Crumples the Ball Python.
WARNING!!!!!!! Poor care and pictures up ahead! I’m posting this to help boost awareness of this poor snake and the neglectful care he and other animals have probably endured
Original post can be found here by Sara Fisher
“So this is completely heartbreaking but it needs to be broadcasted.
I was in the Petco at 3525 W Victory Blvd in Burbank, CA to get some hoppers and bedding for my hognose. I looked up and saw an “assorted ball python” for sale for $90. This is what I saw.
Upon my immediate horror and fight to hold back tears, I asked a Petco employee named Gordon to let me hold the snake. I found it quite ironic that he asked me to use hand sanitizer yet couldn’t seem to make eye contact with me when asking questions about this snake’s condition. There was a water dish in the tank with less than half an inch of water in it, one hide and no basking spot. I asked how often this snake was misted, given it is in awful shedding condition, and he told me “once a week”. There were also crickets in the terrarium..I really hope that wasn’t what this snake was fed.
I asked him to put the snake back and he walked away with no further comment. I deliberated a bit since this heavily breathing, malnourished, INCREDIBLY dehydrated snake was probably a week away from death. So I adopted the snake.
He came back with an adoption sheet and said “I assume you’re over 18 haha” and “congrats” then left. He did not ask for my ID. I went up to the register and asked if I could get the snake for free or a heavy discount given its condition and was told no. There was already a 25% discount on “all ball pythons”. I should have really pushed more for it being free or at least half off but I was afraid they would just confiscate the snake and put it in the “back” and leave it there.
https://www.facebook.com/ServaDERP/videos/10214224869162424/
I took a video of the lil guy once I got back into my car. I immediately shared this on my Twitter account and Petco responded almost instantly saying that “Animal care is our top priority, Sara. Please DM your phone number and store location so we can look into this and follow up with you directly. Thank you.” We exchanged information in direct message, which I have also posted.
They have promised me phone calls with their escalation department when the situation has updates. I will be contacting the store directly with updates if I do not hear anything within a week and I will also be contacting the local news to get this piece of shit store shut down. I have also been told by several Petco employees/managers that Petco takes HR cases seriously and sends representatives to said locations to get changes enacted. I have also demanded a refund for the amount I have paid for the snake since the employee who sold me it flat out denied my request regardless of the snake’s condition…gotta love capitalist ignorance.
I know there are concerns about this situation with “well you paid for the snake, so you’re ultimately supporting the corrupt business/ more snakes will just replace this one” or “yeah well you should have known this already since it’s the company rep”. There are good Petco stores. There are good, healthy animals sold at those Petco stores. This location is not one of them. This terrible reputation SHOULD NOT HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! This location has terrible management and unintelligible employees that are willingly and dismissively selling sick and malnourished animals without any sort of suggestion of care or even any sort of personable care from the employees. This snake would have died if left alone, or even worse would probably have been thrown out into a dumpster alive or left to rot with no consequence instead of being surrendered. I want to bring awareness to this location and other cruel chain stores to ultimately hope to end the sale of live reptiles in chain stores.
I have documented my entire experience and do not take animal cruelty lightheartedly, especially when a company is responsible for hiring employees with no training on how to care for live animals of the exotic nature. It absolutely sickens me that there is no certification process for caring for animals in a pet store, yet apparently Petco also holds a policy that states that employees are LEGALLY not allowed to offer animals extra aid without a vet consultation…so admittedly hiring employees that do not know what they are doing. I am absolutely appalled and I am going to do my best to fight against abusive Petco/chain pet store locations such as this one.
I am also going to do my best to nurse this little guy to good health and will possibly be looking for a forever home once he’s ready…but for now, his name is Crumples and he lives on my bookshelf.
Please share so you can raise awareness of cruel chain pet store locations. Demand proper training for employees in order to benefit and raise properly healthy animals. Demand some sort of certification process for the selling of live animals that goes beyond basic retail training, so that no more animals can be thrown out in dumpsters ALIVE (yes that happens), or left to rot in its own terrarium because no one is giving it the time of day.”
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