Billy Gangemi, Russian Tortoises, HELP!

Originally Posted by JCCS

Honestly, the only thing you've seemed to accomplish with this thread is ensuring that anyone who reads it will never, ever deal with you. I don't care how you started it, by your second post, you were calling names after a perfectly reasonable response from him. You're an adult child who doesn't want to take responsibility for any of her decisions/actions and doesn't want to hear anything to the contrary. It's sorta sad to watch, honestly.

To be honest, when I called Billy a butt head, I had no idea that I was dealing with such a group of serious people. If you want me to take responsibility for this, ok. Billy, I'm sorry I called you a butthead. It was what I thought people would find humorous, because of the mildness of the insult (ie: I didn't use the word a&&hole or anything like that) and it was in response to being blocked.

Originally Posted by tlmoon

I’m pretty good at deciphering doctor handwriting so I’ll take a stab at vet handwriting. See Post # 52 for the original.
I think the discussions about disease and treatment are really interesting, but Lydia: I would ask your vet questions rather than going off what people on the internet say. The info you get is great to bring to the vet for questions, but by itself not so great for treatment decisions. Also, mods: if this is straying off topic I apologize – the treatment seems relevant to whether the seller really has fault here. But if you tell me to quit it, I will!

Discharge Instructions page
Procedures performed: “Recheck” (I think)
To the right of that: “(Discussed? Declines?) Hospitalization(?), X rays, Blood panel, Viral testing. Discussed placing a feeding tube (esophagostomy tube). Complications to not eating: include hepatic (lipidosis?), liver/renal/cardiovascular disease.
Home care:
Inject 3ml 50% LRS (I think this is a vet version of IV fluid) subcutaneously every 48 hours.
1. Need to be well hydrated. Syringe feed.
2. Continue with Baytril orally.
3. Azithromycin 40/ml 0.1ml every 48 hours only.
4. Continue ceftazidime (Fortaz) by injection every 72 hours. Had 1 here (?)
5. For neck, silvadene every 12 hours.
Oxbow (____ care ?) 6 ml daily for 7 days, then increase to 9ml.
Order online Lafeber Emerald for herbivores. Good source of Vitamin K and B12. Follow manufacturers directions.

Prognosis:
Unknown – no lab work. Long term 3-12 months. Some may only be controlled. Causes are viral (herpes), bacterial, (___? Recheck? In 7 days). Possibility of losing both.

I don’t know vet stuff all that well so I probably don’t have it all correct. Hope that helps though.

1. Thank you for taking the time to clear up his handwriting, which I was unable to read.

2. I agree that the treatment affects whether the seller was at fault. Mishandling a consumer in terms of information/communication is different than fault.

I agree with those that have stated that you have only succeeded in pushing people away from wanting to deal with you.....problematic buyer to say the least.

I find it equally humorous that you are asking people to not "attack" you, yet have labeled your thread with such aggressive verbiage as "wildlife smuggler" and have inconsistencies in your identity and your story.

Poor torts. Circumstances were stacked against them from the start.
WC, flipped, sold to a newbie with limited research/knowledge, over medicated and without any sort of culture, etc., having been conducted (esp. when in an already over compromised state), being given vitamin A without first checking to see if they suffered from vitamin A deficiency, etc.
Plus, who knows if the torts were being given enough fluids/hydration when on antibiotics.

The OP did not, initially, come off in the right way. Calling the seller a name was "off putting".
Also, tagging with "wildlife smuggler" was unjustified. Something else can be, manually, typed in or, if it was truly believed that was the only option (to have "wildlife" in the tag), it should not have been included at all since that tag has the word "smuggler" in it. It is not an absolute necessity, to add a tag or to add more than one tag, either.
Although, from some things stated/asked in this thread, maybe the OP did believe (albeit erroneously), that the seller smuggled the torts.
Unless some behind the scenes things exist, that I am unaware of, I think a better approach would have been to educate rather than solely/simply berate. Mostly due to the OP's very newb status. Just my opinion, nobody has to agree.

I feel most of the onus falls upon a buyer to research, and to educate themselves on, whatever animal species they decide they would like to get/have. As well as researching a seller. This should be done prior to purchase.
However, some things do fall upon the seller's responsibilities (shared or sole) as well.
In this case, I can see where things have, or may have, gone wrong on both sides.

The seller did offer a refund which is great and is about all that can be done "after the fact". Even commendable to offer a refund when it is one month after sale.
Although it appears there may be an extenuating circumstance, or two, in buyer's favor.
Whether the seller follows through, or not, remains to be seen.

That said, I would like to know if the seller actually stated the following (according to OP), with regard to tort care, and if it was all that was said re. care:
"They are the simplest to take care of. Just get a bag of mulch from home depot and feed them Romaine Lettuce".
If this is true, then it would be better for the seller to refrain from giving care advice rather than give out misinformation &/or info that is lacking in its details.

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Originally Posted by Pasodama

That said, I would like to know if the seller actually stated the following (according to OP), with regard to tort care, and if it was all that was said re. care:
"They are the simplest to take care of. Just get a bag of mulch from home depot and feed them Romaine Lettuce".

Yeah, that would be good, Debra. However, I highly doubt the seller would ever admit to saying that, and the OP would never back off from her claim that he did say that. I doubt we will ever know. I know which one I would not want to deal with, however, lol.

Originally Posted by LauraB

Yeah, that would be good, Debra. However, I highly doubt the seller would ever admit to saying that, and the OP would never back off from her claim that he did say that. I doubt we will ever know. I know which one I would not want to deal with, however, lol.

You are, of course, correct.
We will never really know.

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So, I'll ask again bill. Where's the refund? Has she made arrangements to collect? Quite frankly, I would send half. In the eyes of the BOI, it would be a great and noble move, as well as lucrative in the future. Going forward, avoid this site, by telling people exactly what they're getting. I won't be as nice if another negative post pops up on you. Do the right thing, even if it's wrong, which it will be here. Don't give problem children the satisfaction of ruining a comeback. Prove your worth. It willI be remembered HERE that you went an extra mile that you didn't have to.

Originally Posted by Chris Kennard

So, I'll ask again bill. Where's the refund? Has she made arrangements to collect? Quite frankly, I would send half. In the eyes of the BOI, it would be a great and noble move, as well as lucrative in the future. Going forward, avoid this site, by telling people exactly what they're getting. I won't be as nice if another negative post pops up on you. Do the right thing, even if it's wrong, which it will be here. Don't give problem children the satisfaction of ruining a comeback. Prove your worth. It willI be remembered HERE that you went an extra mile that you didn't have to.

If?

Though the OP has presented herself in a very unappealing light, the fact that there is at least one other instance of this individual selling ill turtles makes this one more suspect to me.

Originally Posted by caffeinecynic

If?

Though the OP has presented herself in a very unappealing light, the fact that there is at least one other instance of this individual selling ill turtles makes this one more suspect to me.

True. A thread I remembered earlier on. Also the primary reason I stated "Whether the seller follows through, or not, remains to be seen".
Unless something else occurred, behind the scenes, I believe (don't feel like looking, again, right now) it was left unresolved in that other thread. In that thread, notifying the seller was, also, a ~lot~ sooner than in this one.

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