assorted questions...

Submitted by dave and tracy on Thu, 2007-11-01 19:00

 

Dear VPI,

Hi, I am from Canada and I have 3 questions for you guys.

1Q- I just got an adult black Sumatran python. It's been 3 weeks now and he is not eating. He is very aggressive and strikes at anything. He wasn't like that at the store. What should I do?

2Q- I have a female Borneo python. She is eating well but not growing as fast as the other ones. She feels bonny. Should I worry about I.B.D?

3Q- I'm very interested in buying some blood pythons from you guys, would I have any charges or troubles at the border? How can I do this? I would very much like at least 2 pairs from VPI--You guys ROCK!!!

Thanks, Rudy

 

Dear Rudy,

1. Maybe you are keeping him too hot? We keep ours at 80-82 degrees with no supplemental heat. When they are too warm, they can lose their appetites and also their tempers.

2. I'm not sure how "bonny" translates into American slang... But IBD kills bloods in 4 months or less, so she would have had to have been exposed to the disease within that time period.

3. For us to ship internationally is a long and tedious endeavor, but as long as the buyer knows it and is patient, we are willing to do it. It can take 4 months to get the CITES permits to ship the snakes and the total additional expenses for permits, inspections and Customs broker/expediter is $500. Often, because of the timing of receiving the permits and the onset of winter in Canada, Canadian buyers this summer won't get animals until next spring. It sucks, there is no basis for the amount of time it takes that is explained or justified by science or conservation, and it isn't fair to the US small businesses.

I hope this helps. Thanks for the positive feedback.  DGB