East Ozark Reptiles - Larry Hastings

$75 for a mutt?albXalb=leucy?Someone needs to come clean and admit they bred it with a leucy texan.

Larry Hastingshas been asked any number of times in regards to these supposed leucy bairdi. Several offers to purchase them have been made regardless of the cost. He has also been informed of this post on several ocassions. He has been asked who the breeder is. He has refused ALL contacts and not responded to anyone. If he was legit, he would come on here and tell us about these one of a kind snakes. Or he would at least answer the e-mails personally.

I cant wait for all the luecy bairdi adds to start popping up in 4 years.

It is clearly obvious that the owner of East Ozark Reptiles - LARRY HASTINGS - and his unnamed "well known breeder" are trying to run a scam on the herp world with these fake snakes. They are still listed on East Ozark as Leucy bairdi with a firm statement that they are PURE. But now the price has been jacked to a whopping $75 !!! It's MAD, MAD MAD I tell you ! Hastings has been both advised and asked to respond to this. His refusal is an obvious attempt to continue the scam. I would buy NOTHING from this guy in the future.

I have to admit that I know nothing about luecy bairdi. I can say this: I live fairly close to Larry and have done business with him for many years. He is a very nice guy and has always been upright and honest in his dealing with me and everyone else that I am aware of.

Keith Thompson thompson@nightowl.net

Another point:

Larry is a breeder and a broker. A broker's job is to find animals that a buyer wants. If a broker gives out his sources, then the buyer's can go straight to the source themselves. So brokers do not necessarily give out that information.

Also: While you may have suspicions that these animals are not what they are advertised, it is ill advised to defame someone's character on suspicion alone. Before we trash someones reputation, we ought to have proof of wrongdoing, and nothing less.

As I said above, I have done business with Larry for years and will continue to do business with him. He is in my opinion a very honest individual.

Ok how would this scenario work?
Someone bred a leucistic Texas Rat to a light/albino Baird's.
Someone purchased an albino male, not knowing of the hybridizing, from that pairing and made the crosses as suggested on the East Ozark Web Site.

I’m the worst when it comes to Genetics but it seem plausible to me and neither the producer nor East Ozark would know they were selling hybrids.

Of course it is equally possible that Larry just paired a leucy Texas with a Bard’s and is trying to pull something but at those low dollar prices for an unknown morph it does not look like it. Somehow it does not fit.

Threre are a number of things that make this stink all around. First, if Larry is such a legit dealer - WHY does he continue to REFUSE to reply to this issue ? Either he has PURE leucy bairdi or he doesn't. It goes to his credibility in other sales - like for example if he is selling an animal that is het - is it really ? If he will lie about these bairdi and then refuse to answer - why would anyone ever trust or buy from him on something that is questionable to begin with because it is not visible ? I sure wouldn't.

The facts here are solid......numerous people asked about these as soon as they were posted on KS @ $40 each. All replies to these inquiries were SOLID assurance that they are in fact PURE leucy bairdi. An offer was made from East Ozark to speak to the man that bred these and a phone number was requested. The phone number was given, but the man that bred these never called anyone. Then Larry cried to KS and they removed the post that questioned these leucy bairdi. WHY ??? SCAM !

Then several names were thrown around to back up this claim of PURE leucy bairdi. The male original albino bairdi was purchased from BRIAN BARCHECK in '01. A normal female was purchased from EVAN STAHL also in '01. This breeding produced hets that were bred back to the albino male to get the four original leucy bairdi. Anyone know either of these guys ? Evan Stahl sounds familiar. The gentics absolutley DO NOT work out here anyway. Then Bob Applegate's name was thrown around to make the, as yet, unknown breeder look legit. Also, a bunch of these leucy bairdi were sold at the Tinley Park Show in Chicago in October '07.

There have been numerous request to Larry Hastings for info on these. NO REPLY ! Also, numerous requests to buy them. NO REPLY ! Hastings has been told this post is here and asked to reply. NOTHING !

There are only one of two possibilities here.....Hastings and his unknown breeder buddy are running a SCAM - or Hastings just doesn't know enough about reptiles to even be doing business. Either way - do you really want to deal with this guy ????

How 'bout it Larry ????? Any answers here for us ?

I'm sorry, but what is even more unbelievable is that a guy who has been in business for much longer than most here, would run a "scam" to sell a couple of $40 snakes. So I rule that one out.

Second, "that Hastings doesn't know enough about reptiles to be in business." I have personally seen his animals for 20+ years. That choice doesn't hold water with me either.

Next, based on the fact that he has done business here locally for all of those years and is well known by all, with no complaints, I would still recommend him.

My own daughter has made two purchases from him in the last two months.

And, if for some reason these things are not what he says they are, then someone pulled the wool over HIS eyes.

Accusations and suspicions do not proof make and they are not justification for trashing someone's good name.

How about this one: Do you personally know of anyone who has purchased an animal from Larry that would say they were cheated? I don't.

Let's go with your theory Keith, that Larry is not running a scam on the herp world with a very new previously unheard of leucistic snake......baird's ! He posted them on KS @ $40 each. Then he pulled the ad immediately when questioned. He then proceeded to INSIST that they were in fact PURE ! Yet the ad has not been relisted on KS or anywhere else - EXCEPT - his site. Now they are a whopping $75 each and the disclaimer still insists they are PURE leucy baird's. If he is not running a scam - let's go with my second thought - he's an idiot ! Nobody in thier right mind who was worth a in dealing herps would sell one of a kind snakes like that for cheap.

While you may well think the world of this guy - he still either looks like a scammer or an idiot - take your pick. Since Larry has refused to reply - you don't have to take my word for it. Go to his site and look for yourself. He has them listed as pure leucy bairdi, complete with the "genetics trail", which by the way does not even work out, and the price of $75 each.

Perhaps Larry would like to come on here and answer this for himself instead of hiding behind you Keith. It is very simple to clear up. Larry needs to either ADMIT they are NOT pure leucy bairdi or PROVE that they are.

Hey Larry, what's wrong - crying on Fauna doesn't work for you ?