• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • 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.

Silver Dollar Sized Turtles - And other pet shop "oopsies"

S

Shai Gurl

Po-Dunk Gal
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:angry:
Wellp, this is a current issue facing a Wyoming pet shop, the illegal sales of baby turtles - All of which were about the size of silver dollars. I was recently asked by a local shop here to investigate another town's pet store whom many customers had claimed to be selling "baby turtles" that were no larger then a silver dollar. I went in and searched about, finding a few rather disturbing things...

There were no less than 45 baby turtles crammed into a tank without enough room for all to perch :)crying: clambering up into piles 4 turtles, and firebelly toads, deep in some "basking" spots). No real heat sources nor water heaters were in use. I informed them that it was illegal to sell such small turtles (or any turtle under 4 inches), they said it was... I informed the local police that it was illegal, they said it was... I informed the federal health department of the area that it was illegal, they said they didn't know... I informed (transferred by the health department) the DoW that it was illegal, they asked for species then said they didn't know... Finally I was able to get hold of the FDA, THEY knew, and took down all information. The activities are still under investigation, and you bet your bottom that I'm going to keep on that horse to it's end.

:hot:
Other complaints/problems: Multiple species in with each other...Baby carpet pythons in with the baby ball pythons.

Window Display (6ftx3ft "cage"): 2 9+ft Burmese pythons in with a 3-4ft redtail, in with a rat snake of some kind, in with a tortoise that cannot reach the water (bowl is taller then the tortoise's shell).

"Iguanas" - 2 iguanas in their "display cage" just inside the store's door. NO heat sources nor proper lighting. Both grossly emaciated, and dehydrated. The smaller one has MBD something fierce, and I'd bank on at least 2 broken limbs.

SNAPPING TURTLES: Just inside the door is a 65+/- gallon tank with about 4 (common?) snapping turtles, each of which have a minimum of a 13 inch shell length. They have no basking spots, no place to climb out of the excrement clouded waters. NO heat... Oh, and theres NO COVER ON THE TANK. So people can easily reach right on in. :puke:

Bird cages kept OVER the reptile cages, allowing the feathers and dander to fall straight on down.

3ft Dwarf Caiman in a 55-65 gallon tank, one half submerged log to try and "perch" and about 5 tank-mates (5-6 inch slider turtles). I wanted to smack the guy after listening in on a conversation where he told a fellow that the critter won't grow any bigger because of the tank and was only recently started in on adult mice for food. (I may not know much about crocodilians, but I know enough that the poor thing had a very skinny tail base and should have been on something larger, and a more varied diet as well, right?).


Like I said before, I fully intend to keep my nose in this, and would like the reptile community's help. I am going to get an article published in the local paper as well as the ones around the state of Wyoming, and would like you (the reptile lovers) to help in writing the local law officials and government bodies for stricter reptile husbandry laws and law enforcement when they're broken. And if any of you out there have any other ideas please let me know.

:smash: For legal reasons I cannot publicly write the store's name here (at least thats what I understand), so drop me a line and I'll help out with where to go to find the government addresses, and the store yourself if inclined to do so.

Sara Eyre, CVT

[email protected]

"Of all the creatures, man is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he is the only one that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot."--Mark Twain
 
Still selling despite the FDA

:angry:

Wellp, heres a little update for y'all....

They are STILL selling the baby turtles at that pet shop... Only now they're having people sign this little paper with about 3-4 sentences saying that they're buying it "for education and/or scientific research.":puke: Boy, would I really like to see the thesis papers when they come in.


-Sara Eyre
 
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