> Barbie, you are right to point out the buyer has some responsibility > here too. I think the weight of this has to fall on the seller though. > It is their responsibility to outline the conditions necessary to keep > the herp before the sale,
I see your point completely, and agree. But (and I'm only playing devil's advocate) - I sell you a car. It's in good running condition, and I assume that unless you've been living in a cave in outer Mongolia, you must know *something* about maintaining a vehicle! Well, you don't check the oil, and the engine seizes. I am partially at fault for not telling you the basics, but you had a responsibility to learn about general car care before you turned the key. The car died, [reaching here] like an improperly cared for herp. So you go out and get another one. Sadly, herps are *a lot* easier to replace than cars, but you get the gist. My point is, yes, the seller *does* have a responsibility. But the buyer has a responsibility, too: they took on the charge of caring for that herp, and there are always those who will see it as something that can be replaced if it dies. A big real problem is getting that mind-set out of the general public, and I just don't think that's going to happen. Now, I'm ******not****** whining - I swear I'm not. But here's an example ... One of the guys I used to breed heavily were Terotoscincus k's. As you all know, it's not something you can hatch out quickly, and they can be very delicate. I took a lot of pride in my little munchkins :) The last show I did, there was a guy selling WC's for a song. They were skinny, listless, but a heck of a lot cheaper than mine. After talking for a while to a young couple, they browsed but didn't buy, but came back a few hours later with a frog-eyed that looked like he couldn't crawl through death's door. "Can we have one of your caresheets?" they asked. I gave it to them, practically begged them to get a fecal asap, and away they went. I heard the guy tell the girl that if it didn't make it, even though 'hers' were a lot more expensive, they could get another one. Sigh. :( Yes, I *do* blame the seller. The gecko was malnourished and suffering severe stress it probably could never bounce back from, and it was painfully obvious these people were not given a clue as to how delicate these guys can be. But I also blame them for their thinking that the gecko was like Tupperware; easily replaced. [but no, that's not at all why I stopped doing shows - just wanted to clarify that]. I am sorry to see the Rhacodactylus ciliatus (Crested New > Caledonian) fall in this category. > Oh yeah, me too. I've seen what unsexed hatchlings are going for now (it would at least pay for a box of crickets, LOL!) Pictus' went that way, too, if you remember. I was enthralled with the little guys in the early 90's; after breeding them a couple of seasons, I could hardly give them away. The cheaper they become, the more people will buy them, and there are a percentage that simply won't bother to read about them before they do. There are irresponsible people in every field. Not all used car salesman are bad, but there's a few that have made them the butt of bad jokes. I'd say most breeders/sellers are excellent, but there's a bad apple in every basket. I applaud states that mandate caresheets be give out with new purchases, and I know everybody on this list provides as much help for buyers as they possibly can. But there's no way we'll eradicate the cheaper-next-door mentality of the buying public, and millions more herps will get the royal flush after dying in their tanks because their owners just weren't content to start out with something they could handle; they wanted the Mercedes line gecko that is simply too hard for a newbie to keep. I know very little about computers, but I've crashed quite a few :):):) When I have to buy something for it, I *ask* what I need to do for it, etc. One of the most dangerous things facing herps for sale is the "I'll figure it out when I get home" mentality. There's enough blame to go around for everybody, buyer and seller. It's the Gecko Guilt Trip, a game the whole family can play! (sic). But at least all of us here know, when we sold a little guy, we did everything we could to ensure he lives a happy and healthy life. We just keep our fingers crossed that he's not going to a home where he's just a knick-knack to be replaced if broken. Getting off my soapbox now; the air's too thin and I'm getting dizzy! Barbie >^,,^< [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Global Gecko Association http://www.gekkota.com Classifieds http://www.gekkota.com/cgi-gekkota/classifieds.cgi gecko mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.gekkota.com/mailman/listinfo/gecko
