Selling hatchlings is so frustrating. Just a short rant.

Jodie

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I am not a really patient person in the first place, and I find trying to sell my hatchlings to be a very frustrating experience. Why can people not answer simple questions, or follow a simple email conversation? I do not just sell a tortoise to anyone who sends me money. I spend time talking to them, and making sure they know what they are getting into. I do not require pictures, or get crazy about it, but when they are barely 50 grams, and I tell you it is very important that temps are correct for babies, and your response is that you have had a lot of reptiles, and raised a sulfate for 4 years before rehoming it, I am not inspired with confidence. His spelling, I assume he meant sulcata. This after several explanations on shipping, and the buyer still asking about Saturday delivery. No Monday - Wednesday. I said that twice. Still did not answer my question about being available on Thursday for delivery either.
Most people are just tire kickers, or part of the BeBack family, but this type that refuse to answer questions, and do not seem to be able to read, just drive me nuts. I am not selling a sweater. I care where they go, and the commitment of the buyer. Frustrating!
 

Tom

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Welcome to the world of retail pets. It takes a special mindset to be able to deal with the masses. They run the spectrum from best of the best to worst of the worst.

I can't tell you how many times I've passed up a sale because someone clearly didn't have the right set up. Or I'll ask them if they've read the threads, to which they reply yes, then I find out they have an open topped sweater box with potting soil for substrate, a double deep dome fixture with a cfl and a spot bulb, and no night heat, no humid hide, and the wrong water bowl.

I try to help, but I'm not sending a baby to that fate. If they won't make changes and convince me they understand what is needed, I won't sell it to them. They can buy it from someone who doesn't care and learn the hard way.

Now this thread has TWO rants! :)
 
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jsheffield

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Bless the ones who deal with consumers... I generally don't have the patience.

I love having been able to buy two of my tiny torts from a great dealer who took the time to answer all of my stupid questions, and to plague the knowledgeable people of TFO with my lack of knowledge and experience in getting things up and running for my torts... that being said, I'm sure that I have two rescues because people didn't have enough patience to ask all the dumb questions, didn't want to make the space in the lives and apartments for tortoises that needed a bunch of room.

Since starting to keep tortoises, and posting pics of them like they;re my babies, I've had lots of friends and acquaintances get in touch with me, sharing stories about how much they've always wanted a tortoise, and how seeing mine, they're finally thinking seriously about getting one.... I always tell them that's great news, that I love living with my torts, and that they're pretty easy once you understand and meet their needs.

It's at that point that I can see (or if they;re on the phone, hear) their eyes glaze... these people, friends and family and generally, genuinely, smart and good people then tell me that their plan is to keep their new hatchling on a tortoise table "like in that Sherlock Holmes show" or in a 10g tank to keep them small.

They love hearing about how I was able to safely leave my tortoise alone for two weeks while my wife and I went to Morocco this summer, but seem not to hear me when I talk about the need to lock in the right levels of heat and humidity and about closed systems and optimal diets and frequent soakings.

When this happens, I keep shifting talk towards the less fun aspects of tortoise-keeping, and see if they're still interested...mostly they're not.

If ever any of my tortoises are able to successfully lay eggs, that I, or they, are able to manage through the hatching process, I hope that I can find them good homes through TFO or through the recommendations of people here and in other tort-ing groups not populated by muttonheads (or at least by the right kind of muttonheads, like all of you, and me).

That was a longer post than it needed to be, but thanks for supporting your torts well enough that they successfully reproduced, and for caring enough to deal with the unknowing public.

Jamie
 

ZEROPILOT

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I no longer have any sexuality mature males for those same reasons.
Here in South Florida Redfoot are very common.
Babies can be purchased for $40 each. So they are not economically feasible. And finding good homes is frustrating.
It's a lot to consider when you're responsible for lives that YOU have created.
 

Jodie

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It's a lot to consider when you're responsible for lives that YOU have created.[/QUOTE]

Right! I don't have a male leopard, but have been hatching a dozen or so Russians a year. I don't try very hard to find the eggs. Ground temps here will not support natural hatching....
 

JLMDVM

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In defense of whoever typed, I have had autocorrect change sulcata to sulfate- if I did not check it just did it again- I’m having to retype. Otherwise, I don’t sell animals, but really admire those who do care where their animals go and do their best to make sure that they will have the best chance at a good, healthy life. I see people all the time who have no idea what they have gotten themselves into with a variety of animal or specific breed. If only a responsible breeder had dealt with them, maybe everyone’s lives would be better..... Thanks to all of you who care so much about the lives you produce.
 

Jodie

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In defense of whoever typed, I have had autocorrect change sulcata to sulfate- if I did not check it just did it again- I’m having to retype. Otherwise, I don’t sell animals, but really admire those who do care where their animals go and do their best to make sure that they will have the best chance at a good, healthy life. I see people all the time who have no idea what they have gotten themselves into with a variety of animal or specific breed. If only a responsible breeder had dealt with them, maybe everyone’s lives would be better..... Thanks to all of you who care so much about the lives you produce.
No I get autocorrect. That was the least of my frustrations with this guy. He actually emailed me again just after 4 PM on the day I had told him would work to ship, but he had never gotten back to me on his enclosure being ready, or verifying that he would be available for delivery on the first attempt. I did not ship a tortoise needless to say.
 
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