Virginia Beach, Va. - "They were walking around quite some time watching us, waiting for that opportunity to go back here when there was nobody looking and put it in their backpack."
Surveillance video from Pet Paradise shows two young teens stealing a snake.
You can see the one teen pick up the container holding the snake and put it into the other teen's backpack.
Pet Paradise manager Josh Severts says there were three teens in all walking around the store waiting to steal the snake.
"A hit to the gut because you know we're a family business that's been here for 31 years, run by family of all the places they want to steal from, it's a little mom and pop shop,” says Severts.
The thieves stole what’s called a corn snake. It's very common in this region and only costs about $70, so folks at Pet Paradise say they're not worried about how much the snake costs. What they're concerned about is the snake’s safety.
"If they don't have the money to buy the snake, they usually don't have the money to care for it either. So you have no idea what kind of care that snake is going to now,” says Severts.
Severts says the stolen snake is virtually harmless.
"It’s one of the safest snakes that could have been taken out of the store. They stay very small. They have very small teeth. Not very likely to bite. So it's not like a dangerous animal on the loose or something like that,” says Severts.
Police have yet to find the suspects or the snake.
If you know anything about this case, please call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
