggestions more than welcome.

If you've read through all that.... thank you, for wasting your time on my rant. lol

It's people like Mr. Great that are the reason I'm done with snakes professionally. The idea that I may sell a snake to someone like that, inadvertently, or "down the line".... The idea that one of my snakes might be in the hands of someone like that... turns my stomach and makes me feel physically ill.

Sigh.

whitesn95 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-24-2009, 08:37 AM

I completely understand your anger. When we got our BCI, the owners said that she was"Very well taken care of." Except she was underweight, dehydrated, had a bad shed and wasn't very active at all. Her water dish was a plastic CD stack cover that could have potentially harmed her. Not only that but the lovely owners removed the substrate (all of it) from her cage.

There are some snake owners out there that really baffle me. It's not a cat or a dog where the care is self explanatory. There is a reason for these forums and that is why I recommend them to EVERY up and coming snake owner.

Some people are just sick...

txpixie · #3 (**permalink**) 03-24-2009, 08:50 AM

WOW! I thought Boris had it bad before I got him! Poor snake! Just the thought of any creature having to live in conditions like that break my heart.... If I could just get my hands on people like Mr. Great for just a few minutes....

Maybe you should try the Humane Society if animal control doesn't help. If they can't help, maybe they could give you the number to someone who can.

ChelsyC · #4 (**permalink**) 03-24-2009, 09:27 AM

I hope there is a special "place"for so-called people like 'Mr Great'.

Sakara · #5 (**permalink**) 03-24-2009, 12:06 PM

I'm sorry

that's terrible. Some ppl just don't deserve to be here...

Jem_Scout · #6 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 06:01 AM

Some people need to to treated the same way they treat their snakes....
Sorry you have to deal with this jerk, Xeike ((((hugs)))))

Icicle · #7 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 06:14 AM

Xeike, Sorry to hear this, you did all you could do, and Please turn him in.

Xeikeness · #8 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 06:28 AM

I already called the humane society and... Much to my surprise(seething sarcasm) they had no record of my previous calls to them about Mr. Great, and no record of anyone else calling in about him either.

I love how the humane society obviously cares so much about ALL animals! It;s so wonderful.

>.<

Amazon · #9 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 06:56 AM

Wow... that's awful. I can't believe that someone could a) treat the snake so poorly that it's on the verge of death, and b) try to lie and say it was someone else's fault!!!! That poor snake... and that jerky mcjerk-face... I hope you can do something about him, but if not, at least you're helping out the original owners with a new family pet.

Xeikeness · #10 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 08:31 AM

I'm trying to. I feel so bad because apparently the snake was the pet of two little girls primarily, and their dad second.

And this whole ordeal with the humane society has me bristling beyond comprehension.

What kind of low-life pretends that 4 months of responsibility(failed) never happened, and try to place the blame on someone else by accusing a caring pet owner of being a life form as low as yourself?

That's what gets me. I got off the phone with the owner, literally SHAKING in rage. I still do, thinking about it. Once I have a much calmer reaction, I'll be calling Mr. Great back to give him a polite, but very clear piece of my mind. >.< Once I can do it rationally and without emotion as much as possible.

Sometimes, it seriously sucks being responsible.

Icicle · #11 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 08:47 AM

Would you like me to come over and try to help you calm down enough to talk to him.

Allysen · #12 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 09:29 AM

WOW. I'm so sorry the story had to end like that, that poor guy and his two little girls! NOT TO MENTION that poor snake!

The word filters won't really let me say what Mr. Great deserves...

Lucille · #13 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 10:19 AM

I think you are terrific for offering those girls a replacements snake. And if they take you up on it, maybe they could be invited here to this site, so if perchance the mite problem comes up again, they can get good advice.

Xeikeness · #14 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 11:12 AM

I did direct him to this site, as well as my own website for my section on the treatment and eradication of mites. I really do hope that he takes me up on the offer of a new snake. Not because I feel like it would replace their pet, but because I think it would help the girls and their dad recover from the unjustified loss.

Ugh. I feel responsible, even though I had no way of preventing the owner from handing the snake to Mr. Great. >.< Still.

Xeikeness · #15 (**permalink**) 03-26-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icicle

Would you like me to come over and try to help you calm down enough to talk to him.

Thank you Ice, but it'll take a couple days of venting and processing and beating up my boyfriend in "friendly" armored combat. lol I'll get to that point though, and I'll let y'all know what comes from it, if anything does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allysen

WOW. I'm so sorry the story had to end like that, that poor guy and his two little girls! NOT TO MENTION that poor snake!

The word filters won't really let me say what Mr. Great deserves...

I fully understand the sentiment of that last statement. I called my mom up immediately after (she's been following my "progress" with Mr. Great since she came with to the initial vet exam of the first three) and she and I shared a few colorful phrases, spewed in furious vehemency.

Allysen, now that I think about it, if he wants a boa specifically(I only have one baby left, and he's sold already) how much will you be charging for your normals when they're ready to go? I told him if I didn't have what he wanted, I'd find a good one and go in halves with him on it.

allergenic · #16 (**permalink**) 04-16-2009, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xeikeness

It's people like Mr. Great that are the reason I'm done with snakes professionally. The idea that I may sell a snake to someone like that, inadvertently, or "down the line".... The idea that one of my snakes might be in the hands of someone like that... turns my stomach and makes me feel physically ill. Sigh.

I was off the boards for awhile so I'm just catching up with all this. I touched on some of this in the Regulation thread, but I can't see any benefit of dealing with animals professionally either, anymore. The populations are so high and overblown as it is, I can't see any reason for breeding any animal to just contribute to the problem.

I would have liked to breed an animal at some point, but then I realized, for who? Another possible Mr. Great?

Any animal I acquire in the future will only be a rescue, I guarantee.

Great post and thread.

Xeikeness · #17 (**permalink**) 04-16-2009, 10:46 PM

Unfortunately, I kind of agree. I enjoy watching my friend's snakes/whatevers have babies, and letting them deal with the hassle and stress of finding actually good homes... Me, I just can't deal with it anymore. The moral gravity of it is just way too heavy. I just can not be responsible for sending a snake to another Mr. Great.

It breaks my heart.

fuglyfarmhand · #18 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 04:05 AM

Sorry just found this. If I could get my hands on this guy the sensors here would kick me out for the bad words. I'd also be in jail for doing to him what should be done.

Xeikeness · #19 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 04:11 AM

I know how you feel. >.<

Katie M · #20 (**permalink**) 05-13-2009, 02:17 AM

Did they every find a new snake? I may have the perfect snake in mind.... one that I never thought I'd give up, but may be perfect for that family. Let me know

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