If an animal dies after purchase?? Your thoughts Please

[Mrs I]

For curiosity reasons, i would like to know what peoples thoughts are on if an animal dies after you take it into your possesion?

After ally-pups post and myself also having an animal pass, i am wondering how many other people have had this happen?

And what their outcomes were?

Should the seller refund? or replace?

What sort of time frame do you think appropriate for if an animal dies that the seller should hold some responsibility? 1 week? 2 weeks?

Does it depend if an animal has been shipped, and may have had stress?

Or do you think that the seller has no responsibility after it has left their possesion?

Just wondering what you think?



And please note: dont make this a who did what session and dont name any names, say mr x .. i would like this to be a constructive thread.

Thanks

Mrs I

xxx

 

[Kenshin]

i had an adult female carpet cost me 1000 died mysterously 1 month later............ iv had to foot the bill the supplyer said he would get anotherone for me at a reduced cost.......... he rang me the other day offering another female to me of the same size for 1k it hasent even eaten in captivity yet to say im unimpressed would be an understatement

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

i once bought a murray darling and after two days i noticed her eyes had pus collecting in them and she was a bit snotty nosed
took her to vet and she was diagnosed with a respiratory illness and was given anti biotics but she must of had the infection for awhile she died a couple of days later
1 contacted the lady who sold it to me and she arranged another MD to replace it
and the replacment was a much bigger one and the nicest snake ever

 

[Kathryn_]

I think it depends very much on the situation, if you could prove the animal had a pre-existing problem that the seller should reasonably have known about, then yeah, I'd say a refund is in order. But if you buy an animal that looks healthy and seems to be kept in reasonable conditions, from a buyer who seems respectable and professional, and it drops dead for reasons unknown a week later, while a sympathetic seller who can afford to might give you a refund or replacement, I'm not sure I'd necessarily expect them to. Sometimes the passing of an animal simply isn't something that could have been foreseen or prevented by even the best care, and in that situation it's not really the seller's responsibility to provide compensation.

 

[Teamsherman]

Within about a month i reckon. If you can put your hand on your heart and say that you have kept it to specs (healthily, clean, within normal captive regimen) then i think its a prior problem, then the seller should refund the purchase.

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

i had an adult female carpet cost me 1000 died mysterously 1 month later............ iv had to foot the bill the supplyer said he would get anotherone for me at a reduced cost.......... he rang me the other day offering another female to me of the same size for 1k it hasent even eaten in captivity yet to say im unimpressed would be an understatement

poor dude that was a south west carpet was it judging by your sig?

thats expensive,just get a coastal lol i just got given one thats a big female 8ft +
for free

 

[Khagan]

I think it all depends on the details.

If it dies from a complication that is apparent it has had for sometime within a short time of you having it then i think the right thing to do is a refund or exchange. But if it was to die from the fault of the buyers actions or something out of the sellers hands completely then i think its up to the seller what they decide.

 

[Aslan]

I have a Diamond that contracted an RI in my possession - upon informing the previous owner he immediately offered to pay all Veterinary bills to sort it out...

This was some time after the purchase and the animal was in immaculate condition coming into my care - the RI was a direct result of a flaw in my husbandry and as such I declined his offer...a great example of some people in the hobby...

I personally believe the seller should hold responsibility for the animals health for a reasonable time after it leaves their care - I would find it difficult to say that a 'reasonable time' would be any more than two weeks in the MAJORITY of cases - any immediate issues should have been noticed and brought to the sellers attention well within this period...

 

[Forensick]

i would expect "something" depending on how long after, and how it died.
what would all depend on things like if the seller has another animal to "replace" with.
and how sure i was it wasn't my fault.

if it was a "just one of those things" deaths, in the first 2 weeks, espec if it was a hatchie.... i would expect a refund/replacement.
from what i have seen of most breeders, of most animals, and people on this site, i imagine tats what happens most of the time.

 

[carinacat]

i bought 3 eastern beardy juvis, 2 of which died 5 hours later and was given no refund

 

[cockney red]

Good for me Aslan.

I have a Diamond that contracted an RI in my possession - upon informing the previous owner he immediately offered to pay all Veterinary bills to sort it out...

This was some time after the purchase and the animal was in immaculate condition coming into my care - the RI was a direct result of a flaw in my husbandry and as such I declined his offer...a great example of some people in the hobby...

I personally believe the seller should hold responsibility for the animals health for a reasonable time after it leaves their care - I would find it difficult to say that a 'reasonable time' would be any more than two weeks in the MAJORITY of cases - any immediate issues should have been noticed and brought to the sellers attention well within this period...

 

[Chimera]

This is a difficult question because in reality the new owner has an impact on the reptiles health as soon as it is placed in the new enclosure. Aspects such as toxic substances, sticky tape, poor heat source safety and direct sunlight can kill animals in a day. If the breeder is to replace the animal or refund, they are reliant on the buyers honesty. This issue is exacerbated as soon as the new owner feeds the snake as there are many dangers associated with bad or inadequate food. Unfortunately buyers are also exposed to the integrity of the seller.

I think there is no way to manage this with any hard and fast rules. Breeders should be willing to discuss any grievances with customers and refund or replace if there is a legitimate problem. There can be honest issues with shipping snakes over distances, those that are doing reasonably well may crash in transit due to a chronic issue that has not presented earlier. The calls on this site to name and shame are antagonistic and unproductive. Those that call for this seem to do it not for the greater good, but for self promotion.

 

[notechistiger]

I had a baby spotted, approx. 11 weeks old. It died a week into my care, and when the vet did autoposy (or the equivalent of), it turned out that the snake actually had a disease that had been discovered not long after it had hatched. I can't exactly remember what it was, and since this was my second snake and I was relatively new to owning snakes, I didn't know the signs of an animal that isn't healthy.

When I called the place that I got it, they said that they'd sell me another (from the same clutch) 10% cheaper.

I must say, I've never gone there again.

 

[Mrs I]

The calls on this site to name and shame are antagonistic and unproductive. Those that call for this seem to do it not for the greater good, but for self promotion.

This is why i asked for no names to be said, just peoples opinions.

Thanks

 

[Kenshin]

poor dude that was a south west carpet was it judging by your sig?

thats expensive,just get a coastal lol i just got given one thats a big female 8ft +
for free

yes definatly was a south-west carpet.... a vary nice one at that........ belive me if i could id have darwin, bredli, jungle carpets but i cant so the overpriced sw carpet is the only thing i can buy if and when i get my hands on them

 

[Chimera]

This is why i asked for no names to be said, just peoples opinions.

Thanks

Sorry, not having a much luck here

Not having a go, just pre-empting statements like "if you don't hear back from the breeder you should name and shame".

 

[Auzlizardking]

I see that most people are saying two weeks - but in two weeks someone could do a lot of harm to a reptile.

Quote"This is a difficult question because in reality the new owner has an impact on the reptiles health as soon as it is placed in the new enclosure. Aspects such as toxic substances, sticky tape, poor heat source safety and direct sunlight can kill animals in a day. If the breeder is to replace the animal or refund, they are reliant on the buyers honesty. This issue is exacerbated as soon as the new owner feeds the snake as there are many dangers associated with bad or inadequate food. Unfortunately buyers are also exposed to the integrity of the seller.

I think there is no way to manage this with any hard and fast rules. Breeders should be willing to discuss any grievances with customers and refund or replace if there is a legitimate problem. There can be honest issues with shipping snakes over distances, those that are doing reasonably well may crash in transit due to a chronic issue that has not presented earlier. The calls on this site to name and shame are antagonistic and unproductive. Those that call for this seem to do it not for the greater good, but for self promotion".

I totally agree
I feel that Snake ranch have the right idea.

The Snake Ranch Guarantee
We guarantee our animals to be alive, healthy, and to your satisfaction upon arrival. Notification of dissatisfaction must be made within 48 hours of you receiving the animals if you notice any problem upon arrival, or if for any other reason you are disappointed with the animals. Our hatchlings are only shipped after establishing a proven feeding history, and detailed feeding records will be provided upon delivery. Our indication of the sex of all pythons is guaranteed to be correct. A "pair" is one male, and one female. We do not guarantee the sex of immature lizards. All of our hatchlings are captive bred at our own facilities. In the future, however, we will also be offering high quality hatchlings from some of the top specialist breeders in the country.

 

[Forensick]

i said 2 weeks... but its somewhat arbitary.
and depends on how and why it died etc.

and i would imagine somewhere like snakeranch would come to generally mutual agreements over things like that.
like someone else said, it all depends on the people involveds attitudes, and the exact circumstances

 

[cement]

I don't see a problem with name and shame in some instances. BUT for people who want to buy snakes, get a few rules down between the buyer and seller first.
Ask the seller what their stance on this issue is. This way you know up front what will happen if it arrives dead or sick.
I only buy animals off breeders that are happy to replace or refund, as is the case with any i sell.
Think about it, you are paying for an animal that is often sight unseen but also healthy. It is buyer beware, but there are good breeders out there who stand by their animals and will do the right thing.

 

[zulu]

re If

Yep 48 hours is long enough,many people are capable of killing an animal within a week.Ive responded to a call from a lady that said her childrens python wouldnt eat and i went there basically to save the poor bugger,shed bought it off of me two weeks prior,the littel thing was in a huge fish tank and had found a spot near the top lid.Looking at the snake it looked cold and i said wheres the heating and she said i turned it off yesterday ile plug it in now,juust hopeless thats why 48 hours is long enough IMO.