BOARDING

[strazkatz]

Hi all. What is the norm for caring for other peoples reptiles (Geckos), as on a per week basis. Consider I am providing them with housing, food, cleaning, medding and hand feeding babies? Whats the going rate per animal??

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

How many are there and how do you know the person? If it's a friend I would do it for free, and the amount of work involved in cleaning/feeding etc depends largely on how many animals there are. "rate per animal" isn't really valid.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

Sorry, I meant free as in my involvement...I would make them cover the food and bedding obviously, but I would hope they would do that without you even asking.

 

[strazkatz]

over the period of a a year plus, over 40 animals and nothinbg was provided. I was thinking about 5 bucks per week per anaimal. Not really friends either. At 1 time there were more of their animals here than my own. I even provded the tanks.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

I'm not even going to ask how this situation came about. I don't know much about gecko care, but they share tanks right? If so, it seems kind of silly to do a "per animal" charge since cleaning one tank takes care of a big chunk all at once.

My personal feelings on what would be fair: all costs of food and bedding, plus like $10/hr for taking care of the rest of the stuff. Like I said I'm not well-versed in gecko care, but I'm assuming it's a weekly cleaning and weekly feeding? If so, $5 per animal seems pretty outrageous. We have about 100 ball pythons, and if I had someone watch them I would expect them to clean them and feed them once a week...and there's no way they'd be getting $500 for that considering it takes me all of 4-5 hours. If I could get that kind of money cleaning cages I'd quit school right now.

You need to think about what's fair for both him/her and you. It sounds like you're frustrated from having to deal with all of this, but that doesn't justify charging them out the wazoo. Think about an amount that YOU would feel ok about if you were in the other person's position.

 

[hhmoore]

I'm not even going to ask how this situation came about.

I think the (basic) background story is probably a pretty relevant factor.

 

[Celtic Constrictors]

More importantly, have you discussed fees or payment with this person ahead of time? It doesn't sound like there was any formal agreement before hand. This could get sticky fast.

Whatever you two end up agreeing to, please please please, get it in writing.

 

[Dbz4246]

Over a year and nothing has been provided to you? Id say they were yours at that point if nothing has been discussed. Try contacting the original owner and give them on ultimatum, either compensate you or you start selling animals for the said compensation.

 

[hhmoore]

Easy to say when the details haven't been provided...but there are too many possible issues to make such a declaration, IMO.

 

[Dbz4246]

Easy to say when the details haven't been provided...but there are too many possible issues to make such a declaration, IMO.

I agree, but it sounds as if the OP doesn't really want to disclose any details. So with no details, thats the solution I came up with

 

[hhmoore]

I don't particularly want to know the details...I just don't want him screwing the other party, then coming back with something akin to "That's what you guys told me to do." For all we know, this is a business relationship (or one of those half assed "partnerships") that went south. Having the animals in his possession for over a year doesn't grant him ownership if things went sour 2 weeks ago. He didn't indicate that the animals had been abandoned, or that there had been no recent communication with the owner.

 

[Dbz4246]

Having the animals in his possession for over a year doesn't grant him ownership if things went sour 2 weeks ago. He didn't indicate that the animals had been abandoned, or that there had been no recent communication with the owner.

Very valid points, my initial thoughts were about abandonment. I know the OP hasn't said anything on that, but at what point would you declare abandonment on animals that have been using your resources and space for over a year? Without background info and details, it's hard to say one way or another. Either way, hope everything works out for you in the end, Ralph.

 

[strazkatz]

OK, heres the short( trying to) version of the situation. A couple years ago I started goin to the local reptile show and bought a couple cresties. After that I stopped by my friends pet shop and met a girl who worked there, who told me she and her partner bred cresties and I should get theirs. Well, we did. Bought 3 within a month, and then when I had questions I would stop by the shop and ask her. Well, 1 thing led to another and we started helping her and her partner at the shows, then I would try to sell plants and ledges at thier table. I took up no space and actually made them xtra room by making shelves for the table and we also helped transport some of their belongings.Well, the girl had a couple geckos she said she couldnt keep because of who she got them from, her partner DISLIKED the breeder. Our transaction consisted of 1 shiney new quarter and a few magnet ledges. We also told her we would give her SOME of the money from the babies. Also, she got products from me AT COST! Done deal. Mind you in the time she had these girls she never got a viable egg from them. Now, we sold a few at Tinley last show and gave her $587.50. She didn't help with the table cost either and she had already taken 3 or 4 of the best hatchlings. During the course of about 1 year a and half both she and her partner had us help them with over 40 animals. Our food, cages, cleaning etc.and never contributed a thing except maybe 5 or 6 times I bought a box of crickets from her for 10 bucks. She paid 7. The animals we cared for incl. adults, babies that needed handfeeding and some needing meds. Oh, we we such good friends , imagine that we were given the opportunity to WORK> Gee thanks, as tho we needed more work to do.now, as you will see in the pic the geckos and length of time we had each, and the times are conservative. Just whats on this list is 644 total gecko weeks. number of animals times the weeks. Now its being said that we OWE them money for any sold or unsold geckos we have or had. I am looking at this as I spent a whole lot of time effort and money to keep their animals, and to care for them. Conservatively I can use $2.50 per week per animal to $5.00 per week. Go to a Vet or service and they will charge you over $25 per week. I'm will to call it a "wash" and end all conbtact between them but they continue. And again, we never even got a bag of CGD for them. I haven't mentioned names here YET, but if I'm forced to I will later. and see attached pic plz

 

[hhmoore]

Forced?
If you choose to name names, do NOT do it in this thread. That would make it a BOI topic, so you'd have to do a thread there.

 

[strazkatz]

TY, I posted this exact message in B O I also.
Im new here and dont know all the details but tyvm

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

It sounds like you were making money on them, so what's the issue? If someone gave me all of my starters and just asked for part of the sales as compensation, that sounds pretty fair. If you choose to keep them and clean them and make money selling them, that's your choice. If you were doing nothing but taking care of them for this person that's another story. It seems like you entered into a 'partnership' where you willingly chose the short end of the stick, and now after a year you're realizing it. Doesn't sound like they did anything other than benefit from your poor business decisions. If you agreed to give them a set amount of money then you should pay them, but asking for them to pay YOU when you were selling the babies for profit is kind of ridiculous.

 

[strazkatz]

The adults were all taken back by them in Oct. None were sold. Only some of the babies were that were from the girls. She took the best of them, 3 or 4, dont remember.
I had all my own geckos they gave me no starters.
Even the guy she bought the girls from knows i bought them from her because he asked her how HIS girls were doing and she told him to ask me because I owned them.

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

But you were selling the babies, correct? Was there ever an agreement that you came to, like you would give them a certain percentage?

This is why I will never work with someone else, it just sounds like a mess. I have one partner that I go half with on everything (my fiancee) and that's how it's always going to be.

 

[strazkatz]

What you are doing is the second best way to work with this. The absolutely BEST way is to just buy animals from different people and not do any other dealing with them except they give you the animal you give them the cash. And you are right , it is my fault for tryin to help some1 out. She worked for my friend and I thought she was ojk but I was wrong. The other thing that helped this go south was 1 partner was doing things behind the others back and I got caught in the middle. I would be more than willing to give them the last 4 or 5 geckos so they can do what they want with them, but I will not till I get the Lineage of the chahouas I bought from them. Ariel gives me the lineage, I will hand over some cresties but witha very neutral party doing the delivering. I want NOTHING to do with these people PERIOD.
Thanks for you insights into this!

 

[Big Borg Reptiles]

I've only been on fauna for a short period, but these sorts of things rarely end up well. I've had people offer to share tables with me and split costs, work together on pairings, etc...my answer is always that I don't want to have to deal with the hassle. It's too easy for things to turn into a mess, and it's almost a guarantee that they will. If nothing else, at least you can learn from the situation and move on.