Question:
ok so right now i'm selling my hedgehog babies
i am coming across some really surprisingly impulsive / ill-informed buyers
a whole bunch of RED FLAGS go up
i really DON'T want to sell to them b/c i don't think that ultimately they will keep the hedgehog / take care of them.
a terrible thing happened this week! i sold my cute well-adjusted well-socialized baby girl hedgehog to a lady, tucking the darling into my jacket to keep her warm on a cold wintery day to home-delivery the baby to the lady's house, complete with cage water transition food shavings home ... only to find out that the HUSBAND thought it 'smelled' and she gave it away to a girl with tons of cats dogs and horses *groan* no telling RED FLAGS but i should have stated right in the beginning ""if you can't keep her i will take her back!""
so how do you say 'no' gently but firmly?


Answer:
One thing that our Humane Society does is make sure that every family member is in agreement before the adoption. We don't just take their word for it either.. every family member has to come to the shelter in person to meet the new pet. I'd start asking those questions.. put in your agreement that they MUST return the hedgie to you and not re-home him/her if for any reason they cannot keep the animal.
When people call/email to ask to buy one.. do you ask them what type of care, food, cage type etc that they need? Make sure that they provide the correct answers so you know that it isn't just an impulsive decision.. and if they don't know squat about hedgies tell them to do more research and then come back when they're serious.
For the people that you haven't yet sold to.. I'd tell them straight out that you are having serious reservations about their commitment to the hedgie.. you can say it politely but just mean what you say... don't give in! Your hedgies are depending on you to make the right choice for them.. Good luck!


Answer:
Every breeder goes through this. I once told a girl flat out no, none of my chins would ever be available to her. That's the harshest I have ever been, but there is a story behind that one.
Usually the easiest way to decline a sale for me is to simply say that the animal is no longer available.
There are so many impulse buyers out there. The best buyers I have found are the ones who have kept in contact throughout the year, and when they have all of their supplies and are ready, they email me.


Answer:
I just went through something like this earlier this week. The person showed no maturity or knowledge and I didn't feel comfortable selling her one of my chins. I just told her exactly what made me uncomfortable about it, and that I didn't feel she could provide the type of home I was looking to place my chins in.
I'm also hoping by telling her what caused me to make my decision will help her to change and show whomever she next contacts that she can indeed handle the care and responsibility of a chinchilla.
I also have a clause on my agreement that states if the chinchilla (in your case hedgie) can no longer be cared for, they will contact us for first buy backs before offering them to anyone else. I try to touch base with everyone every couple of months to see how the chin(s) doing.


Answer:
I just say that I do not have any that would be compatable with him or her. No one has ever question that. Or I say I am sorry they are on hold I will let you know if they become avalible. Waiting lists are wonderful becuase it weeds a lot of people out if they can't wait they are out of luck.


Answer:
yea that is hard, ive only refused to sell to one person and she then went out and started breeding rats herself and mass producing them to sell to petstores and such. so im not sure if i had of sold to she wouldnt have done this or not. sigh


Answer:
Animals are so easy to come by these days that the best you can hope for is to keep YOUR animals out of idiots' hands.


Answer:
Christina, I have a funny feeling that she would've started breeding, regardless of what you did. The only difference would be that she would've used your rats to start off her rat mill.