A Hall County pet shop owner says thieves have hit his store twice in recent weeks, and are likely selling reptiles on the black market.
Ken Neidenbach told Channel 2 Action News that thieves knew exactly what they wanted from Village Pets in Gainesville.
"Stole the three snakes out of there. Took this, and put the drawer back,” Neidenbach told the news station.
Someone took a 2-and-a-half-foot iguana, but didn't touch two nearby iguanas.
Neidenbach said the black market is huge for exotic reptiles and when he gets rare animals in, he quickly sells them.
Three stolen hybrid red-tailed boa constrictor snakes would have sold for $250 each, he said.
The store owner has been in business 50 years and his stores have been hit 10 times, with two of those burglaries occurring over the last few weeks.
"There's no ID on this stuff,” Neidenbach told Channel 2. “They don't put serial numbers on it.”
He said he feels little can be done because the stolen pets could be sold anywhere from flea markets to other pet shops.
You can sell it anywhere. You can sell it at flea markets, other pet shops, or take it to another state,” Neidenbach said.
Since he first opened his shop in the 1960s, nobody responsible for a reptile theft from his place has ever been arrested.
"Nah. No. Never have," he said.
About the Author
