Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently posted a message about three wild-caught gold dust day geckos (Phelsuma laticauda) at my local pet shop. They have been at the store for more than two months now, and no one has purchased any of them. All three animals are males, and they are an inappropriate $50 each (which I why I and everyone else I know who likes Phelsuma won't buy them). After being cramped together in a ten gallon tank for so long, the smaller males look emaciated. It's really pathetic.

I wanted to save one, but then I considered the following:

1. $50 is too much for adult wild-caught gold dusts. I have to pay to have them deparasitized in addition to purchasing the animals.

2. If I buy the animals, the shop will know they can make money by offering these animals at over-the-top prices while giving them lousey care.

Sadly, the best thing you could do is probably to let them die there or report them to a local agency so they learn their lesson, but sadly, they probably won't learn their lesson either

Explain to them that they are highly over priced and maybe they will understand.
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www.freewebs.com/herper/
0.0.1 Columbian Red tail Boa Constrictor
1.0.0 Ball Python(normal)
1.0.0 Crocodile Gecko
0.0.1 Mediterranean Gecko
2.0.0 African Fat tail Geckos(Striped and Banded Phase)
1.1.0 Leopard Geckos(1.0.0 Blizzard and 0.1.0 High-Yellow)
1.0.0 Tokay Gecko(Geico)
0.1.0 Crested Gecko(Buckskin Phase)
0.1.0 Western Painted Turtle
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon
1.0.0 Chinese Water Dragon(Louis)
0.1.0 Southern Brown Basilisk
1.0.0 Giant Green Iguana(Rex)
1.1.0 Green Anoles
0.1.0 German Short Hair Pointer(Brooke)
0.1.0 Rat(Ruby)
0.1.0 Tabby Cat(Trixie)

Sorry guys but thats not really overpriced for a shop. The shop has to pay the same as you would from a breeder which is roughly 25-30$. They dont care whether they're WC or CB, they're stock. Places like calzoo and reptile source (large scale reptile destributors) charge 30 without any difference. When you add in markup (roughly 150-200%) and needed care for the lizard, the food, the bark, the items, the energy etc. Thats where the cost of it comes from in pet shops. It still doesnt change the fact that its a sad story, but shops wont switch their ways if you report it, or buy it. Somebody will buy it sooner or later, and if they dont and the guys die they will buy more. If you wish to make a difference buy them and like he said, try and strike a deal. There is no point in trying to teach anyone a lesson here sorry.