Devastated

[Hayden]

I left last week to register for classes for the fall semester and I paid some friends to take care of my critters while I was gone. I wrote out detailed instruction sheets for every single animal and left money and equipment. I came home tonight and half of my collection is dead. Not just spiders. All of my terrestrial salamanders are dead. All of my A. opacums, tigrinums, maculatums, macrodactylum, laterales. Several of my axolotls are gone. Nobody had food or water. I'm so upset. I lost close to a grand in animals, not to mention irreplaceable breeding projects for the terrestrial sals. All surviving T's are severely dehydrated, and I'm treating them now. I'm just so upset.

Edit: All of my frogs appeared to have dehydrated as well.

 

[mmfh]

Wow. I am sorry for what happened to you. Sounds like these "friends" took the money and never did the job.

 

[Curious jay]

Mannnnn that's appalling. I think you should get your cash back plus some cash to start replacing your collection your 'friend' sounds pretty irresponsible if he can't look after your animals after being given detailed info on how to do so.

Sorry for your losses!

 

[poisoned]

Tarantulas dying in a week of no care regimen sounds weird to me.

 

[rockhopper]

Tarantulas dying in a week of no care regimen sounds weird to me.

My thoughts exactly. I feed/water once a week and I've been gone for longer without issue. If they died in one week they were probably well on their way to death anyway.

 

[Dr Who]

A T room is different from a huge reptile collection.
My guess is the climate(s) was set for them rather than the T's..
If they are kept at significantly higher temperatures i would imagine their coldblooded bodies might go in overtime and in turn might make them
hydrate more.

I'm just speculating..but i don't see any reason to question the OP.
Just ''A friend'' not holding his end of a deal, resulting in disaster.
I'm very sorry for your loss, hope the survivors pull through!

 

[le-thomas]

That's terrible. Make sure that your "friends" pay you back and understand what they've done.

 

[Hayden]

My T's were most definitely not on their way to death before I left. I keep my T's and reptiles in separate rooms. I don't have central air in my house, so my T room can reach over 100 degrees in my house the day time. I have fans set up to cool them off during the day, but they need to be switched off at night or on cooler days so that they don't get too cold. The fans were not turned on at all, and the temperature in the T room when I got home yesterday was 103F.
The other guys are looking a little better this morning now that they're cooler. I'm thinking about taking this person to small claims court for damages.

 

[meghanbe]

I'm so sorry to hear about your losses. That really sucks.

When I was in my early twenties I asked a good friend to please feed/water my cats a couple times while I was out of state for a week on business. I got a call from the landlord the last day I was working at our client's location because a loud noise was coming from our apartment and had been going on for a couple days. It turned out to be our cat water fountain (the electric kind that cycles the water), which had gone empty and was squealing due to lack of water. The maintenance guys went into our apartment to check out the situation and told us that the place was pretty trashed with empty alcohol bottles, etc. Turns out that my friend went to the apartment the day after I left (the previous weekend), had friends over for drinks, and then never came back. I was due to return the next day, so I suspect she had probably planned to go back, clean up, and feed/water the cats that evening before I got home. I ended up driving for 16 hours straight to get home that night and called my friend and told her that I was aware of what she'd done and I wasn't paying her what we'd agreed upon. To say I was livid was an understatement.

I just don't understand people who agree to do something and then don't--especially when animals' lives hang in the balance.

 

[le-thomas]

My life motto is this; "not everybody is smart." This becomes painfully evident as time goes on, and all I can tell you now is that small claims court sounds like the best thing. This person clearly isn't a friend and letting them off the hook too easily won't do anyone any good.

 

[Dr Who]

My T's were most definitely not on their way to death before I left. I keep my T's and reptiles in separate rooms. I don't have central air in my house, so my T room can reach over 100 degrees in my house the day time. I have fans set up to cool them off during the day, but they need to be switched off at night or on cooler days so that they don't get too cold. The fans were not turned on at all, and the temperature in the T room when I got home yesterday was 103F.
The other guys are looking a little better this morning now that they're cooler. I'm thinking about taking this person to small claims court for damages.

A, o well.. i was half right (about the temperatures). Doesn't do much good anymore anyway.
Great to hear they look better!
As far as small claims courts go i can't really comment since i'm on the other side of the world, but i hope whatever action you decide to take..
you will have have a great collection sometime (soon) again!

Best of luck

 

[tarantulagirl10]

Something definitely sounds off. I go on vacation for 10 days and every single one has always been fine.

 

[Dr Who]

Read the thread again

 

[Thistles]

I'm so sorry, Hayden. Definitely take the person to small claims court. If you paid the person and had a clear agreement that your "friend" would care for the animals, you have a claim for the damages as well as what you paid. Unfortunately the animals are just property and you can't get additional compensation beyond their worth, but that's better than nothing. Again, I am so sorry for your losses.

 

[TexasTreeViper]

I don't have central air in my house, so my T room can reach over 100 degrees in my house the day time. I have fans set up to cool them off during the day, but they need to be switched off at night or on cooler days so that they don't get too cold. The fans were not turned on at all, and the temperature in the T room when I got home yesterday was 103F.

Sounds like you need to invest in a window unit.

 

[Kayota]

I agree with small claims court especially since the "damages" would be $1000 or more. I know it's not that easy to replace beloved pets but maybe you can start rebuilding your collection.

 

[Austin]

wow I am horribly sorry for your loses, I agree with kayota with taking your freind to small claims court. Because that is complete BS.

 

[desertanimal]

You have to go in person during the summer to register for fall classes?!? How bizarre! Never heard of such a thing! Haven't they heard of the internets?

Sorry for your losses, though.

 

[bowyorang]

Or just more reliable friends.......

Doesn't sound as though he had any to begin with....
Sorry for your loss, that has to be terrible feeling.
Definitely choose more wisely in friends though. (that's the dad coming out in me, sorry)

 

[Hayden]

You have to go in person during the summer to register for fall classes?!? How bizarre! Never heard of such a thing! Haven't they heard of the internets?

Sorry for your losses, though.

I do because I'm transferring into the school. I had to be there for orientation, to meet my advisors, get my ID printed, etc.
Thanks for the support, everyone. This person has animals, so I figured they'd understand that they don't respond well to neglect.