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LittleMick
Yearling
United Kingdom
563 Posts |
 Posted - 09/10/2009 : 23:13:13
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Hi, I know I've posted a couple of topics regarding my pre snake buying advice, but rather than add to them I thought I would create a new one just to share my first 888 reptiles buy. I went for the Basic Hatchling Corn Snake Setup. The basic price was £56.94, a good price anyway, but I got a real bargain. I have included a list of what the basic setup consists of and I rang them and asked if I could make alterations and give me a new quote.
Exo Terra Large Flat Faunarium 18"x12"x6 1/2"
888 Aspen Bedding 1kg
Komodo Heat Mat 7w 15 x 28cm
Komodo Thermostat 300w
2 x Exo Terra Liqquid Crystal Thermometer Strip (I removed these and replaced with an ET Dig Thermom)
2 x Exo Terra Small Hides (I had 1 removed as I already had a spare Small Snake Cave)
1 x Exo TerraSmall Water Dish (I upgraded to a medium)
I was expecting the new quote to be in the region of £68 but they came back with £59, I was well pleased. I ordered it all that night, Wednesday, it got processed the next day, Thursday, and despatched on Friday, I had to book a short notice day off, lol. I was expecting it around 11am, but it turned up at 8.35am, I could have just gone into work late, but never mind. It's all setup now just testing. Overall I think I got a great service. Will definitely be using them in the future.
Below are a few images of the setup. The plastic plant in there is from my Leopard Gecko Viv for the photos only. I'll be buying another one for the faun the next time I am in my local RC, along with a trailing plant to put down the back wall for some extra cover. I decided to put the Aspen in rather than paper towel just in case the snake wants to burrow. I was also looking at teh large water bowls but these seem too big so there wouldn't be much space in there.
I'll see what size the snake is at the 6-12 month mark then upgrade to a viv. |
0.4.0 Gerbils (Gemini, Pica, Gerty and Sasha)
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Elle)
1.0.0 Carolina Corn Snake(Elijah)
0.0.1 Emperor/Imperial Scorpion (Abbi)
2.0.0 Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters (Micro & Chippy)
Tropical fish - 6 Platys.6 Mollies.9 Glowlight Tetra.4 Pearl Gouramis.4 Apple Snails.1 Tiger Plec.2 Common Bristlenose Plecs and lots of babies. |
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SexyBear77
Fully Grown Corn
United Kingdom
3796 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2009 : 23:14:59
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| thats a lovely setup, well done! |
9.11 Cornsnakes
1.1 Hogg island boas
1.0 Dwarf Burmese python
Location: Watford
Website- http://rassnakes.yolasite.com/ |
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LittleMick
Yearling
United Kingdom
563 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2009 : 23:37:07
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Thanks Sexy, I'm pretty pleased with it, just one thing missing now, lol.
I forgot to mention as well, the only negative I have about the faun, the small wire holes are too small for the Stat sensor, it was ok for the ET Digi wire, but I had to drill a hole in the back side of the lid to get the stat sensor through it, but other than that it is ok. Once the snake is in there I'll be etsting the hatches to see how escape proof they are. |
0.4.0 Gerbils (Gemini, Pica, Gerty and Sasha)
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Elle)
1.0.0 Carolina Corn Snake(Elijah)
0.0.1 Emperor/Imperial Scorpion (Abbi)
2.0.0 Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters (Micro & Chippy)
Tropical fish - 6 Platys.6 Mollies.9 Glowlight Tetra.4 Pearl Gouramis.4 Apple Snails.1 Tiger Plec.2 Common Bristlenose Plecs and lots of babies. |
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893 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2009 : 00:14:31
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Great. I too had excellent experience with Triple-8 so have now ordered from them again.
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HannahB
The Corn Snake Moderator
United Kingdom
5491 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2009 : 13:05:10
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neat one..
wish my 888 package arrived well..both the fauns i ordered were damaged - on had 2 huge cracks in the side and the other had a whole corner missing with the broken bits of plastic in the wrapping 
but that set up looks really good 
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2.0 Normal Royal Pythons - Q and Little One
1.0 Chihauhaun Mountain Kingsnake - Simba
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kizzig
Yearling
United Kingdom
560 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2009 : 14:55:17
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Great setup! We modified the wire hole with a large drill bit so that the stat sensor would fit.
We ordered from 888 a couple of weeks ago. Ordered at 8am Monday morning, arrived at 10am Wednesday! Really pleaased and will defo use again, the prices are great! |
Kizzig
Our ever growing menagerie:
1.0.0 Amel cornsnake (Ziggy)
0.1.0 Amel motley cornsnake (Kizzy)
1.0.0 Housegecko (Eric)
0.1.0 Chile Rose Tarantula (Daisy) RIP Double D, We'll miss you... xxx
1.0.0 Budgie (Oscar)
0.1.0 Cat (Sophie)
1.1.0 Red Eared Sliders (Sam 'n' Ella)
Assorted Fish - Harry, Artie, Kev and Ebi.
RIP Georgina the Housegecko , Archie the Angelfish (17/09/09), and Daisy the Chile Rose Tarantula (19/11/2009)
   
   
Our Animal's Album: http://s986.photobucket.com/albums/ae347/klivingston234/ |
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58 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2009 : 17:58:53
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Great setup, looks really nice just a note about the vent wires, i snapped one off and put the thermostat sensor through the larger gap, bit of a squeeze but fitted, two days later hatchling decided to go exploring so good call on drilling a new hole
lathers |
1.0.0 Tom a 10 month old Flourescent orange Corn 29 inches and growing fast
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kizzig
Yearling
United Kingdom
560 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2009 : 19:43:12
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We used the same wire hole, just "expanded" slightly 
Couldn't figure out how else to get the probe in there... |
Kizzig
Our ever growing menagerie:
1.0.0 Amel cornsnake (Ziggy)
0.1.0 Amel motley cornsnake (Kizzy)
1.0.0 Housegecko (Eric)
0.1.0 Chile Rose Tarantula (Daisy) RIP Double D, We'll miss you... xxx
1.0.0 Budgie (Oscar)
0.1.0 Cat (Sophie)
1.1.0 Red Eared Sliders (Sam 'n' Ella)
Assorted Fish - Harry, Artie, Kev and Ebi.
RIP Georgina the Housegecko , Archie the Angelfish (17/09/09), and Daisy the Chile Rose Tarantula (19/11/2009)
Our Animal's Album: http://s986.photobucket.com/albums/ae347/klivingston234/ |
Edited by - kizzig on 10/10/2009 19:43:38 |
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213 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2009 : 21:04:53
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| Hi!! We've got the exact same faun' and we've found that the smaller of the two escape hatches needed to be hatchling proofed with some gaffer tape cos it slid out of place just a little too easily!! We got our thermometer wires over the side and out of the top without having to drill any holes. The lid popped on just as it should and is snug and secure and the thermometers are reading accurately so maybe we've just been lucky?!? |
0.0.1 Normal Corn (Cinco), 0.1.0 Ghost Motley (Sadie), 1.0.0 Amel Corn (Snuggles), 0.0.1 Classic Corn (The Stig), 1.0.0 Pastel Royal Python (Ba'al), 1.0.0 Pinstripe Royal Python (Paladin), 4.0.0 Cats, 1.0.0 Other Half, 0.3.0 Drains on My Resources (or Daughters)
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LittleMick
Yearling
United Kingdom
563 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2009 : 22:31:29
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quote:
Originally posted by HannahB
neat one..
wish my 888 package arrived well..both the fauns i ordered were damaged - on had 2 huge cracks in the side and the other had a whole corner missing with the broken bits of plastic in the wrapping
but that set up looks really good
Sorry to hear about your fauns Hannah, I must admit, they are pretty delicate. There were a couple of times where I thought I had broken a couple of the side vents due to too much pressure while putting in the new hole. What were 888 like on the returns side?
quote:
Originally posted by Lathers
Great setup, looks really nice just a note about the vent wires, i snapped one off and put the thermostat sensor through the larger gap, bit of a squeeze but fitted, two days later hatchling decided to go exploring so good call on drilling a new hole
quote:
Originally posted by kizzig
We used the same wire hole, just "expanded" slightly
Couldn't figure out how else to get the probe in there...
I was going to to expand on the existing hole, but after looking at the way it is molded I decided to drill, as I thought the hatchling may escape. As I said, the digi thermom sensor was small enough to go through the hole but the Komodo Stat sensor was just too big, so I hand drilled the hole using a small drill bit going bigger until it was the same size as the sensor.
quote:
Originally posted by bbsmog
Hi!! We've got the exact same faun' and we've found that the smaller of the two escape hatches needed to be hatchling proofed with some gaffer tape cos it slid out of place just a little too easily!! We got our thermometer wires over the side and out of the top without having to drill any holes. The lid popped on just as it should and is snug and secure and the thermometers are reading accurately so maybe we've just been lucky?!?
I was inspecting the hatches after Hannah mentioned about her Monty, when clipped in place they do seem secure, but what I will do is test them one night when I have the hatchling. The smaller of the 2 I will probably tape as well as I don't think I will use it. The larger one however, because of the finger indents I will tape the inside of these making them less of a gradient or bump for the snake to push against. While I am not in the room I will put a something heavy on top just to be safe.
I have also switched the 2 hides round, the Exo Terra standard small hide I have put on the warm side so the snake can lay directly on the heated substrate as I find the snake caves don't seem to warm up very well, seeings the heat has to pass through the faun and the substrate and then the walls of the cave. But that is only after initial heat tests. |
0.4.0 Gerbils (Gemini, Pica, Gerty and Sasha)
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Elle)
1.0.0 Carolina Corn Snake(Elijah)
0.0.1 Emperor/Imperial Scorpion (Abbi)
2.0.0 Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters (Micro & Chippy)
Tropical fish - 6 Platys.6 Mollies.9 Glowlight Tetra.4 Pearl Gouramis.4 Apple Snails.1 Tiger Plec.2 Common Bristlenose Plecs and lots of babies. |
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deleted
445 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2009 : 01:08:43
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Right then... 888 Reptiles comments.
When i was setting up for my snakes i also went the 888 Reptiles route for a few things, and i must say i was not impressed.
I ordered late one night so i expected an extra days delay, but after a week i had still heard absolutely nothing from them and i had had no delivery. I emailed them asking what had happened to my order and if everything was alright with it... thinking it may of just been a simple computer error on their part. After 2 days i had got absolutely no reply.
I waited another day or two and then rang them to see what was going on, the girl on the phone was nice enough and full of apologies. She told me that they should of rung me to tell me that some of the things i had ordered were out of stock... but they didn't. She offered to change the heat mat i ordered to one that was the same size but a different brand, she changed the viv lock i ordered to another brand also... and upgraded the feeding tongs to a larger size because it was all they had left.
So i thought that things would be ok, but alas they were not.
The delivery was supposed to come the next day between 9am and i think 1pm... but no, the guy turns up at 10 past 7 so i had to run down stairs half asleep and not fully dressed so as not to miss him. The order was well packaged and secure but the mice i had ordered where all but thawed, so i will not be buying mice from them again. Everything else looked fine, but was not.
The viv lock would not fit the glass, if i had actually tried to close the glass and lock it i am sure it would of smashed. That was fine, i thought i would just send that back and wait until they got the other brand back in to try again.
Then i tried the heat mat and thermostat (Microclimate 100), the heat mat worked fine but the thermostat did not. First of all i had to turn the temp guage on the thermostat to 35c before it would even turn the mat on and if i dialed it back below 29c it would turn back off again, so i left it set to about 29c and when it went to 29.4c it turned off as expected. The problem then got worse because the stat refused to turn the mat back on... the temp dropped back down to about room temperature and had still not turned back on. Again i thought fine, it is a faulty stat and i will send it back for a replacement.
Now comes the call to 888 Reptiles to inform them that the items were not working and that i would be sending them back. Again the girl on the phone was perfectly nice, but on hearing that i wanted to return the products she then handed the phone off to a guy that sounded about the same age as myself (26). The guy proceeded to tell me that the viv lock was perfectly suitable for all the vivs in their shop and that it was a problem with my tank.... ooook, not what i called to find out, but fine. The next subject was the thermostat, he said that it was NOT a faulty thermostat. He also went on to tell me that on/off thermostats were DESIGNED to reach the temperature and then die all the way back down to room temperature before turning themselves back on, he also went on to tell me that they had contacted Microclimate regarding their thermostats and they had also told them that it was working exactly as it was designed... even the fact that it WOULD NOT turn back on was apparently fine. The guy then went on to say that mat stats were not suitable to use on heat mats and that i should of bought a pulse stat from them instead, but hey, the guy was a thinker and looking for some extra money. He told me that if i was to send the thermostat back to them in saleable condition he would bill my credit card the extra money and send me a Microclimate pulse stat out as soon as possible. At this point i was politely trying to get out of the conversation and get across that i would send the two items back for a refund, not the upgrade... and he said that was fine, but did not let the conversation end there.
Now, after the product complaints were over and done with he decided to tell me that my entire setup was wrong and that i ran a very high risk of burning my house down and killing my snake and family (his words, not mine).
He started to quiz me about temperatures, substrate, how i was actually heating the viv (even though i had ordered a mat and stat?!), what type of snake i was planning to get, whether the viv was glass, plastic or wood.
According to this chap, corn snakes should never be heated by a heat mat as they regularly fail and set fire to substrate, they should always be heated using heat lamps because it is safer. He totally blew me off when i mentioned that heat mats were a more natural source of heat to a nocturnal snake as they would, in the wild, gain their heat by basking on the warm earth or rock rather than get it from above. His response was this little nugget "i do know what i am talking about, i have been breeding snakes for 20 years". This from a chap that, as said earlier, sounded about the same age as myself.
Other things were said but for the life of me i cannot remember it now.
So yeah, 888 Reptiles... not a shop i will be recommending to anybody.
Sorry for the long post, and if you read this far then thanks. |
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Kehhlyr
ǝʞɐɔ sǝʌoן
United Kingdom
8173 Posts |
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LittleMick
Yearling
United Kingdom
563 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2009 : 02:07:03
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Good link Kehhlyr. I love quoting my rights to sellers who think I haven't got any, or stuck up PC world sales reps who think I don't know anything about computers, lol.
Bioshock - Sorry to hear about your experience, I have to admit, their email comms are seriously lacking, but other than that I got a good service. As for your equipment probs, that's down to the manufacturers. My Habistat (for L.Gecko) is about 10 degrees out, that's why I went Komodo on this setup rather than changing it to something else. I have had the heat mat and stat on now since I bought it. I think it should be allowed to go beyond 35c, I am finding that it doesn't turn back on until the temp drops to about 29-30c, but then again I'm not expecting it to.
I also never accept an exchange for another bit of kit unless I have researched the other kit first or maybe find an alternative seller.
As with all my pets I have saught the lowest seller for the initial setup, but after that I go to my locals. I normally find if I only want one item it's ends up cheaper anyway.
Have you got any faves for online shopping for herps?
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0.4.0 Gerbils (Gemini, Pica, Gerty and Sasha)
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Elle)
1.0.0 Carolina Corn Snake(Elijah)
0.0.1 Emperor/Imperial Scorpion (Abbi)
2.0.0 Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters (Micro & Chippy)
Tropical fish - 6 Platys.6 Mollies.9 Glowlight Tetra.4 Pearl Gouramis.4 Apple Snails.1 Tiger Plec.2 Common Bristlenose Plecs and lots of babies. |
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HannahB
The Corn Snake Moderator
United Kingdom
5491 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2009 : 16:13:13
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personally I have bought all my snakes from a breeder who lives either down in portsmouth or somewhere else - cant remember where lol.. I spoke with them loads of times before I put a deposit down and i went through all of the basic q's, how old, whats it eating/shedding like, whats its housing like, what are the parents like.. ect and only if i felt confident enough they were good enough breeders did i make the jump from interested to definately..
or they have come from forum memebers like GP
dont use tape what ever you do.. several people on here have innocently used tape and then found snakey stuck to it and it can take a while to come off.. |
2.0 Normal Royal Pythons - Q and Little One
1.0 Chihauhaun Mountain Kingsnake - Simba
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Edited by - HannahB on 11/10/2009 16:17:18 |
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lucifer
The Corn Snake Moderator
United Kingdom
780 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2009 : 11:20:42
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Purchased a box of goodies for my corns from 888 before, I ordered next day delivery royal mail as I was expecting a new addition from the Donny show, for some reason the item didn't ship that day, I phoned them they were very pleasant and apologised. The lady picked and packed the item for me there and then and sent it via special courier for first thing the next morning.
I quite like the look of their wooden viv setup with uv, they use them in their store because they stack well. |
5.2.0 Cornsnakes: Lucien (Amel), Zero Kiryu (Blizzard), Aura (Butter Stripe), Montana (Normal), Edison (Lavender Stripe), Liberty (Hypo Lavender), Orlando (Anery)
2.0.0 Royals: Q & Little One
Twitter: @BlutAura
DeviantART: BlutAura |
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213 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2009 : 18:10:24
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quote:
dont use tape what ever you do.. several people on here have innocently used tape and then found snakey stuck to it and it can take a while to come off..
In the case of my Faunarium, I'm not overly concerned about the sticky-snake issue. I'm aware of the potential hazards but I check the tape (indeed I inspect the whole lid and sides) every morning and evening when I check on Cinco.
To be honest the remote possibility that he could go through the complicated process it would take to even come near the tape is a risk I find is worth taking Especially when compared to his chances if he escaped into our house. He'd have to run a gauntlet of four farm cats and a dog that likes to catch rats, so I wouldn't fancy his chances of survival |
0.0.1 Normal Corn (Cinco), 0.1.0 Ghost Motley (Sadie), 1.0.0 Amel Corn (Snuggles), 0.0.1 Classic Corn (The Stig), 1.0.0 Pastel Royal Python (Ba'al), 1.0.0 Pinstripe Royal Python (Paladin), 4.0.0 Cats, 1.0.0 Other Half, 0.3.0 Drains on My Resources (or Daughters)
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LittleMick
Yearling
United Kingdom
563 Posts |
Posted - 13/10/2009 : 00:24:30
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| Well that'scertainly something to think about. I think the early precaution will be something weighted on the top. to stop the doors opening, I thnk the main concern now then will be when the hatchling is bigger and stronger. So I guess I will be buying a rub as an emergency measure. |
0.4.0 Gerbils (Gemini, Pica, Gerty and Sasha)
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Elle)
1.0.0 Carolina Corn Snake(Elijah)
0.0.1 Emperor/Imperial Scorpion (Abbi)
2.0.0 Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters (Micro & Chippy)
Tropical fish - 6 Platys.6 Mollies.9 Glowlight Tetra.4 Pearl Gouramis.4 Apple Snails.1 Tiger Plec.2 Common Bristlenose Plecs and lots of babies. |
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Stumpy
Hatchling
United Kingdom
418 Posts |
Posted - 13/10/2009 : 01:18:16
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I bought two spotlight guards from them and they turned up a couple of days later.
Nice setup you have there and thankfully a decent delivery driver who did not throw the package around.
I recently bought two heatmats from somewhere else on the web and they have both failed already.
I am not blming the shop I got them from just the make " Habistat" |
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HannahB
The Corn Snake Moderator
United Kingdom
5491 Posts |
Posted - 13/10/2009 : 07:21:01
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quote:
Originally posted by bbsmog
quote:
dont use tape what ever you do.. several people on here have innocently used tape and then found snakey stuck to it and it can take a while to come off..
In the case of my Faunarium, I'm not overly concerned about the sticky-snake issue. I'm aware of the potential hazards but I check the tape (indeed I inspect the whole lid and sides) every morning and evening when I check on Cinco.
To be honest the remote possibility that he could go through the complicated process it would take to even come near the tape is a risk I find is worth taking Especially when compared to his chances if he escaped into our house. He'd have to run a gauntlet of four farm cats and a dog that likes to catch rats, so I wouldn't fancy his chances of survival
as long as its not inside the faun/viv and near the heated end then it is ok
Little Mick - I didnt bother returning them..they are usable and tbh the cracked corner helps me out in that the thermometer probe can go in it without having a loose lid or anything.. when the lid is down the edges are all sealed and so far edison hasnt noticed |
2.0 Normal Royal Pythons - Q and Little One
1.0 Chihauhaun Mountain Kingsnake - Simba
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LittleMick
Yearling
United Kingdom
563 Posts |
Posted - 14/10/2009 : 22:06:26
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Sorry I didn't realise anyone had continued the topic.
Thanks Stumpy, and I work in a warehouse so I know how parcels can get treated, lol. But all my equipment came well packaged, I think the ONLY negative was the faun was brown in some areas, but a dose of Ambersil Amberclens soon sorted that out followed by a dose of disinfectant. I would have thought for something so delicate they would box them up to protect deom damage and dust. But hey ho, thats down to teh manufacturer.
HANNAH - So a bargain then really, lol. It has weakened the structure then? I mean I think they are quite flimsy anyway, how big is Edison?
ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT 888 - Has anyone bought livestock from them? Their hatchlings are alot cheaper than my local RC, but I don't like the idea of not being able to do a health, alertness or colouration check. |
0.4.0 Gerbils (Gemini, Pica, Gerty and Sasha)
0.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Elle)
1.0.0 Carolina Corn Snake(Elijah)
0.0.1 Emperor/Imperial Scorpion (Abbi)
2.0.0 Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters (Micro & Chippy)
Tropical fish - 6 Platys.6 Mollies.9 Glowlight Tetra.4 Pearl Gouramis.4 Apple Snails.1 Tiger Plec.2 Common Bristlenose Plecs and lots of babies. |
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kizzig
Yearling
United Kingdom
560 Posts |
Posted - 14/10/2009 : 22:17:11
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| We haven't bought livestock, but we have been toying with getting a couple of housegeckos from them. We're not sure whether to get them delivered, or order them before Donny and collect... Would be interesting to hear from any who have ordered though! |
Kizzig
Our ever growing menagerie:
1.0.0 Amel cornsnake (Ziggy)
0.1.0 Amel motley cornsnake (Kizzy)
1.0.0 Housegecko (Eric)
0.1.0 Chile Rose Tarantula (Daisy) RIP Double D, We'll miss you... xxx
1.0.0 Budgie (Oscar)
0.1.0 Cat (Sophie)
1.1.0 Red Eared Sliders (Sam 'n' Ella)
Assorted Fish - Harry, Artie, Kev and Ebi.
RIP Georgina the Housegecko , Archie the Angelfish (17/09/09), and Daisy the Chile Rose Tarantula (19/11/2009)
Our Animal's Album: http://s986.photobucket.com/albums/ae347/klivingston234/ |
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My 888 first buy experience
