Dartanya Hausburg / GW Reptiles - Breeding Loan Gone Bad

Man. What a mess I've gotten myself into. This seems to be a trend in my life, but that's neither here nor there. People suck, I've got to learn to stop trusting people. I don't post much on here and I'm kinda new and quiet, but I really hope someone can help me. As of right now, I've just been told to involve the police, which can really go either way, and I'd like to think it could be resolved some other way.

I really didn't want to name names. I went into a breeding loan with someone who I thought was a friend here in Florida. He is a known breeder and has rodent supply company. I had no reason not to trust him, and had heard nothing negative to speak of. He even let me put 3 or 4 snakes on his table at Daytona to sell just to be nice, or so I thought.

The original deal was he was borrowing 3 of my expensive female breeder ball pythons to breed to a male of a special gene that not many people have. In exchange for borrowing them, he was to supply feeders for the rest of my collection weekly (not very many feeders, ranging anywhere from $50-100 a week).
After the clutches were laid, we were going to split the clutches but depending on the offspring he was entitled to certain ones that were more valuable, because all I really wanted were two specific morphs, but that's neither here nor there. We would keep what we wanted, sell the rest and split the profits.

It's been a little over 3 months into this deal, and he has been impossible to get ahold of, and has not been out weekly. I have hatchlings to feed and I've had to hunt him down everytime. He's only come out three times since we went into the deal.

It's been nearly 3 weeks since he last delivered feeders. So i sent him a nice, professional-sounding text basically telling him I needed to know what was going on because he wasn't really keeping his end of the deal, he hadn't been out as he said he would be, that I understood things come up life/work, etc..but that it had been 3 weeks, and my hatchlings could not wait any longer, and I really needed feeders to properly prepare my females for the breeding season ahead, and i needed to know if he'd be out yesterday or today or if I needed to make other arrangements.

Proceed this person absolutely FLIPPING OUT. All kinds of profanity, insults, all sorts of drama and uncalled for craziness because I called him out on him not keeping up his end of our arrangement.

Now this person is literally blackmailing me and holding my snakes ransom. He is claiming I owe him $650 for table space (putting 4 snakes on a corner of a table at Daytona) and feeders (how coming out to deliver feeders 3 times equates to that, I have no idea). He demands $650 by Wednesday or he will not return my snakes, and if I don't pay he is keeping them until they lay eggs and then he'll return them WITHOUT giving me my share of the eggs.

I remained calm, and I told him all of the drama was unnecessary, that I just wanted him to please deliver the feeders weekly and we could proceed as planned.
I also stated that if he was not going to supply feeders,and if he really felt I owed him $650 for the 3 times he delivered feeders, he could return two females, and keep one, and then split that clutch to get back the money I supposedly owe him. (While in reality, I don't owe him any money, he actually owes me 4-5 more weeks worth of feeders for the time period he has had my females, i was just trying to be nice and smooth things over at that point.)
He flatly refuses, ignored everything I said, and says if I don't pay him money I'm not getting my snakes back till he gets eggs from them.


I am at a loss, and so sad about this. I thought he was a nice guy, and he literally just went crazy? I can supply the whole conversation via text message if anyone actually wants to read it, but I don't know what to do about this. I don't know if there's anything I can do legally, but he has my babies. I love them, I had a hard enough time letting him borrow them. It's about $2000 worth of females, but it's not just about the money. They are my pets, I've raised them since hatchlings. I'm heartbroken, and worried that even by posting his name on this forum something bad will happen to them.

I could and would not hesitate to smear his name all across the country for this horrible thing he's doing, but then I am terrified he would hurt my animals, and Id never see them again. A few people have suggested the police, but what if I go over there with the police and he comes up with more lies and I don't get my animals back?

I have no idea what to do. I am so sad, I've been crying all day.

Well I see one thing wrong. GW Reptiles let you put animals on their table at Daytona. Since you were NOT the vendor at the show that is a

As a show promoter, I DO NOT allow that, and I will confiscate animals from a table that is NOT the vendor's animals who PAID for the table.

I am sure Wayne Hill will take note of that in the future, and not allow GW Reptiles or you to vend at the show.

People like you (sneaking animals in a show) or GW Reptiles ALLOWING
animals that or not theirs, is UN-FAIRto the other vendors who paid their hard earned money for a table(s) for their animals and you snakechaamer, are a cheat and shouldn't be believed

You get what you deserved Leigh, pay them the $650.00 for table space.
My decision is rendered.

Randal Berry

I am sorry to hear about your problem. Breeding loans are really never a good idea. There is too many horror stories out there about them. If you do a breeding loan you should always have a written contract. Does Dartanya know about this thread? There are two sides to every story. As of now, we have heard yours. Written contracts, when done right have everything written out so there is no dispute. I hope you can get your animals back and all goes well. I also hope that you have learned a lesson about breeding loans. Maybe he will give you your animals back when he sees this thread. I don't know how you can even prove that those are yours as long as he has them. Good luck.
Brian Dierking

I think your comment is completely unnecessary and rude. Vendors share table space all of the time, at every single show. I see nothing wrong with asking someone who I thought was a friend make space for a few hatchlings, who at the time said It was no problem. The table was being shared with more people than just myself, for your information.

If you want to attack me and say that my animals are gone and I got what I deserved for sharing a corner of a table at a show, I think your priorities and morals are a bit out of whack, personally.

By the way, I know for a fact a table doesn't cost $650 at daytona, so please read the entire posting before you spout things like that.

Originally Posted by lanceheads

Well I see one thing wrong. GW Reptiles let you put animals on their table at Daytona. Since you were NOT the vendor at the show that is a

As a show promoter, I DO NOT allow that, and I will confiscate animals from a table that is NOT the vendor's animals who PAID for the table.

I am sure Wayne Hill will take note of that in the future, and not allow GW Reptiles or you to vend at the show.

People like you (sneaking animals in a show) or GW Reptiles ALLOWING
animals that or not theirs, is UN-FAIRto the other vendors who paid their hard earned money for a table(s) for their animals and you snakechaamer, are a cheat and shouldn't be believed

You get what you deserved Leigh, pay them the $650.00 for table space.
My decision is rendered.

Randal Berry

To prove ownership, I keep excellent records of all of my animals, both on paper and on iHerp. My animals are well known on iHerp. I have original receipts andbills of sale on all the animals, including photos of me with them.

I don't know if he knows about the thread or not. He is welcome to try and explain himself. I've tried to deal with this calmly and without involving other people, but he is completely unapproachable.

Originally Posted by brd7666

I am sorry to hear about your problem. Breeding loans are really never a good idea. There is too many horror stories out there about them. If you do a breeding loan you should always have a written contract. Does Dartanya know about this thread? There are two sides to every story. As of now, we have heard yours. Written contracts, when done right have everything written out so there is no dispute. I hope you can get your animals back and all goes well. I also hope that you have learned a lesson about breeding loans. Maybe he will give you your animals back when he sees this thread. I don't know how you can even prove that those are yours as long as he has them. Good luck.
Brian Dierking

Additionally, I had no prior knowledge that people were not allowed to share table space at a show. I'm relatively new to the vendors/sales scene, and was told it was no big deal at all. So if this isn't allowed, This is news to me.

If Wayne Hill doesn't allow this, since I assume you are speaking for him, and I don't know if that's truly a rule at Daytona or not, I apologize if it is.

Originally Posted by lanceheads

Well I see one thing wrong. GW Reptiles let you put animals on their table at Daytona. Since you were NOT the vendor at the show that is a

As a show promoter, I DO NOT allow that, and I will confiscate animals from a table that is NOT the vendor's animals who PAID for the table.

I am sure Wayne Hill will take note of that in the future, and not allow GW Reptiles or you to vend at the show.

People like you (sneaking animals in a show) or GW Reptiles ALLOWING
animals that or not theirs, is UN-FAIRto the other vendors who paid their hard earned money for a table(s) for their animals and you snakechaamer, are a cheat and shouldn't be believed

You get what you deserved Leigh, pay them the $650.00 for table space.
My decision is rendered.

Randal Berry

lanceheads,
That has to be the most moronic post I have read in awhile! Good job!

Yes,about the policies at shows,I could see someone not knowing what is/isn't allowed...when I did my first Columbus shows about 14 years ago,you could[and still can] just walk in+sell something that you carried in without having a table.Then when I went to the Pittsburgh show[when Herb Ellerbrook from the Pitt.zoo ran it]I carried in a group of baby dragons to sell with no table and he stopped me and had me get a table...otherwise I would have thought that it was just like Columbus...no need to make an issue.

Just to clarify, not to judge : http://www.reptilebreedersexpo.com/rules.html

"Only official exhibitors are permitted to sell at the Expo."

"One Exhibitor badge is included with each table purchased. One additional badge may be purchased per table for $10. No table may have more than 2 badges assigned to it. All badges will have the name of the person, not the company."

That said, was there no contract or even email(s) to support such high-end snakes being loaned and the agreement thereof? How about any written documentation to support the OP having to pay for shared table space? Did you purchase a badge?

The only legal advice you should seek should be from an attorney ... without a paper trail, it's pretty much a she-said/he-said mess, as you now know.

Originally Posted by lanceheads

Well I see one thing wrong. GW Reptiles let you put animals on their table at Daytona. Since you were NOT the vendor at the show that is a

As a show promoter, I DO NOT allow that, and I will confiscate animals from a table that is NOT the vendor's animals who PAID for the table.

I am sure Wayne Hill will take note of that in the future, and not allow GW Reptiles or you to vend at the show.

People like you (sneaking animals in a show) or GW Reptiles ALLOWING
animals that or not theirs, is UN-FAIRto the other vendors who paid their hard earned money for a table(s) for their animals and you snakechaamer, are a cheat and shouldn't be believed

You get what you deserved Leigh, pay them the $650.00 for table space.
My decision is rendered.

Randal Berry

Sorry to get off topic here but I see other comments about animals on someones table. There is nothing wrong with a vendor having other peoples animals on their table. First of all it allows them to make some money by charging a commission on each sale. They are also not out any money if the animals don't sell because they didn't have to buy animals to have an inventory. I have paid commissions to people who have taken my animals to shows, and I have made money by bringing other peolple animals and placing them on my table when I was a vendor. Some vendors may not have enough stuff to fill a table, and may not have the financial resources to go out a buy a bunch of stuff. It doesn't bother me one bit when I do a show and another vendor does not own all the animals on his table. If it is done properly then there is nothing wrong with it. It is actually no different then consignment businesses. How do you think most homes are sold? A realitor lists it, they show it, they sell it, and they make a commission on it, they never owned it and never invested any money in it.

You should lighten up a little. Life is to short.

Brian Dierking