A lot of space

lov this place and bubbles always finds a snack

I just want to share an experience I had recently with Miami Reptile Company, formerly Ben Siegel Reptiles; specifically through their auctions. On Aug. 25th, I won an auction for a very young male snow hog, and took the option to pay over 30 days. Fast forward to 9/26, when I received said hognose—very emaciated, very malnourished. Wondering if this animal was a trouble feeder, I offered food right in the deli it was shipped in. My rationale was if this animal was a really good feeder, it would except the food, even after the stress of shipping and handling. If not, then I would rehydrate and try again in a few days. Low and behold, it took the pinky IMMEDIATELY, without hesitation. After it ate, I gave him some water, which he drank like no tomorrow. I was furious. All signs pointed toward neglect, for who knows how long (presumably the moment the animal was marked “sold”, but that’s purely conjecture.

I reached out to a hognose group for advice on how to proceed, even being kind enough to leave MRC’s name out of it—primarily out of respect for numerous positive experiences with them. I took the advice of the group and confronted the shop owner over DM, even though my experience with negative dealings has always only gone one way—they refuse to accept responsibility for the shape the animal was in upon arrival, feed me any line they can think of to excuse the inexcusable, only to end with a animal who suffered and no satisfaction in terms of resolution. I will post the screenshots below of my conversation with them. Just as predicted, they refused to accept responsibility for the animals’ poor body condition, followed by a request for me to give him the night and reach out again on the morning of 9/27, to which I obliged. That morning the little guy looked a lot better, obviously not in ideal condition still, but better, and had held down the pinky. Awesome! He didn’t die! (What a ridiculous thing to have to worry about for a newly purchased animal!)

Out of curiosity, I weighed him. His weight, after rehydrating and with a full belly mind you, was ONLY 6 GRAMS. 6!! After he’d been in their care for a month following the initial purchase contract—while I was unsure of the advertised weight, I would imagine that after a month he would weigh more than that, these guys grow like weeds when they’re eating/being fed. The pinky was an x-small from rodent pro, so it comprised 1.5-1.9g of that weight, meaning his empty weight is closer to 4-4.5g. Any hog that fed well for me has been bigger than that by a month old, without exception. I then sent pictures of him/updated them like I said I would, leaving his current weight out of the conversation on purpose. Instead, I asked what his advertised weight was. I was told they’d get that info to me later that day—which naturally, they didn’t. They knew why I asked that, and then they’d have to accept responsibility for the poor condition of the animal. Further, as you can see below, they fed me a line about how shedding/shipping can cause rapid weight loss. Give me a break. He was in that box less than 24hrs. It takes much longer than that to get to the shape he arrived in—especially compared to the advertised picture, which is also posted below.



I will admit I started my correspondence with them from a position of anger and slight hostility. I wanted my money back. I didn’t get what I paid for. Further, there wasn’t a snowball’s shot in hell I was sending that poor animal back there to receive more of the same. In the time since, my attitude has changed a bit. It isn’t about money, I know I’ll never see that again. It’s about telling my experience as a cautionary tale to others. There is nothing they can do at this point to resolve this. BUYER BEWARE.

Sincerely,

Troy Quick

Ex-Miami Reptile Company Customer.

these guys are awesome very knowledgeable highly recommend this place for all your reptiles needs...

Very unique selection, lively animals too. Definitely not your average reptile place. So. Much variety, and variety within variety. Not your typical king snake, rat snake, two turtles and a Pac-Man frog place.

My number 1 go to place when I am looking for something new to add to my collection! High quality animals, great customer service, fair prices and a HUGE variety to choose from!

auctions. notifications on shipping. packed great and no problems with livestock.

Sorry. Hit the wrong button on the last review. Really cool company selling really gorgeous animals. The bidding is a pretty cool way for people to purchase unique animals that would otherwise cost a fortune!

Awesome animals. Very fast responses to your questions as well.

Great prices and excellent customer service. My #1 spot for anything with scales.

Always the best service and knowledge on everything you'd need to know.. great place to experience new beautiful animals!

theres nothing posted but ben seigal auctions