Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research

Buyer Beware

brocknjen Aug 31, 2012 05:13 PM

Today, is a sad day for us. We lost our first little hoggie ever. Although,when I say "ever".... That is really only 8 months. We started collecting hogs just this year. So, in the past 8 months we have acqired 41 hogs from alot of really great people. We've also learned alot!
Yesterday 9-30-12 we recieved a shipment that was to contain (3) "Very well started little babies. Feeding on f/t pinky mice unscented" as it states in the Ad. here on K.S. What we got was (3)females weighing 4g, 4g and 2 grams. We will do our best to raise 2 of them as I don't think they would make the trip back. The 2g animal was deceased by 8 p.m. that night. We were offered a refund if we shipped them back. problem is we cant ship till tuesday 9-4-12. Anyway, we are just going to hope the best for the two that remain. No amount of refund will fix having to watch this animal who on arrival couldn't even make it's way out of the deli cup and weighed 2g's.

What's the definition of "Very well started"?
The seller said "the animals are one month old and all have eaten multiple times, that's well started". Regardless of what they weigh.

Sad,Sad,Sad.

Replies (6)

superkruemelchen Aug 31, 2012 05:27 PM

Very bad to hear that there a breeders who will ship hogs with 2 or 4 g. I am angry to read that....that is NOT very well started in my eyes!!!
-----
www.hognoses-germany.com

superkruemelchen Aug 31, 2012 05:28 PM

hope the best for the other two hogs.....
-----
www.hognoses-germany.com

chenderson421 Aug 31, 2012 06:26 PM

This is the main reason I do not ship. I know it limits who I can sell to a LOT. I do however meet people who are up to 3 hours away charging only $50, about what shipping would cost. Also, I do receive orders in the mail if the person I am buying them from is too far away. So far, no bad experiences like this. Me personally delivering the animals myself ensures that the buyer is getting exactly what they want, and what they were told they were getting. Sorry for the loss. Take it for what it is and just dont purchase from that seller any more. Dont forget about the BOI either.
-----
Chris - TX

brocknjen Aug 31, 2012 06:33 PM

Does K.S. have a BOI section? We couldn't find it. I know they have one at Fauna.

hogboy Sep 01, 2012 09:22 AM

Really sorry for your losses.
I don't part with any of my Hogs, until they are at least 15 grammes, and feeding greedily.
there is no BOI on Kingsnake, try Fauna
Good luck

kingsnake1 Sep 08, 2012 10:31 AM

2 grams is way too small to sell. I would almost consider that a "preemie". My experience is that most hogs hatch out at 5-8 grams with 6-7 being average. I did have a 2 gram hatch out this year (the smallest ever) and he ate the next day and is now 8 grams. At this point, I have no qualms about selling him. But not before. You do need to post this info on the Fauna BOI so that we are aware of who would do this. Good luck.
-----
Greg Jackson

Site Tools