| rev:text
| - Since Paul, the owner of Earth Echoes has chosen to question some of the assertions in my review, I thought it was fair that I take some time to respond to his comments and then add some additional detail about the bearded dragon that I purchased in order to convey the severity of his health problems.
I am certain that Paul has thirty years of experience in the business and I would not question that he knows more than I do about reptiles. Unfortunately, thirty years of experience and learning about reptiles does not qualify a person to run a business nor dispense accurate advice.
Paul's recollection of the total price paid for the bearded dragon and equipment is about 50% accurate. He originally sold me a 25 gallon tank for a nearly full-grown adult for the total price of $400 (lizard and equipment). When I went home and did the research that I should have done previously, I discovered that every bearded dragon enthusiast recommends a minimum 50 gallon tank for an adult lizard. When I went back to the store to complain, Paul forced me to pay $90 (after negotiation) to upgrade to a 50 gallon tank. I also paid more to upgrade the light that was originally provided as it was not providing the required heat for my bearded dragon.
Once the unfortunate situation had been sorted out, I was quite annoyed with Paul but continued to frequent his store as it was relatively close by. Within a few weeks, we noticed that our bearded dragon had mites in his eyes. When we took him back to Paul, he wiped out his eyes with some Q-tips and sprayed him with an anti-mite spray (that we later found out is entirely ineffective and is not recommended by vets) and proclaimed him healthy. Unfortunately, a small amount of research would indicate that clearing a bearded dragon of mites is a time-consuming, multi-week process that can certainly not be accomplished in one visit. Once I discovered this information, I was quite upset with how I had been treated and yet still returned to his store as I needed to purchase live crickets. At this point, I began to examine the other bearded dragons in the store. I noticed two very unfortunate situations: a) Almost every bearded dragon was infested with mites. If you want to look for yourself, look around their eyes and you will see that there are small black dots embedded in their eye caps. b) He has many full-sized bearded dragons in absurdly tiny enclosures. If you were to read the bearded dragon community messages boards on the Internet, you would quickly realize these are completely inhumane conditions.
At this point, I was done frequenting the store and found two other reputable sources for live crickets (Tails N Scales and Menagerie Pet Shop). However, our problems were only beginning. After our bearded dragon began to experience some unpleasant bowel movements, we took him to the vet to discover that he had intestinal parasites. The vet theorized that they likely existed in his gut prior to the move to our apartment but they began to multiply as the stress of living in the original 25 gallon enclosure began to take its toll (our bearded dragon was one of the few fortunate ones to live in one of the larger tanks in Paul's store prior to the move). In addition, the vet noticed a large burn on the dragon's back that was beginning to scar. We had noticed the mark when we purchased the bearded dragon but thought it was simply some random variation in his colouring. When we found out that it was a burn from going too close to a heat light, we were livid. In addition to the necessity of going to the vet, I should also mention that we have spent well over $500 in vet bills. Both vets assured us that we were doing everything right in taking care of our lizard (only because we subsequently did our own research) and it was highly likely he was already ill when we received him.
If this story does not prompt you to stay away, simply do your own research on the Internet about how to care for various reptiles and go to Paul's store to examine the living conditions of his animals. You can make up your own mind at that point.
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