Pro Exotics Burning

[Texas Panther Man]

I know alot of the members on here keep snakes as well as chams. I saw a thread on Fauna that Pro Exotics burned down. From the rumors Ive heard it was a bad fire. I dont think that any of the snakes survived the blaze. That is just awful. Im not a big snake guy but Chad had some of the most beautiful snakes in the US. He has done alot for the herp community. I hope he had insurance and can start over. I know he's lost yrs of breeding projects. What a scare for all of us. Hate hearing about this type stuff.

Prayers go out to him and his employees....

 

[Fearaffect]

Yea, check out their FB page......horrible...!!!

http://www.facebook.com/PEReptiles

Just wanna say, theres pics and its bad......

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Oh man I hadnt seen pics yet. That looked sickening! I think I would have to cry if that were my collection. What a loss! Not just for CHad but for the whole herp community.

 

[Olimpia]

Ugh what a heartbreak! All those animals! What a catastrophe, I can't imagine how they feel. I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

 

[Fearaffect]

Oh man I hadnt seen pics yet. That looked sickening! I think I would have to cry if that were my collection. What a loss! Not just for CHad but for the whole herp community.

Yea, and if look closely, you can see the python bodies....really sad.......I think it just destroyed their snake room(s) though.......

 

[bigcappa]

OMG that is sooo terrible, that really sucks. I feel bad for them. I hope they were able to save some animals.

 

[jdog1027]

I worry all of the time about fire with my hobby. Water misting systems, electric timers, and lights can be a potentially dangerous combo if your not very careful. My insect breeding building is a potential fire hazard as well. I don't know what I'd do. That really sucks for Chad. I remember when he first came onto the scene. I'm sure he has insurance, but you can't replace years and years of breeding projects. Awful,....

 

[Pilotman800]

Wow, after seeing those pictures, I am at a loss of words. I wish there was something that we could do to help him out...

 

[Olimpia]

If I lived anywhere nearby I'd volunteer to aid in the cleanup and rebuilding. Those poor people, I'm still horrified.

I hope everyone takes a second to think about their emergency evacuation plan if something like this ever happened. Keep a giant plastic bin full of emergency transport cages/boxes/bins to stuff everyone into and run out if you have the minutes to spare. I have one in my closet and I hope everyone does too.

 

[Pilotman800]

If I lived anywhere nearby I'd volunteer to aid in the cleanup and rebuilding. Those poor people, I'm still horrified.

I hope everyone takes a second to think about their emergency evacuation plan if something like this ever happened. Keep a giant plastic bin full of emergency transport cages/boxes/bins to stuff everyone into and run out if you have the minutes to spare. I have one in my closet and I hope everyone does too.

I agree. I was actually thinking.... Did he raise chameleons? If so, maybe some of us can donate some babies to him to get his bloodlines going again? I know if my guy just had a clutch I would.

 

[Symbiot]

That's horrible. I'm hoping he can somehow recover from this. Years of breeding projects lost, I feel for him.

 

[jdog1027]

If I lived anywhere nearby I'd volunteer to aid in the cleanup and rebuilding. Those poor people, I'm still horrified.

I hope everyone takes a second to think about their emergency evacuation plan if something like this ever happened. Keep a giant plastic bin full of emergency transport cages/boxes/bins to stuff everyone into and run out if you have the minutes to spare. I have one in my closet and I hope everyone does too.

Duly noted,... Very good thinking.

 

[Fearaffect]

Looks like not all is lost.....they are finding some still alive and I think it didnt hit all the rooms.....they posted a pic of eggs that were destroyed but said others survived......

 

[pssh]

This is a sad event, but a reminder as well. Check to make sure all of your electrical supplies and what not are all working correctly and are safely set up.

For anyone who wants to set up an emergency box/bin for their chameleons, here is what I suggest.

For each animal (or sometimes two/three) have:
-An appropriately sized cardboard box (or shoe box)
-Tape to secure the boxes and prevent escape
-A small cloth for the chameleons to hold onto in the box
-Heat packs and cold packs appropriate for your temperatures

If you can, those collapsible screen cages and some fake plants are a great idea too. The chameleons should be transported in the cardboard boxes though.

Anyone feel free to add anything I missed.

 

[Maurer3D]

This story is so sad. One of the first snakes I bought was from him (back when he was based in Pittsburgh).

I hope that Chad and all the employees are safe, and that they do rebuild. It will be a hard road ahead and will take years (even with insurance).

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I forgot who asked but Im almost certain Chad doesnt deal with chams. I'd hate to know how many 100's of thousands of dollars in ball pythons and eggs he lost. I mean some of his breeder bp's are worth 5k or more. Just hard to fathom a loss like that.

Ive been scared of an electical fire ever since I got into the hobby yrs ago. Plz evryone be super careful and like Olympia said have a tub or something close by in case of emergencies.

 

[jake01]

last year there was a fire at my house. it started after we had some roof work done. the hot tar melted through our roof and started an electrical fire. luckily, we noticed it early and the fire department was there within 3 minutes of giving the operator my address. everyone, human and animal, was ok and the fire was brought under control before it did extensive damage to the interior of the house.

 

[Vegas Chad]

They were able to find 8 snakes alive out of an inventory of thousands. This is devastation on so many levels. 20 years worth of selective breeding, hundreds of thousands of dollars up in flames and thousands of reptiles lives were lost. They had morphs that nobody else had, snakes that cost 6 figures, the lively hoods of several families. Early reports are that the fire started in a vacant unit and spread into the pro exotics building. Think of Robyn and Chad, its hard to even THINK about how hard of a day its been for them.

 

[ChameleonRave]

My friend Kassy was supposed to be getting a snake from them. She was getting a reg. baby ball python from them. It was in the process of getting switched to f/t mice and was about to be sent out next week. Now she has to look for a new breeder to get a snake from.

It's a sad deal and hope that some of his collection survived. If anyone knows who sell cbb 2011 bally pythons that have been feeding on f/t mice and is about a foot long please shoot me an email. She is kind of torn about it.

Zac

 

[bigcappa]

Thanks for the update Chad, my thoughts are with them, their family and their co-workers! Such a sad sad day and huge loss.