Ty Park I Think We should Reconsider his Rep

I have dealt with Ty on numerous occasions for $1000s and have never had a problem with him. He is an honest business man and I will continue to deal with him. Ty, unfortunately you weren't born an alka-setzer to make everyone feel good.

I've been to ty's farm personally and have walked the grounds twice now. Ty's animals are well cared for and i've honestly never seen a breeder with such compassion for his individual animals. Ty is a top notch guy, I would not have GIVEN him a few of my own personal ctenosaura if I did not believe they would be well cared for.

This is the problem with the BOI...many good folks like Ty get blasted by irrational people complaining for no reason. Ty said he would take the tortoise back and give you a full refund. Anyone getting a Russian Tortoise should know that they are most likely getting a wild caught animal and that means you should expect some veterinary care even if it comes from a great source where it was given great care. Bottom line is that the seller did exactly what he was supposed to do and you as a buyer should have thanked him for his willingness to make it right with you. I've seen his facilities and I commend Ty for going far beyond what most breeders do to give their animals the best in care. I wouldn't hesitate to get an animal from Ty and hope others will chime in too.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

Dan Flemming, you're quite the character. One that not many people appear to be too fond of. The OP has yet to post any evidence of this supposed mouth rot.

i agree with Ty Park , he gave you an offer to ship back then refund in full refund , that's a fair way for both seller and buyer . i have deal with Ty sometime , and i know him who is always having responsibility with any deal , onnce time i deal with him some elongate tortoises but the tortoises get sick after 10 days and passed away then i told him just asking about the tortoise , im not talking about refund but he said he will send me another one as long as i have paid $30 shipping cost.
i will deal with him more and more .

I am sitting here reading this thread with my mouth hanging open. First of all, the phrase "bad guy Ty Park" is an oxymoron. Of all of the breeders in the hobby, Ty is probably the most compassionate and passionate about all animals. The idea that any single animal is an "item" or just a commodity to Ty is beyond the imagination. Ty not only takes incredible care of every single animal on his farm, but reaches out to rescues and conservation organizations with donations and personal assistance. He is generous with his time when it comes to helping novice keepers learn how to take proper care of his animals. He has a vet on staff and would never allow an animal to suffer. No animal is "too cheap" to be cared for by Ty because I know from our conversations that he has compassion for every living creature.

Ty does not spend all of his time at the farm. He could have said that if a mistake was made it was made by staff and placed blame somewhere. If you notice, he didn't do that. Instead he said that if a mistake was made he would arrange for the animal to be picked up at the OP's house, taken back to the farm, treated by a vet and that he would refund the OP person her money. The OP did nothing but complain and did not offer any type of evidence that the tortoise was sick. I understand the idea of instantly falling in love with an animal and not wanting to give it up, even if it was sick. But, if that was the case, a different approach could have been taken and proof provided that the animal was sick and seen by a vet. Instead, the OP seemed to just want to complain, to demand her money back while expecting everyone to simply believe the animal was sick.

And, did I understand she decided, in the end, not to take the tortoise to a vet? That she wanted her money back but refused to return the tortoise because she claimed that Ty would not seek proper veterinary treatment (which is simply not true) while she, herself, chose not to do the very thing?

IMHO, the OP has no credibility.


So, if you are reading this and wondering for a minute if you should order an animal from Ty, do not hesitate. He is a breeder with unquestionable integrity and honor. This is a rare thing in today's world and he should be celebrated for it, not attacked with untruths about his character.

Yes, I also agree Ty was perfectly reasonable. (I am not a customer nor a friend of Ty's.)

The OP goes on and on, very dramatically, about how gravely ill this tortoise is, with "extensive mouth rot", likely parasites and possibly other issues, and doesn't even know if it will survive.

She mentions vet visits numerous times & actually states, "I am taking the tortoise to my vet this morning", asking him to pay for vet visits with no photo documentation. Then she plays the "pay up and you never hear from me again" card. That doesn't work she uses the "pay up and I give you an excellent rating on the BOI" card.

She keeps talking about apologies, reimbursement, vet visits & antibiotics, and more money ... and back peddles when Ty doesn't blindly accept her claims, agree to either pay bogus vet visits and/or reimburse her $90.00, and he wants the tort shipped back.

She goes so far as to then use guilt; her compassion, and what she perceives as Ty's apparent lack of; her age and experience (which really is not the ruler by which intellect, common sense and ethics should always be measured) and a BOI post extortion to get some cash back.

And then she treats this "gravely" ill, possible terminal animal with betadine and Jump-Start and claims it may not need a vet visit after all? Just a couple weeks of swabbing? Yeah.

Ms. Thomas, you are not a phantom on the web. You do love animals, you are impassioned to protect your Alaska environment, you do love torts, and you do make some nice jewelry. You did, in fact breed some Sri Lankans (I saw their photos). All admirable. However, without one shred of evidence or proof of your claims, you are absolutely not credible.

Just out of curiosity, I didn't read about you and your husband/BF Glenn P. in several editions of the online Homer News cops-courts reports, did I?

Ty has always been helpful and friendly in my experiences, and has always treated me like my small purchases matter to him, which I appreciate as a hobbyist, not making any of my living in the Reptile World!

If there was an issue, which can happen, it sure appears that he tried to make it right. I have dealt with others that always want to fault the buyer.

Mistakes happen, but how we handle it from there is what shows what kind of person we are!

I will get another tortoise from Ty soon with no worries.

I have know Ty for probably close to 15 or 20 years now. I have sold him large groups of animals and I have bought many from him and I do not have any complaints being on either side of those transactions. He is a nice guy always paid me and everyone I saw him buy from immediately in cash at herp shows.

As for this thread I was having him ship me some of the same group of tortoises this week.

I have also visited Ty's farm and purchased two star tortoises from him. The animals are well kept, he does keep a vet on retainer (as verified by my personal exotics vet), plus Ty has been generous in his support for reptile rescue and conservation.

I'm sorry for the situation of the OP, but I believe hundreds of people have had positive transactions with Ty. As English is not his native language, texts and emails can seem to have a different tone than we expect at times. He is a pleasant, hard-working person who does care about the animals he keeps.