Co-op Failures

LLDG

New member
Despite my efforts to set up and maintain a good co-op things happen.

People's lives change: they may become disinterested, get a new job, have babies, move, etc. And I've had co-op members go through these and other situations.

Co-op members who have changes in their life should be honest with the co-op.

In the normal operation of a co-op, members agree to first offer their offspring to co-op members for sale, trade, bloodline swaps before selling their geckos to other people. First choice always go to co-op members. It's an essential function of a co-op.

Ethically, a co-op keeper who wants to sell geckos to people outside the co-op should discuss it with the co-op. This gives the co-op the opportunity to look at potential new co-op members and invite them to become involved via the sale of geckos.

When a keeper decides not to participate with a co-op, for what ever reason, ethically they should communicate their intentions with the co-op. The opportunity to buy out the geckos first is reasonable and in the best interest of the geckos.

It's a huge loss when geckos who are intended to benefit a co-op are sold outside of a co-op. Bloodlines are lost, husbandry assistance isn't there, and geckos disappear into the reptile trade.
 

lizardsandspice

New member
Thank you for these insights. I've always been curious about the co-ops. It seems an excellent idea, if not a co-op, then a bloodlines registry, such as the one I find for the Uroplatus online... a members only site. With so many species becoming harder to get, we need to pool our resources or we will lose those species in the hobby. I think the reptile community could do a better job than the zoos are doing...overworked keepers who have too many species to keep track of... I keep noticing that the classifieds seem to get smaller and smaller...fewer Australian blue tongues, map turtles, dwarf chameleons, etc...what a loss!
 
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