Todd Gearhearts Tarantulas--Buyer Beware

[HerpsinIN]

I recently purchased an '06 male woma python from Todd Gearheart on Feb. 9, 2007. In my original inquiry about the snake, I asked:

From Brad Selig Friday, February 9, 2007 9:33:28 AM
Hi I am very interested in the Woma you have for sale. I would really like some pics of it. Also, is there anything wrong with it? How do you accept payment? Is shipping included in the $500?

His reply

From Todd Gearheart February 9, 2007 10:11:20 AM
I'll email you pics this afternoon.Nothing is wrong with him. He is in great shape and weight, eating fine and looks awesome. Shipping is separate. $80 for Delta Dash.

After figuring out shipping day and him explaining how Delta Dash works as this was the first time I had ordered a reptile over the internet and had it shipped, I picked up the woma from the airport on Feb 16, 2007 evening. After driving back home from the airport that is an hour away, I emailed Todd and told him that I just got home with the snake, it looks good and thanked him for the good customer service. I did a quick once over on the snake and then had to go out to eat with some friends. When I got back, I did a better examination on the snake to find mites on it. So I emailed Todd back.

From Brad Selig Friday, February 16, 2007 10:17:58 PM
I just had the woma out for better examination, and there is something underneath its right eye. I am not sure what it is, but thought I read somewhere that mites will get up underneath the eye lid. There is also some injured scales on its belly, but think that will heal with sheding. The thing under the eyelid will move around.

His reply:

From Todd Gearheart Friday, February 16, 2007 11:01:28 PM
I did not notice either thing. As for some scaling being different,
possibly some rock shelter of wooden dowel in his cage might have done that via rubbing against it. Mites? This guy is captive-born and was in a very clean cage.

I soaked the snake to find a "dead" mite attached to its belly. I took pictures of it on the snake, but they didnt turn out but went ahead and sent them to Todd. He replied that they were very fuzzy and couldnt make them out. I agree with him 100% as they were horrible. He also stated this

From Todd Gearheart Saturday, February 17, 2007 12:08:09 AM
The woma male I sent you was and is a healthy, eating, great-looking snake. I never saw mites on him. He is CB and was in a very clean cage. I'm not sure what you are seeing as your pics are fuzzy, but if you are trying to say the snake is bad or unhealthy, I respectfully and strongly disagree with you.

I was kind enough and offered to send the "dead" mite so he could have proof.

From Brad Selig Saturday, February 17, 2007 12:11:48 AM
I have a mite in a little ziploc bag if really want me to send it to you. I swear to you that he has mites. I thought that it was dead after the 30 min water soak, but as it was sitting on the papertowel, it started to move. So then I put it in this ziploc and sprayed some ant and roach killer in it to kill it. It did the trick. Like I said, i would be more than happy to send this too you. I can also see if I can borrow a friends camera to take a pic of it first for you as his camera is better than mine.

He said no need to ship the dead mite.

No need to send me a bag with a mite. I do not understand where that came from. Maybe it was in the shipping box from something else. After you get past the mite or not mite thing, are you saying it's a bad snake?, because I so, I would strongly disagree. He looks great. He has eaten great. He has good body weight. He has been very active and calm and most of all - he is a rare Woma. In the past week, I have shipped over 7 awesome-looking and rare snakes. No problems, no mites, and all happy customers. So, where are you going with all this?

He went on saying in another email

From Todd Gearheart Saturday, February 17, 2007 12:56:12 AM
In summary, the only thing that I can think of right now is my suggestion that it is not a "perfect world" and getting anything perfect is not realistic. Take a deep breath, calm down and be open-minded here. I'm always on my customer's side in business matters as I always think from the customer's perspective, because I too am a hobbyist of these critters.

This Woma is immaculate and anybody would want him. There is a very high demand for this species and this individual was high quality. I do not understand the reported mite or two. It makes no sense to me, but I give you the benefit of the doubt that you saw it. Now after processing that, you still have a beautiful, healthy and rare snake. That is the bottom line.

I replied

From Brad Selig Saturday, February 17, 2007 11:08:43 AM
So you are saying that just because he is beautiful and rare, that I shouldnt be complaining that the snake I just spent $600 on has mites! Do you understand how big of a deal mites are? They are so hard to get rid of and they will kill an animal if not treated. I can assure you that if I would have known it had mites, I would not have purchased him. I am sure that many other people would feel the same way.

Since I have sent this last message, he hasnt replied back regarding the mites. He has since sent me an email saying he has prehensile tailed skinks for sale.

So this seller, in my opinion, has shown that he is not in any way concerned that his stock has mites. Instead, he blows it off and the way I took it, I should just be happy that I now have a good looking "rare" snake. Not once has he apologied nor has he admitted to having mites. I know this isnt a huge deal, but I think it is important for potential buyers to be aware of the stock he is selling. I was told that there was nothing wrong with this animal, but there was. Nothing major, but I was lied too. Just saying Buyer Beware!

Brad Selig

 

[John E Dove]

Confused

Mr. Selig,
Why are you posting an exact repeat of the post you started yesterday?
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96711

John E Dove

 

[Gecko_Den]

A better question would be; why was the original post locked with no explanation?

 

[HerpsinIN]

Hi,
I noticed that I had spelled his last name wrong in the first post and have been working with the mods about it. They said they are going to lock it, have me post a new corrected thread, and then they are going to delete it. I am trying to limit the amount of confusion on the board.

Sorry if this bothered you,
Brad Selig

 

[texasnewbie]

I tried to ask yesterday, how is the Woma's eyelid now? Was it a mite?

 

[Griz]

A few quick comments. If this animal had a mite or a few mites, then yes, it is disappointing and frustrating. However, it is very quickly and easily remedied. If this Woma came in covered in mites then that's another story.

I received an Argentine boa from a Fauna breeder this past summer and within a minute of holding it my arms were crawling with mites!! We're not talking about 10 rather 100's!! Now that's something to be upset over as it indicates the animal had had this issue for quite sometime and therefore was susceptible to other illnesses etc.

However, if you only found 1 mite then don't sweat it too much. Todd probably should refund you the $10 for the treatment but other than that you are expending a lot of energy over something very minor although annoying.

There are a lot of easy and quick treatments that you can do. Go to the boa or python forums and I am sure you will find what you need. Good luck.

Griz

 

[John E Dove]

Oops, Now I see!!

Thanks for pointing that out Mr. Selig. I am embarrassed to say I had not noticed the misspelling in the title or the fact that it had been locked.


John E Dove

 

[HerpsinIN]

I tried to ask yesterday, how is the Woma's eyelid now? Was it a mite?

Yes, it was a mite. It came out dead with the shed. The shape of his eye is still not perfectly round, though. So there might be a trip to the vet soon.
Brad

 

[HerpsinIN]

Griz,
I know what you are saying. Yes, I found only a couple mites on him, however, when they say there is nothing wrong with them and there is, that comes out as poor customer service. To completely ignore that an animal you have sold has mites, and never apologize or offer to help in anyway, but instead keep telling me I should be happy that I have a "rare" snake, is poor customer service. This animal may only have a couple mites, but what about all of his other stock?

I was debating whether or not to post about Todd on the BOI as I too didnt feel it was that big of a deal, however, I want to save other potential buyers the hassle.

Brad Selig

 

[Griz]

Griz,
I know what you are saying. Yes, I found only a couple mites on him, however, when they say there is nothing wrong with them and there is, that comes out as poor customer service. To completely ignore that an animal you have sold has mites, and never apologize or offer to help in anyway, but instead keep telling me I should be happy that I have a "rare" snake, is poor customer service. This animal may only have a couple mites, but what about all of his other stock?

I was debating whether or not to post about Todd on the BOI as I too didnt feel it was that big of a deal, however, I want to save other potential buyers the hassle.

Brad Selig

Understood Brad, but just from reading your emails it appears that you are making it out to be more than it needs to and Jeff is taking more the approach of who cares, it's one mite. Neither is approach is correct in my opinion. The fact still remains that, according to you, you got a great looking animal and you certainly did well on the price. So, if you have to deal with a 10 minute quick fix in order to have this woman then that's a small price to pay. With it only having one or maybe two mites that should tell you that it would be rather easy to overlook on Jeff's part.

Mites are not the easiest thing to see if there is only 1 when you're dealing with a 6 foot animal (or however long it is). If this had been covered then it would be worthy of a BOI thread. However, the way it stands, this did not need to be put on the BOI. While I still agree that Jeff should pay for the $10 treatment that really should have been the end of it. It's a rare day that any CB snake does not end up getting a mite on it over the course of it's life. While it's unfortunate that it happened to you it's also very easy to remedy.

I still have not posted a bad guy thread about the individual who I bought the Argentine from as it simply has not been worth my time and I had her fixed up within 2 weeks and she is just now coming out of quarantine after 8 months. Some things are simply best walked away from.

Griz

 

[redbird]

Not really worth a thread.

This vendor isn't a thief, scammer or mis-representer...at least, not from what I am reading. Mites are an occasional part of life in large collections - they pop up occasionally, you get rid of them - personally, I have never had a hard time getting rid of them if an animal arrives with a few of them aboard. And as long as the animal is healthy, feeding, unscarred, no broken ribs, both eye & nostrils clear, etc. - I figure I made out OK.

I'm not trying to belittle your feelings, I'm just saying it really isn't that big a deal to have a snake arrive with a single mite IMHO.
Mike Bostice

 

[HerpsinIN]

I have already stated that I was questioning whether or not to post this on the BOI. However, I noticed the mites with in hours of owning this snake. The snake is 2ft long. The animal also had cuts, which I said I was not too worried about as they will probably be fixed with shedding.

My point is when he told me that there was "nothing" wrong with this animal, I was lied too. He lied to me about the quality of the animal. Yes, neither problem is that big of a deal, but even if he had this snake for a couple days before selling it, these things should have easily been noticed.

I have kept herps for 6yrs now (my collection has always been fairly small with no more than 10 at a time) and never had a problem with any of my reptiles having mites.

I know that Todd (not Jeff) had this snake for atleast a week as the last time the snake at was 8 days before I got it. The life cycle of mites takes roughly 2 weeks. So if there was a minor infestation, as with this case, it mostlikely took place at Todds location. This meaning that all of his other reptiles and invertabrates will probably also have mites. So from my conclusion, which i am quessing, this snake was not housed in a clean environment as he stated. Clean being defined as "free from foreign or extraneous matter" (www.dictionary.com).

I am just trying to warn others of potential problems they may run into from purchasing from him.

 

[KelliH]

Brad,

Do you mind posting pics of the cuts the animal has?

 

[DavidBeard]

I had a less than pleasant interaction with Mr. Gearheart last year..

I contacted Todd about purchasing a spider from him. We agreed on a price and I PayPal'd him to money for the spider and shipping costs. Todd then sends the money back to me stating that I need to add 3% to cover the fee that PayPal takes out when someone receives money. This really irked me because A-he made no mention of the 3% before we agreed upon the transaction and B-charging your customers the 3% PayPal fee is not only against PayPal's Terms of Service but it is also illegal. In my opinion, the 3% is simply a cost of doing business and should not be passed onto your customers. When you go to a store, do they charge you for using your credit/debit card, even though it costs them money? Of course not....why should it be any different when buying tarantulas? If I had known upfront about the additional 3% PayPal add-on fee, I would not have even contacted Mr. Gearhart to purchase anything.

I was threatened with legal action when I posted the above information about Todd on Arachnoboards, and Todd himself told me that because he was a big name dealer that he could do what he wanted. He said he would have the Arachnoboards staff remove my post (which they did, surprise). I would not buy a deli cup from Mr. Gearheart.

 

[HerpsinIN]

Brad,

Do you mind posting pics of the cuts the animal has?

I will try with my camera. It is only a 3.2 megapixel camera so upclose pics usually dont turn out. But I will be more than happy to try!

Brad Selig

 

[HerpsinIN]

David-
I also had to pay the 3%. He was upfront with me about it though. I didnt realize that it was against Paypal rules and regulations! I might look into that.

Thanks
Brad Selig

 

[HerpsinIN]

I will try with my camera. It is only a 3.2 megapixel camera so upclose pics usually dont turn out. But I will be more than happy to try!

Brad Selig

I just tried, but none of the pics cam out. I will see if I can borrow my friends to take some pics. If you want, I can upload that blurry pics anyway, but they wont be able to show anything.

 

[John Apple]

I was threatened with legal action when I posted the above information about Todd on Arachnoboards, and Todd himself told me that because he was a big name dealer that he could do what he wanted. He said he would have the Arachnoboards staff remove my post (which they did, surprise). I would not buy a deli cup from Mr. Gearheart.

Yup that sounds like Todd, I bought a tarantula from another dealer that Todd sold as a female to him, well it was a male and the other dealer MORE than compensated for the mistake [John Hoke]. My post is not there anymore because I suppose it was not a DIRECT transaction with Todd.
Once or twice he has over the years wanted to initiate a trade with me which I declined for this reason. Todd is all bluster and can do no wrong, in effect he is a legend in his own mind.
I will state he has had many good deals with other folks, but the negative ones he has had I have seen removed or they have mysteriously dissappeared

 

[dzoo]

I know its annoying but mites do go with the territory when keeping reptiles, just like fleas are when keeping a dog or cat, and of course any new arrivals should be quarantined in an area seperate from the rest of your collection until your are confident about the health and mite status of the new arrival.

If you really want to stay with reptiles definately learn to deal with mites and keep your arsenal of treatments at the ready! Sevin dust, No pest strip, provent-a-mite, et al. !

I think you mentioned that he only had the snake for a short time? You will probably get better results buying directly from the breeder rather than someone brokering or re-selling animals too.

As far as the 3% paypal fee, i do think this is a bit tacky on the part of the seller, if they are so concerned about 3% they could simply increase the price by 3% and just not mention it, i.e. charge $515 for the Woma instead of $500. That is not against Paypal rules.

 

[John Apple]

I know its annoying but mites do go with the territory when keeping reptiles, just like fleas are when keeping a dog or cat, and of course any new arrivals should be quarantined in an area seperate from the rest of your collection until your are confident about the health and mite status of the new arrival.

If you really want to stay with reptiles definately learn to deal with mites and keep your arsenal of treatments at the ready! Sevin dust, No pest strip, provent-a-mite, et al. !

I think you mentioned that he only had the snake for a short time? You will probably get better results buying directly from the breeder rather than someone brokering or re-selling animals too.

As far as the 3% paypal fee, i do think this is a bit tacky on the part of the seller, if they are so concerned about 3% they could simply increase the price by 3% and just not mention it, i.e. charge $515 for the Woma instead of $500. That is not against Paypal rules.

Disagreeable....mites do not go with the territory when keeping CLEAN reptiles.
Good preventable measures are what is required just like a dog.
Say you buy a dog from someone that is perfectly healthy from a llloooonnnngg time breeder that has the cutting edge of dogs. Well the dog is said to be perfect and healthy, ya get it home and it has fleas...your gonna be mad no matter what you paid. Getting a perfectly healthy animal [so said] at a reduced price with parasites is no deal at all. One mite can vector a dangerous pathogen