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 Sales Policy


I have decided to try a 30 day money back guarantee. I’m not yet convinced that this is wise but I’m willing to try the experiment. There are some conditions but nothing outrageous:

  1. To receive the guarantee, the buyer must communicate the arrival and condition of the animal within 12 hours of its arrival in the buyer's locale.
  2. If the buyer chooses to use the money back guarantee, the buyer is responsible for the arrangements and cost of return shipping.
  3. A refund will not be granted until I am satisfied that the animal is in good health. Upon return, the animal will be treated like any new arrival at my house....it will have to go through my quarantine process to demonstrate its health status.
  4. If a health concern develops, I must be made aware of the situation.
  5. I regret having to mention this one but if a death occurs, photos will be required.

One of the reasons I am trying a 30 day guarantee (as opposed to the more familiar 24-48 hour guarantee) is that I believe it is impossible to get a thorough evaluation of an animal in 24-48 hours. My own quarantine process can take 30-90 days to fully complete but I am normally able to make a good health evaluation within the first 21 days. Many times people will want to test an animal's health by immediately feeding the animal upon its arrival. I don't think that this is a good practice and with a 30 day guarantee it won't be necessary. This will also give you time to have the animal examined at the vet if you desire. As a buyer, I always covet peace of mind in the process. Hopefully this is one step that can provide some peace of mind to persons who choose to purchase animals from me. I hope that I don't get any returns. I've gone a long way to ensure that you know what you are getting before it arrives. The web site provides abundant photographs in natural lighting, feed/shed/health histories, descriptions, photographs of the parents (if I have them), and photographs of siblings (if I have them). I do not power feed my animals. In my opinion, overfeeding is the leading cause of health problems in captive boas. I will not grant a refund for animals whose problems stem from overfeeding. This policy will only work if people are honest and fair with me. Obviously, I don’t have control over the conditions the animals will experience once they leave my facility. I will be happy to advise given that I know the animal well and the conditions and routines that it is accustomed to.

In regards to shipping, I promise to communicate the following:

  1. Carrier/method used
  2. Tracking/airbill number
  3. Weather information used to decide if supplementary heat or cold packs are necessary

Notes:

  1. You will receive a receipt in the shipping box. There are not many details on the receipt because you can find many details of the animal’s history on the web site. This includes information on the animal’s birth date, origin, parents, siblings, and complete feed/shed records.
  2. Although I am completely confident in the health of my animals, I would encourage you to quarantine the animal (and any other new arrival) from your collection until you are satisfied that it is healthy. This is a precautionary step that I believe is an essential practice in responsible husbandry. Read more about my quarantine methods.
  3. Please remember that after shipping many boas will be showing their "stress colors" and will appear darker than normal. After they acclimate to their new surroundings, they will return to normal pigmentation. They will usually appear their lightest in the evening. However, the best way to view their true colors is in natural light. Take them outside to see their real beauty.
  4. There is always a possibility that the animal will defecate in transit. Obviously, I can't completely control this but I will normally stop feeding well before the ship date if possible. I include strips of newspaper in the bag with the animal to absorb waste products if this does occur.
  5. I ship in clean, white bags. This will help you detect the absence of mites.
  6. All of my animals are hand tame and accustomed to being handled. I feed my animals in their cage, therefore I always use a snake hook to remove them from their cage to my hand. A simple step that prevents misfortunate accidents that break the trust of pet and owner.
  7. Shipping an animal creates a very stressful period in its life. I recommend that you withhold food for seven days to allow the animal to acclimate. I also recommend that you start with a smaller first meal than what you would consider normal for the animal’s size. This meal should NOT cause a noticeable lump in the animal after consumption. My animals are normally fed every 14 days (with the notable exceptions of young animals and adult females) but you can check the web site for the history of the animal that you purchase to be certain when it last ate and what its recent feeding pattern has been.
  8. After investing a substantial sum of money into an animal that you intend to breed, it is tempting to grow the animal as quickly as possible so that the breeding can take place at a younger age. Please avoid this temptation. In the very least, allow the animal to grow at a moderate rate during its first year. Animals that are grown this way will really prosper in their second year while the power fed animals are exhibiting health problems (or dead).
  9. I recommend that you maintain the animal’s enclosure between 80-86 degrees with a hot spot of 88-92. Use of a non-contact temperature gun is the best method for ensuring proper temperatures for your boa.

Again, I expect you to email me to inform me of the safe arrival of the animal. The shipping process makes us both anxious, but from my experience it works surprisingly well.

I encourage you to learn more about my shipping options and packing methods.