Possible neglect case?

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Well guys I was pretty shocked today I went into a very reputable reptile and aquatics shop in my local City which is quite popular and well-known with in Manchester

It’s a shop I visited many times over the years often take my children as they have such a wide variety of animals from Birds to snakes to fish

So I was working round the corner from this building today and thought I’ll pop in as I haven’t been in for well over 18 months and have a look what they’ve got in stock as last time I visited I didn’t have snakes

And I was shocked at how poor the ball pythons were being kept 3 in particular there was a albino very skinny very small with stuck shed and 1 hide there was also 2 a lesser pastel in one tank very skinny and stuck shed with only one hide and equally as sad Phantom with no hide sat in his water bowl with what I can only imagine to be multiple stuck I scales

When it came to all three of these snakes the price has been reduced by 50% on all of them, and I know this because they’re struggling to sell them more than likely because of the condition they are in

With the Albino and pastel lesser I believe they reduce the price so much due to the fact they are so skinny because they can’t get them feed which we all know is because of the poor conditions they are living and the fact that they are completely stressed

So I pulled a member of staff to one side told them the humidity is completely wrong and that the snake should not be there in these conditions suggest that they put a humidity box for them and told them that they need to get the eye scales sorted on the phantom as soon as possible as this could lead to blindness

Once I left the shop I contemplated whether I should report this or whether I should give them a few days to act on what I have suggested then go back in the shop see if the situation is the same as I will be working near the shop all week

Store employes usually are just that they clean ring customers up but do not have the ability to take decision or make changes, what needs to be done is talk to the store manager or owner and after that if we are talking about a big chain store address your concerns with the corporate office.

There are steps and going to the authority because there is one hide or the humidity is not where it should be is just not how you go about this nor that it would be taken seriously.

You also don’t buy animals because you feel sorry for them, this only sends one message to those stores and it is that it works, once sold they will have more.

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Along with what @stewart_reptiles has said, all of which I agree with. Sometimes if you make enough of a stink about the care of the animals and threaten to report them, the pet store may just surrender the animals to you. I have done that with a few betta fish and a couple rats over the years. I recommend when you talk to the manager at the store, don’t be quiet about what you are saying and make sure other customers can hear about the conditions of the animals.

Hi, fellow Mancunian here :+1:

I live around the corner from the store you are talking about (within a 15 minute walk). I dont want to start bad mouthing stores on here but I will say, they are a PET SHOP not a reptile store.

If you do a quick Google of their name you will see many people have reported them and started petitions to have them closed down. If you truly believe the animals you seen were in harm then you should report them.

The store they are referring to is not a chain but a individuals pet store. It just happens to be a rather big building and sells everything from miniature monkeys (marmoset), dogs, snakes, lizards, fish, rabbits, rodents (live and dead).

The workers are the owners and his family.

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Unfortunately I wouldn’t expect much to come from it.
These guys have been doing it a very long time and know the ins and outs of “minimal care” (all they need to do to keep it alive until it sells).

I can tell you the authority won’t care.
They have bigger issues to deal with then a few snakes that are being kept in unfortunate conditions.

Your best bet is to go in there, at a crowded time, and make as much noise as possible about it.
Don’t back down and don’t buy them. If purchased they’ll just replace them with more balls.

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Dont quite understand Stewart are you saying that only one hide and the humidity being wrong are not something the authorities would take seriously??

What about the fact there is a snake with layers of stuck shed on his eyes, risking the snak going blind

One hide is not a crime, low humidity is not a crime, neither is stuck shed, authority investigate REAL crimes, severe neglect, torture, animal abuse etc, and those would not qualify. As for starvation you would need to prove that food is intentionally withheld from the animals which would be hard to prove since we know BP will skip meals and fast very easily. While you do not agree with the conditions this is the reality in most pet stores especially big chain pet stores, and the best way to change things is by not supporting those stores, educating them and again addressing your concerns through proper channels.

Now should those animals be on display? probably not but a pet store sells animals and to do that they need to display the animals and if they were kept with two hides in an optimum environment where they would be spending 80% of their time hiding it would be difficult for them to display and sell them. Again don’t support pet stores in any shape or form, support breeders.

Finally some food for the thoughts for some aspect mentioned, in captivity even under the best care low humidity and stuck shed happen especially during the winter, anyone that has not experienced it has not kept enough snakes for enough time, and not everyone provide hides either.

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@mattasay & @dan88 if you cannot debate respectfully don’t debate at all this is not Facebook

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How do you delete a post

clear my post is not productive

This is the most important thing to take away from this.

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Why are you not respecting my right to delete my own post. I created the post so I should have the right to delete it

It was not deleted but edited drastically and it is under staff review since the original post had answers, deleting your post or editing the way you did now makes no sense anymore with the rest of the convo so again under review for now and locked until than.

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