While surfing around the net last night on various diffrent sites around the world, i picked up on a subject that i thought was worth a disscusion.
I have noticed on varying sites when something is being sold many people say you should only trust reputable breeders, whilst i understand the ethics of this i dont agree totally with that statement.
There is a lot of "small people" not breeders but hobbiests that get clutches why should they not be trusted? is being a hobbiest and not a big name mean you know less than a breeder whos pet is generally a number and not a named family member? If your not in the right clique does it mean you know less about the animals your selling?
I have bought from shops,Breeders and private hobbiests all of my purchases have been healthy and to be honest the worse for knowledge has been the shops, i have found from breeders that often what they are selling are not necessarily there own breed animals but some picked up from shows, some from the "small people" that they have picked up cheaply and seen a way to turn a fast buck.
I can say i have had more contact from the "small people" about any purchase i have made than from any Breeder and while i am not picking on anyone and i do have breeders i would and do buy from, i do think that to get to being reputable you have to be willing to have a percentage of trust.
I think many breeders like to put people off from buying from the "small people" and i dont think its just concern that we the buyer are being ripped off i think its that the more small people selling is more competion they have to deal with and with a market that is slowly being flooded with reps of alsorts maybe the breeders are clutching at strings and looking to put obsticles in the way in order to keep their own profits up.
About Me
- Hellan
- Hi there, I'm Hellan, one of the admin at www.herpuniverse.com - the friendly reptile forum, stop by and say hi sometime.
17 comments:
I think we all need to research before we buy. There are always going to be those who are shifty.
I am not sure I understand. Reputable breeders often are small breeder, with few litters a year and 'hobbiests' in that they don;t breed just to make a profit.
Reputable is the key word here, I would sooner buy from a small reputable breeder, than someone who is strictly in it for the money.
I would never buy from a pet shop either, they are over priced to begin with and puppies are often from a puppy mill environments.
The key is decidign whether the breeder is 'reputable' enough for you, after all you are the one that's going ot be careing for that creature. You have to be the one that is satisfied with its health and where it came from.
I think it really depends on how you feel about the person you are dealing with, do they treat the animals well or are they just a number like you said. Hobbies can sometimes be the best to buy from as they really care about the animal, not the money.
I've either been given my pets or gone to the pound. You need to be careful who you buy from.
buying is one thing, being responsible to look after is another.
I assume you are talking about frogs and toads since the name of the blog is HerpUniverse. I understand that other commenters may not have picked that up and think you are talking about dogs and cats.
The world of frogs is not the same, but still.., I think that if you put an ad in the paper advertisng that you take on frogs and toads that are unwanted, you would find yourself with a couple greatful critters suffering from benign neglect or worse. I wouldn't obviously mix them in with others you had necessarily.
So many people who randomly buy them at petstores are so misinformed and people give them to anyone willing to pay with no regard for if they even know how to care for these awesome but delicate creatures. I wish I had the space and the resources to start a toad rescue :)
I'm not into reptiles but seeing the large corporate pet stores taking away business from smaller stores and breeders is a shame. If someone is in the business for the love of it, I'd stick to them to help them keep afloat.
It's true, you need to check out whoever you are buying from whether it's for cats and dogs or frogs and toads!
Your FL furiends,
This post reminds me of a family friend who actually breeds, sell and buy reptiles here in Hungary. I think he is in the "small people" category here. I'm no nothing about reptile but by the way he explains about them, you know he loves them a lot and knows what he is talking about. If I were to buy any reptile pet, I'd sure buy from him.
It's just like any other big corporation in it for the money.
My son wants one of these. He already has two rats. I think he has enough "wildlife" in his room!
I read somewhere about how crude big pet shops treat their animals. I would never buy from them. I would buy from small businesses then big ones.
You have to be comfortable with the seller, no matter what you are buying. It could be a car, a pet or a house. Research yourself. Don't let the seller "teach" you! Small, big it doesn't matter. I prefer local.
Research is the key to ANY successful purchase! There are good and bad in every business and you just have to be cautious until you find the good ones!
If you're knowledgeable enough to ask the right questions and/or do your own 'health inspections' on any critters you're buying, then you don't need to count on the seller's expertise. But if you're new then experienced breeders with a reputation are clearly the safest bet. Not only are they more likely to be knowledgeable, but they have something to lose should they rip you off - their reputation.
-Aahz
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