Thanks to all who have posted their thoughts and/or support. The opinion of our peers and colleagues with respect to our business prinicples is important to us.
A few comments have been made in this thread which require clarification on our part.
Neil,
There was never a representation by either Charlotte or myself of "mite phase" coloration becoming evident in this neonate. Again, although the sire exhibits this trait, it is not a known or proven genetic trait in our collection. We did discuss at length the onset of the ontogenetic color change found in green tree neonates and showed examples of different clutchmates who have developed more rapidly and are entering this change now.
Ivan,
The clutch information is found on our "available" page. This includes pip date, a description, price and the average neonate hatch weight and was updated last on the 18th of October
The insinuation that we avoided you or your questions and were somehow in collusion with Neil is insulting. Your quasi apology while simultaneously inferring we had a hand in something unethical is not well received and is patently false. Not until after your transaction with Neil had we heard of, or about you, and I would think we would remember a person inquiring about that particular animal after its sale. Furthermore, when the "not significant other" explained about your transaction, and although it wasn't our responsibilty, we offered a sibling at the same lower rate Neil was charged with the intention of defraying your investment cost to a more amenable level. While on the subject of price, we hope you realize that the price we paid for the sire to your animal was considerably more than your cost in the hopes that the coloration wouldn't fade as it often does in highland animals.
Our philosophy concerning our transactions, conversations, show presentation or any other facet of our business is to attempt to have all parties leave feeling enriched. This encompasses hour long conversations with the newest members of our community contemplating purchasing their first snake to all night debates with other professional breeders on incubation techniques, locality data or breeding trials. We'd like nothing better than for every person we deal with at any level to feel and share our enthusiasm for boas and pythons and reptiles in general. Additionally, we work hard at giving back to this community whether thru donations to the herp societies, networking with others when invasive legislation surfaces, developing "small breeder" quarantine protocol in conjunction with PIJAC, or simply giving healthy, easy to maintain bci to the youngest budding herpers. We would NEVER knowingly dismiss ANYONE who approaches our table and honestly cannot remember even speaking with you at all.
Having said that, if in fact we in any way slighted you, I would like to be the first to offer a sincere apology and we honestly hope that you are genuinely happy with the caliber of the animal you received.