Mystery solved!

I to agree w/snakebyt When I got my gecko from Ric (I personally picked it up from him in Cour' de Lene Idaho, and talked with him for quite awile) It was 2/19/04 and I was told he "Winston" was born in 5/2003 and was Bill Brants stock. That put him at nine months old and he wieghed 69 grams and was in perfect condition. Ric told me back then that he was getting out of the Leopard Gecko buisness and was going to concentrate more on his Box Turtle projects. So you see this is nothing new, Im suprised he had "zorro" or any other Geckos left! He also told me how he was "fastidious" about his geckos, never letting other people come in, because he was afraid of parasites getting transmitted. Also many other things to keep out the possability of parasites getting transmitted from one gecko to another. I can't remember all of what he told me but I do remember "WOW"
this guy is bordering on fanatical, but I regarded him in a positive way! He seemed to really care for his animals.


To everyone!
don't be too quick to judge another unless you your self are ready to be judged.
Anyway my "one and a half cents"

robin...

i make it a point to clarify these things not necessarily for the sake of the poster but for all the people who come here looking for knowledge who havn't been "doing this for years".

i have studied genetics, biology, and mutations in reptiles for many years and maybe if you shut up and listen you might learn something from me.

if you want to know who i am read my profile, visit my website (while your there you might want to take a few notes), and read my posts. as far as your concerned thats all you need to know about me.

ive personally never found myself saying...good thing robin showed up and shared her knowledge. your rude, self righteous and really of no use to me or this forum. but like me you have a right to be here and speak your mind, despite all that. and unlike you i can respect that. but if your going to bash other breeders without knowing the whole story you need to prepare yourself for the repercussions of your actions.

none of us (snakebyt, myself and riverjop) who have purchased one of his geckos are complaining about the color...only you are. its a shame he missexxed his geckos and everything seems to be getting worked out and than you pop up bad mouthing not only him but the quality of his geckos (which i own two of).

you jumped on the opportunity to bad mouth Ric... when you werent even involved with the situation, and just because i pointed that out you ranted and raved about how i'm this and im that. you dont know me.

you should spend some of your energy you use to be such a b*tch and focus it on reading up on genetics and work out a redesign of your website. ive seen it... it needs a redesign. than maybe you wont have to count on badmouthing people like me and ric to earn the respect of others. good day to you.

blah.

He also told me how he was "fastidious" about his geckos, never letting other people come in, because he was afraid of parasites getting transmitted. Also many other things to keep out the possability of parasites getting transmitted from one gecko to another. I can't remember all of what he told me but I do remember "WOW"

i spent well over an hour on the phone listening to his knowledge and care of geckos... he answered every question i had. and really the conversation was on his dime on top of it all.

honestly i got the same impression from him that riverjop got. but being extra careful and fanatical about the geckos you breed isnt exactly a bad thing...and in my opinion is a very good thing...at least for the geckos.

..hold on there, buddy! I am usually reluctant to jump on these flaming wagons, but I am really compelled to this time. You haven't exactly made a lot of friends on this forum, and perhaps it is you that needs to just sit back for a minute and learn...

...i'm this and im that. you dont know me.

First off, you are right that most of the folks on this forum don't know you. But, remember... I do, and I'm not too sure you would want the 'tightly knit' Leopard Gecko community to know what I know about how you take care of your geckos! Even your so-called 'buddies' here in town have filled me in on a few things that could easily come back to bite you in the butt!

i make it a point to clarify these things not necessarily for the sake of the poster but for all the people who come here looking for knowledge who havn't been "doing this for years".

Chad, honestly! You have NOT been doing this for years... you just recently (like, less than a year ago) got involved in Leopard Geckos. If I'm not mistaken, Neo (hatched on 3/1/04) was your very first hatchling! I truly believe that the vast majority of us reading these posts do not need anyone to interpret for us.

you should spend some of your energy you use to be such a b*tch and focus it on reading up on genetics and work out a redesign of your website. ive seen it... it needs a redesign.

Woah there, fella! Robin's website is not even complete, and I think that it is quite an accomplishment the way it is... especially if you consider that Robin is legally blind!

really of no use to me or this forum

Robin pulls no punches, but at least she walks straight through the front door and doesn't sneak around the back door like some people do! I doubt that there is anyone on this forum that would even question her knowledge, experience, and understanding of reptile genetics.

never letting other people come in, because he was afraid of parasites getting transmitted.

Now, if you guys are happy with the geckos from Ric, then that's great!!! They are beautiful and appear to be very healthy. I would love to have them in my colonies, too! But, I am also inclined to doubt he is the breeder for several reasons... here's three: 1.) he would have been able to sex them properly at that age, especially if he is as finicky as he is described. 2.) I have never heard of a breeder not wanting people to come in and see their set-up for fear of transmitting parasites. Animals and people don't have diseases that can be passed on like that! It just sounds a little 'fishy' to me, especially since he announced he is 'getting out of leopard geckos'. It sounds more like he has something to hide. and 3.) They are Bill Brandt's stock. He produces some awesome tangerines, but he is the #1 wholesale supplier of Leopard Geckos to Petco. Literally, every Petco employee I have ever spoken with (including the district and regional management in our area) claims that the majority of the leos they get in from him are sick, and only cost them about $10.00 apiece. This makes me think that Ric possibly buys them in quantity for resale.

I have studied genetics, biology, and mutations in reptiles for many years and maybe if you shut up and listen you might learn something from me.

So, before I really go off on you, Chad, I would like to give you a bit of advise... you need to lose your arrogance until you have had the wind taken out of your sails a few times and paid your dues as a real Leopard Gecko breeder in a few years.

that is one reason i pretty much quit the other forum.. too many people that read a few care sheets and then they feel qualified to give advice like they have been doing it for years.

If i remember correctly i got my first leopard gecko somewhere around1993-1994, and had them off an on ever since.

marcia im appaled by the comments you've just made.

First off, you are right that most of the folks on this forum don't know you. But, remember... I do, and I'm not too sure you would want the 'tightly knit' Leopard Gecko community to know what I know about how you take care of your geckos! Even your so-called 'buddies' here in town have filled me in on a few things that could easily come back to bite you in the butt!

lets hear it marcia. i can see obviously ive manged to upset you by defending myself against your friend who is part of this tightly knit gecko community.

no buddy of mine (you should ask the employees at Petacluar Exotics how reliable of a source Rocco is before making statements like that) has ever told you anything that would "bite me in the butt". you are really talking alot of trash here...i was hoping after robin it would stop, but obviously you had to hop in too. also you don't KNOW me... ive seen you in person 3 times ever and spoken on the phone with you maybe 3 or 4 times. ive always been nice in regards to you but that didn't stop you from flaming this discussion and trying your damndest to make me look like an amuteur who practices bad husbandry skills. all of which are lies. im literally at a loss for words marcia, what you've done here will not likely be forgiven. pick your battles hun.

Chad, honestly! You have NOT been doing this for years... you just recently (like, less than a year ago) got involved in Leopard Geckos. If I'm not mistaken, Neo (hatched on 3/1/04) was your very first hatchling! I truly believe that the vast majority of us reading these posts do not need anyone to interpret for us

i sold all my snakes off (to my buisness partner at diablo snake farm) to buy geckos after i got my first one last spring. i do in fact have alot of knowledge about genetics and biology. ive always carried a deep intrest in science. my first leopard gecko hatchling was in fact NEO...i never said otherwise.

as far needing an interpreter.... LMAO! there is more confusion about the leopard gecko morphs than in probably any other species of reptile. ive been told conflicting information about hypo, tangerine, stripes and snows FROM TOP LEOPARD GECKO BREEDERS!!! why do you think i post questions about morphs? huh? so i can get the REAL answer!! its almost as if you would rather people didnt know.

for the record ive been collecting reptiles since i was old enough to walk. i actually go out in the field and get my hands dirty... have you ever gone looking in the wild for a reptile? losing your blizzard in your house doesnt count!

Robin pulls no punches, but at least she walks straight through the front door and doesn't sneak around the back door like some people do! I doubt that there is anyone on this forum that would even question her knowledge, experience, and understanding of reptile genetics.

if im in the wrong for challenging what she and others may know than i apoligize but thats just a well illustrated example of how certain people need to take an initiative to lay out what the morphs are and what genes are invovled. as far as the front door back door comment i have no clue what you are refering to.

So, before I really go off on you, Chad, I would like to give you a bit of advise... you need to lose your arrogance until you have had the wind taken out of your sails a few times and paid your dues as a real Leopard Gecko breeder in a few years.

my so called arrogance, as you put it, is founded from the fact that im willing to learn and teach what i learn about the morphs involved with whatever animal im working with. i have seen very little of this from you or robin...and if she knows so much why isnt she asking the big questions about morphs or better yet...answering them?

i advise you not to pull your punches if you think you have something on me than i'd like to hear it and im sure everyone else would to... i mean your implying you have some sort of dirt on me... but these are of course empty threats... your lieing. which doesnt surprise me considering ALL of your pictures look doctored on your breeder page (which i told you to your face the first time i met you. remember before i was a gecko breeder i was a graphic/web designer), and you live probably a good 6 or more cities away from San Francisco yet youre Golden Gate Geckos. why not call yourself Antioch Bridge Geckos...that would be a whole lot more accurate!

so in conclusion if youre like robin and marcia and feel my approach on this forum is inappropriate than i'm sorry to hear it. im merely here to learn and share the knowledge i learn and sometimes(!) defend myself and what i believe in. that intimidates some people...i just learned that...

your not going to let the wind out of my sails marcia... at least not until you can stop calling up your REAL breeder buddies for price quotes on your geckos. and even than... i cant see it.

So, before I really go off on you, Chad,

that is so laughable i just had to bring it up again...

Marcia is absolutely correct, Robin has a vast amount of reptile knowlege. Yeah she may come across sometimes as a little blunt in her observations, but I have total respect for honesty in people, and Robin will never lie to you. As for slamming her website, that is just uncalled for. It also has nothing to do with this discussion. I personally think it looks awesome considering it was thrown together in a night pretty much by a person who has no web designing experience. Obviously not everyone is going to agree with everyone else, but let's try and keep things civil and mature. Calling someone a &itch isn't very nice, and tells me a lot about your character Chad. There is no need for that type of name calling here, it's ugly.

that is one reason i pretty much quit the other forum.. too many people that read a few care sheets and then they feel qualified to give advice like they have been doing it for years.

dont believe everything you read.

If i remember correctly i got my first leopard gecko somewhere around1993-1994, and had them off an on ever since.

ok. good for you? honestly it doesnt take too much to breed leopard geckos. they are low maintance and do most of the work for you. keep em clean, fed, and hydrated and your good. i on the other hand never owned a single leopard gecko until last spring. but ive owned cared for and bred many other reptiles (admittingly all snakes, unless you include skinks, collared lizards and aligator lizards). my screen name is diablo hogs because i reside in diablo valley and use to have a fine collection of Western hognose before i decided to get into leopard geckos. leopard geckos are the BEGINERS herp... im pretty sure ive read that on a few CARE SHEETS!

Calling someone a &itch isn't very nice, and tells me a lot about your character Chad. There is no need for that type of name calling here, it's ugly.

i apoligze for that...youre right. i honestly pondered weather or not to delete that whole paragraph for literally 15 minutes and actually clicked the edit button...highlighted the paragraph and ALMOST hit delete but than i started thinking about all the negative stuff she had said about me...and decided to leave it in. i have been challenged from every angle hear from both robin and marcia and it has taken alot of time and energy to try to defend myself. its a shame that niether of them could simply keep things on a scientific level or simply state thier opinion...they both felt the need to challenge me as a breeder and as a person. for that reason i felt inclined to "not pull my punches". honestly you should have seen both my reply to marcia and robin BEFORE THEY WERE EDITED. really.

while i may be a "newbie" to leopard geckos im no stranger to reptile morphs and reptiles in general. to imply that you need a PHD in herpatology to work with leopard geckos is completley ridiculous. you have both attacked me and my husbandry practices and for that reason i have responded with equally as offensive and angry responces. while you may both be respected in the "gecko world" that doesnt make either of you perfect and in fact maybe it may be you who needs the wind knocked from your sails. you certainly dont make the "tightly knit gecko community" appear very welcoming. think about it. how did this all start? i implied maybe the reason robin was so nasty towards Ric is because of some possible personal issues considering her ROLE in the whole thing as an instigator... than i get a full page slam about how im a newbie and i have no right and so on... and than angrily i respond to that post only to get blind sided by marcia and what i would call the most well assembled piece of nonsence propaganda ever laid upon me. im sure most of these posts (im refering to mine) will be deleted and this thread may appear to be about what it was intended to be about with a twist, some "newbie" kid getting too big for his britches. which is really a shame. for the record...im not going anywhere so robin...marcia... you better get used to this "newbie" asking the big questions and being himself wind in sails and all.

and with that... im going home... i have geckos to care for.