-
Responding to email notices you receive.
**************************************************
In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.
-
IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed
=====================
Posted 08/15/2025
=====================
Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.
Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."
Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....
=====================
Addendum: 01/10/2026
=====================
Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....
Reid-- Captive Bred Specialties
- Thread starter rpandht
- Start date
austin3613
New member
Hi Ross, I placed an order to Reid from Captive Bred Specialties about a month ago for a DiamondBack Terrapin. He is very healthy, active, and will eat anything. My experience with him was good.
Somewhat shady?
I traded some corns for Boas they had posted on Kingsnake. When I got to their store for pick up he tried giving me completely different boas. I know they were different due to the fact that they were opaque and had not had their first shed and still had ambilicals. They were also BCC and not BCI. I wanted four bci but he only had the three that were pictured in the kingsnake ad. The boas were mite infested, but ate well and have been doing very well since. I noticed several times that Captive Bred Sprecialties has been posting the same pic of MY three boas for sale several times now, when I know for a fact they only had those three. I called him on the phone to verify this and was told he had purchased more from the same breeder. I was excited and I told him I wanted to buy another male, the fourth boa, he said he would email me pics of the males. He never did. I called again and was told the same thing but no email of pics. I emailed him twice also. He knows I will buy but I told him I only want them if they are from the same litter as mine, and I don't beleive he has them. I hope their is a logical explanation for this, but it appears he is trying to pull of the BAIT and SWITCH on unsuspecting buyers. Why post pics of three boas you have already sold????? Here is what I know...
Had the boas been shipped I would have ended up with BCC instead of BCI.
The boas were mite infested.
He posts pics of animals he doesn't own
He didnt follow thru with pics or email
Buyer Beware...
Thanks,
Jaremy Douglas
I traded some corns for Boas they had posted on Kingsnake. When I got to their store for pick up he tried giving me completely different boas. I know they were different due to the fact that they were opaque and had not had their first shed and still had ambilicals. They were also BCC and not BCI. I wanted four bci but he only had the three that were pictured in the kingsnake ad. The boas were mite infested, but ate well and have been doing very well since. I noticed several times that Captive Bred Sprecialties has been posting the same pic of MY three boas for sale several times now, when I know for a fact they only had those three. I called him on the phone to verify this and was told he had purchased more from the same breeder. I was excited and I told him I wanted to buy another male, the fourth boa, he said he would email me pics of the males. He never did. I called again and was told the same thing but no email of pics. I emailed him twice also. He knows I will buy but I told him I only want them if they are from the same litter as mine, and I don't beleive he has them. I hope their is a logical explanation for this, but it appears he is trying to pull of the BAIT and SWITCH on unsuspecting buyers. Why post pics of three boas you have already sold????? Here is what I know...
Had the boas been shipped I would have ended up with BCC instead of BCI.
The boas were mite infested.
He posts pics of animals he doesn't own
He didnt follow thru with pics or email
Buyer Beware...
Thanks,
Jaremy Douglas
Hues1
New member
I've been selling Reid animals on a just about a weekly basis for 4 months, he has always been very good to deal with.
Everytime he's ever purchased anything from me, he's always hit me up with a barage of questions on the health, quality, and appearance of all animals I've sold him.
This tells me that he wants to ensure that his customers are getting quality animals.
Although I've never bought anything from him, I would'nt hesitate in doing so.
Everytime he's ever purchased anything from me, he's always hit me up with a barage of questions on the health, quality, and appearance of all animals I've sold him.
This tells me that he wants to ensure that his customers are getting quality animals.
Although I've never bought anything from him, I would'nt hesitate in doing so.
I thought Ried was a nice guy to work with also. When I called him about the mite problem he was very friendly and offered to send treatment products at no charge. When I asked for the boas in the pic from the ad he posted he had them. I am questioning why he is posting pics of boas he doesn't have and why he doesnt follow thru with his emails & pics he promised to send me. I will give him a call, again, and see what is going on, but I don' think someone should have to call a guy three times and email him twice just to get a response. This just may be poor follow up on his part. Maybe he does have more of these boas and wants to save time by not taking more pics, I don't know. I'll let you know what I find out.
Thanks,
Jaremy Douglas
Thanks,
Jaremy Douglas
blues90
New member
happy so far
I purchased a few turtles from Ried and he was timely in his response and sent turtlesthat were in fine shape and good health and also packed them well for shipping , also spoke to him on the phone when I gave out the wrong zip code and he gave me info on how to track the turtle down , I would purchase again if I was in the market .
I purchased a few turtles from Ried and he was timely in his response and sent turtlesthat were in fine shape and good health and also packed them well for shipping , also spoke to him on the phone when I gave out the wrong zip code and he gave me info on how to track the turtle down , I would purchase again if I was in the market .
Anyone considering doing business with this person should read the following article first: http://www.jsonline.com/news/Metro/jul03/156955.asp
Excellent post Steven! Several people posted praising Reid. I wonder what they have to say now? I had a feeling he was shady. This forum is great! Here is a quote from the article:
"Reid Turowski, 28, owner of Captive Bred Specialties, has been charged with nine federal felonies, including conspiracy, smuggling shipments of wildlife, falsely labeling wildlife, making false statements to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official and money laundering. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and $2 million in fines."
Although he is innocent until proven guilty the charges are pretty straight forward and I think most will stick. One thing I forgot to mention was that while I was in his store I asked to see some Guyana Red Tails and he wouldn't even show them to me because they were in such rough shape. They too were probably illegal imports.
I find it funny and kind of ironic that someone with the name CAPTIVE BRED SPECIALTIES is getting these type of charges. A more proper name would have been Smuggled Specialties.
Jaremy Douglas
"Reid Turowski, 28, owner of Captive Bred Specialties, has been charged with nine federal felonies, including conspiracy, smuggling shipments of wildlife, falsely labeling wildlife, making false statements to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official and money laundering. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and $2 million in fines."
Although he is innocent until proven guilty the charges are pretty straight forward and I think most will stick. One thing I forgot to mention was that while I was in his store I asked to see some Guyana Red Tails and he wouldn't even show them to me because they were in such rough shape. They too were probably illegal imports.
I find it funny and kind of ironic that someone with the name CAPTIVE BRED SPECIALTIES is getting these type of charges. A more proper name would have been Smuggled Specialties.
Jaremy Douglas
sschind
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2002
- Messages
- 1,046
- Reaction score
- 54
- Points
- 48
- Age
- 61
- Location
- Twin Lakes Wisconsin USA
That was one article that prompted me to start the thread in the GBD forum about when supposed good guys do something illegal. I did not mention names because at the time I did not think there was a conviction. Apparently no one saw the thread. I also did not say anything in this thread because like I said, so far, as far as I know, nothing has been proven. In this day and age it has gotten so that I would believe the things I read in the "Onion" before most newspapers.
Anyway, Reid was selling at a herp show a week later and I was so tempted to go and ask him if he had any more of the wooden handicrafts left.
About a week earlier (before the article) a customer came into my store and said he was just at Ried's store and saw some awesome pancake tortoises and star tortoises. I was aware of the situation because I had heard rumors through someone else and I couldn't help but smile.
People like this do not deserve our business. I would not even look at his table at the swap. Unfortunately, very few people ever hear of things like this. One article gets published about the allegations and charges and then no one ever follows up. I doubt we will ever hear about how 90% of the charges stemming from the columbus show turn out. As such, we never know if the alleged smugglers are found guilty or not. I suspect that in many cases their charges are thrown out because the turn states evidence in order to land the bigger fish.
Still, it should be noted that the reason we should not deal with people like this is because of their illegal activities, and may not have anything to do with their animals. As a matter of fact, I think it is important that we do make such distinctions. it shows that we as a hobby will not tolerate actions such as this just because someone has a nice product.
Steve Schindler
Steve Schindler
Anyway, Reid was selling at a herp show a week later and I was so tempted to go and ask him if he had any more of the wooden handicrafts left.
About a week earlier (before the article) a customer came into my store and said he was just at Ried's store and saw some awesome pancake tortoises and star tortoises. I was aware of the situation because I had heard rumors through someone else and I couldn't help but smile.
People like this do not deserve our business. I would not even look at his table at the swap. Unfortunately, very few people ever hear of things like this. One article gets published about the allegations and charges and then no one ever follows up. I doubt we will ever hear about how 90% of the charges stemming from the columbus show turn out. As such, we never know if the alleged smugglers are found guilty or not. I suspect that in many cases their charges are thrown out because the turn states evidence in order to land the bigger fish.
Still, it should be noted that the reason we should not deal with people like this is because of their illegal activities, and may not have anything to do with their animals. As a matter of fact, I think it is important that we do make such distinctions. it shows that we as a hobby will not tolerate actions such as this just because someone has a nice product.
Steve Schindler
Steve Schindler
AmbanjaBlue
New member
OK, now for the defense.
I just love how you guys will call people names real quick. Do you all always believe everything that you see or read. Obviously, because this is how this forum started. Everyone on this forum who purchased from him, said they were very well taken care of by Reid (INCLUDING MYSELF), but the people who never bought from him, are calling him shady. I think that is ironic.
I wonder why the JS doesn't have an article on what really happened, or even what really happened in court. All you see is the article about the charges. What you all don't know is, is that Reid purchased the items from an IMPORTER who never had them to begin with. So Reid paid an IMPORTER for the reptiles. The IMPORTER then had the reptiles shipped from ASIA to AMERICA to Reids place of business. Are we all getting all of this so far. All charges were dropped except for the "making false statements to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official". Maybe you all should use the FOIA (freedom of information act), and follow up on somebody before you make claims or statements about somebody who you don't know anything about except for what you read in the news.
All in all, regardless of what you people say about him. I will continue to buy from Reid. He is a good guy. And I will continue to recomend people to him. I work in the pet trade 1 on 1. And if somebody wants something that I don't carry in our store, then I will continue to recomend them to Reid.
I just love how you guys will call people names real quick. Do you all always believe everything that you see or read. Obviously, because this is how this forum started. Everyone on this forum who purchased from him, said they were very well taken care of by Reid (INCLUDING MYSELF), but the people who never bought from him, are calling him shady. I think that is ironic.
I wonder why the JS doesn't have an article on what really happened, or even what really happened in court. All you see is the article about the charges. What you all don't know is, is that Reid purchased the items from an IMPORTER who never had them to begin with. So Reid paid an IMPORTER for the reptiles. The IMPORTER then had the reptiles shipped from ASIA to AMERICA to Reids place of business. Are we all getting all of this so far. All charges were dropped except for the "making false statements to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official". Maybe you all should use the FOIA (freedom of information act), and follow up on somebody before you make claims or statements about somebody who you don't know anything about except for what you read in the news.
All in all, regardless of what you people say about him. I will continue to buy from Reid. He is a good guy. And I will continue to recomend people to him. I work in the pet trade 1 on 1. And if somebody wants something that I don't carry in our store, then I will continue to recomend them to Reid.
Nnosker
New member
Good for you! It is your opinion just like everyone elses. But, if they make the decision not to do business with him anymore, that is their decision. Just like it is your decision to keep doing business with them.
Is it possible that the paper could be making this up? Hmmmm. Well, there must be a good explanation why he received illegal imports, and I am willing to listen.
Here is another paper with the story:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/states/wisconsin/6369313.htm
or how about from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife:
http://news.fws.gov/newsreleases/r3/4D6849EF-22B7-4107-9C3652922F5AC815.html
Sure, everyone makes mistakes, and maybe he did not get charged (yet), but he did get indicted by a "FEDERAL GRAND JURY". So it really does not matter what the outcome is/was/will be, he obviously became messed up in a deal that he should not of been in, and for being in the business for quite ahwile, he should of also known better not to have done it.
Also, he could have been doing this for quite some time, or some type of illegal importing from somewhere else (who knows). If you cannot do it legally, don't do it at all, and if it is so important to get these prize beauties in the states, than fight for it to become legal, or try to work out permits if applicable in working with that species.
I personally do not want to get messed up in any illegal activity, and will do the best that I can to avoid all possible chances, including working with ones known to do illegal actions in this trade/hobby. But that is my opinion, and that is what is great about our freedom is that we can express our opinion.
Does that mean that I will never do business with him? No, just not right now until I hear better information on legalities than what I have been hearing so far about it.
But, I do wish the best of luck to him, and do hope that it is just a slap on the hands. It was not like he was getting them for turtle soup or anything (that I know of).
Yes I have talked to him, and seems to be a great guy, and great with business transactions, but maybe he is too great in business transactions where he must get what every customer wants.
Just my 2 cents and maybe 3,
Nick Nosker
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Nnosker
New member
And as for follow up, what do you think these forums are for? We are trying to follow up on people by asking everyone what do you know about these people.
So the charges were dropped. Great!! So he bought them from an importer, great (I think). I guess that makes it a whole lot better.
Um. weren't some of the ones that he did purchase also protected (weather he bought them from an importer or not)? And if not, well i hope someone follows me up on it, because I have not seen anything stating that these were dropped or anything about the real charges, and that is what these forums are for if I am not mistaken.
Nick Nosker
Eau Claire, WI
So the charges were dropped. Great!! So he bought them from an importer, great (I think). I guess that makes it a whole lot better.
Um. weren't some of the ones that he did purchase also protected (weather he bought them from an importer or not)? And if not, well i hope someone follows me up on it, because I have not seen anything stating that these were dropped or anything about the real charges, and that is what these forums are for if I am not mistaken.
Nick Nosker
Eau Claire, WI
Nnosker
New member
could possibly be
Well, that is what it shows on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife site, and will take their word over any newspapers word.
Well, that is what it shows on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife site, and will take their word over any newspapers word.
AmbanjaBlue
New member
Re: could possibly be
Ok, now to bring you all up on the situation. Reid was charged, (and I love how some of you seem to thing that being charged is the same thing as being guilty). But all charges were dropped except 1, So he was found guilty of 1 thing, convicted of 1 thing.
(Making false statements to a US Fish and Wildlife officer).
Now, if people would actually use the search function in this forum, rather than questioning what people think, they would actually see this.....
These are all reputable people who have been in the Herp business for years.
Chamco = The Chameleon Company, based in Florida.
Lee Watson = Runs the largest reptile swap in the Wisconsin/Illinois/Indiana/Iowa area in Streamwood, IL
www.reptileswap.com
Kevin DeBusk = Smokey Mountain Reptiles.
So believe what these people say, rather than what the news says. Also, remember, just because somebody is charged doesn't mean he is guilty (or SHADY for that matter). I suggest people do their home work, before they start calling people names.
Ok, now to bring you all up on the situation. Reid was charged, (and I love how some of you seem to thing that being charged is the same thing as being guilty). But all charges were dropped except 1, So he was found guilty of 1 thing, convicted of 1 thing.
(Making false statements to a US Fish and Wildlife officer).
Now, if people would actually use the search function in this forum, rather than questioning what people think, they would actually see this.....
These are all reputable people who have been in the Herp business for years.
Chamco = The Chameleon Company, based in Florida.
Lee Watson = Runs the largest reptile swap in the Wisconsin/Illinois/Indiana/Iowa area in Streamwood, IL
www.reptileswap.com
Kevin DeBusk = Smokey Mountain Reptiles.
So believe what these people say, rather than what the news says. Also, remember, just because somebody is charged doesn't mean he is guilty (or SHADY for that matter). I suggest people do their home work, before they start calling people names.
Nnosker
New member
Re: Re: could possibly be
What does being a stand up guy, and good customer service have to do with what the news says?
I don't think the news was questioning his customer service, or if he is a stand up guy or not. I believe that the news brought up the fact that what he did was something that was not supposed to be done, don't you? Maybe you should also do more homework by reading up on what the news says.
Yes, no doubt in the reptile trade, they definately have everyone in a sling governing every little detail. But, lets not make it anymore harder than it is already by getting critters from places we are not supposed to get them and shipping them in things to make them hidden such as vases or whatever else.
That is what this issue is all about in the first place isn't it?
Yes, no doubt he can get his hands on some neat critters, and get what the customer wants. No denying that, because that is what caused the mess in the first place isn't it?
He is not the first one to get these charges, and almost a given that he won't be the last. And, I am sure that he will make better judgement from now on no doubt. I am glad that he didn't get burned from it.
Hopefully others will learn not to go thru the same ordeal, and yes I would most likely, still to this day, purchase reptiles from him if he would do business with me after my postings. I do not have problems with him, just that I think it was a poor choice on the mistake that was made. Everyone makes mistakes, and I haven't heard him mess up on any customer deals.
I am definately one that also believes this is beginning to be a major soap opera with everyone mocking everyone. Total chaos and sholuldn't be done this way. Instead of mocking everyone, this should be used as an awareness tool, and point out what things should not be done so that others will hopefully not do the same. But it is hard too control attitudes when something bad happens like bad business deals. Sure glad my reptiles won't rip me off (may bite sometimes he heh). Not doubt that reptiles are smarter than some people.
Cheers,
Nick Nosker
Wisconsin
AmbanjaBlue said:
What does being a stand up guy, and good customer service have to do with what the news says?
I don't think the news was questioning his customer service, or if he is a stand up guy or not. I believe that the news brought up the fact that what he did was something that was not supposed to be done, don't you? Maybe you should also do more homework by reading up on what the news says.
Yes, no doubt in the reptile trade, they definately have everyone in a sling governing every little detail. But, lets not make it anymore harder than it is already by getting critters from places we are not supposed to get them and shipping them in things to make them hidden such as vases or whatever else.
That is what this issue is all about in the first place isn't it?
Yes, no doubt he can get his hands on some neat critters, and get what the customer wants. No denying that, because that is what caused the mess in the first place isn't it?
He is not the first one to get these charges, and almost a given that he won't be the last. And, I am sure that he will make better judgement from now on no doubt. I am glad that he didn't get burned from it.
Hopefully others will learn not to go thru the same ordeal, and yes I would most likely, still to this day, purchase reptiles from him if he would do business with me after my postings. I do not have problems with him, just that I think it was a poor choice on the mistake that was made. Everyone makes mistakes, and I haven't heard him mess up on any customer deals.
I am definately one that also believes this is beginning to be a major soap opera with everyone mocking everyone. Total chaos and sholuldn't be done this way. Instead of mocking everyone, this should be used as an awareness tool, and point out what things should not be done so that others will hopefully not do the same. But it is hard too control attitudes when something bad happens like bad business deals. Sure glad my reptiles won't rip me off (may bite sometimes he heh). Not doubt that reptiles are smarter than some people.
Cheers,
Nick Nosker
Wisconsin