PURCHASE TERMS & CONDITIONS
WHEN YOU pay a deposit OR WAITING LIST FEE on any OF OUR ANIMALS, you are agreeing to all the terms and policies listed on this webpage.
The safety and happiness of our animals are of utmost importance. Therefore, Dragonstone Ranch reserves the right to refuse a sale to any person without any obligation to disclose any reasoning. We thank you for your cooperation.
Click on the links below to jump to the respective section:
REHOMING POLICY
The buyer is responsible for all care costs of animals purchased including, but not limited to, housing, feeding and veterinary care. However, if at any time you decide the animal is not a good fit for your home, the animal must be returned to Dragonstone Ranch at the buyer's expense and time. The buyer may not sell, gift, or rehome the animal to anyone else, unless the new owner is approved by us in writing. This policy is enforced in order to ensure our exotic animals will always have a good home and adequate care. Failure to comply can result in legal action. Hoofstock is exempt from this rehoming policy.
HEALTH GUARANTEE
All babies are guaranteed to be in good health and free of parasites, illness and disease at time of pickup. If you believe your new baby has parasites, illness or disease, you must take him/her to a licensed vet experienced with exotics within 48 hours of pickup. If the vet determines that the animal was sold in ill condition, you may return the animal for a replacement only. A vet report written by a licensed veterinarian experienced with exotics stating that the animal was sold in ill condition must be forwarded to Dragonstone Ranch in order for claims to be considered. Animals must be returned within 3 days of pickup date for this guarantee to be valid. Any injuries or medical conditions developing after the buyer picks up the animal are not covered by this health guarantee. Animals shipped by a third-party transporter are also not covered by this guarantee, as we have no control over what happens to the animals during transport. Once the animal has left our care, Dragonstone Ranch makes no guarantees of the animal's condition when it arrives.
Our African pygmy hedgehogs come with an extended health warranty. Please scroll to the Species-Specific Policies section of this webpage for details.
Non-bottle baby hoofstock are exempt from this health guarantee.
ALL WARRANTIES ARE VOID IF CARE GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT FOLLOWED, OR IF ANY DIET OTHER THAN THAT WHICH WE SUGGEST ON OUR WEBSITE IS FED! The only exception is if we personally instruct you otherwise.
DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS
All deposits are nonrefundable and nontransferable. A nonrefundable deposit will be required to reserve the animal of your choice. Acceptable forms of payment are exact-change cash, Zelle, CashApp, or PayPal Friends & Family. We do NOT accept Goods & Services payments through PayPal. There is a limit of 2 different payment methods per order, with the exception of the deposit. For local pickups, the remaining balance will be due on the scheduled pickup date if paying in cash. If paying electronically, payment must clear at least 24 hours prior to the pickup appointment. For purchases of animals that are to be transported, the remaining balance must be paid 7 days prior to the first scheduled day of the transport. EXCEPTION: Sugar gliders need to be paid in full at least 24 hours prior to a scheduled neuter. Only the person listed on the contract will be able to receive the animal, unless an appropriate form is completed and signed by the buyer to authorize a different person to receive the animal. You must be at least 18 years of age to be a buyer or authorized receiver.
How to send electronic payments: www.dragonstoneranch.com/pay
All deposits are nonrefundable and nontransferable. Cancellations by the buyer will result in forfeiture of all deposits and payments. Payments on neutered animals are nonrefundable.
Disclosing any false information on adoption applications, forms, or discussions with Dragonstone personnel is grounds for forfeiture of all deposits and payments!
Sales Tax
By law, we are obligated to collect Texas sales tax on all sales completed within the state of Texas. All Texas sales will incur a sales tax rate of 6.75% (6.25% paid to the state of Texas, and 0.50% paid to Coryell County). Purchases are exempt from Texas sales tax if the order is being shipped to another state. If you are in Texas but are exempt from paying sales tax, please complete and sign the appropriate tax exemption certificates below and submit a copy to admin@dragonstoneranch.com.
For customers using a pet transporter, your purchase with us is considered fulfilled at the time the transporter picks up your animals.
Taking your animal home
Proof of proper habitat setup must be provided to and approved by Dragonstone Ranch before an animal is released to you or a transporter. NO EXCEPTIONS. Furthermore, “ready by” dates are only approximations and are not guaranteed, as the animal must be a healthy weight and condition and thriving independent of its parents before going to their new home.
LOCAL PICKUPS
Please visit our Contact page for current pickup hours. Pickup appointments must be scheduled and confirmed (not just requested) at least 1 business day in advance. Please contact us immediately if you are going to be late for your appointment. We reserve the right to reschedule appointments if the buyer is more than 30 minutes late. All animals reserved must be picked up within 7 days of their “ready by” date (or 7 days after reservation if the animal is already ready), unless other plans explicit in writing have been made. Failure to comply to any of these terms will result in immediate forfeiture of all deposits and vet fees, and the animal will be re-listed as available.
PET TRANSPORT
For pricing, please visit the Pet Transport page.
Animals will be delivered by a USDA-licensed pet transporter on the next available route via door-to-door ground transport. Routes are nationwide and occur once or twice a month. Before purchasing, please bear in mind that we cannot provide a delivery date until our transporter does. While we will try to get your baby to you as soon as possible, not all routes travel through every state. Delivery estimates are not guaranteed, as factors such as traffic, construction and weather conditions can affect actual delivery dates/times. Actual delivery can occur at any time, day or night. Buyers will be updated with delivery estimate changes, and drivers will contact the buyer directly by the phone number disclosed on our application when they are upon approach. Buyer or authorized receiver must meet with the drivers within 15 minutes of arrival, show government-issued photo ID and sign all accompanying forms (USDA Transfer Form and Dragonstone Ranch contract). Failure to comply to these terms will result in the transporter leaving with the animals. The buyer may then choose to have the animals redelivered at the buyer’s expense, or they may choose to cancel the sale. A cancellation of the sale will result in forfeiture of all deposits, shipping fees and vet fees, and another shipping fee will be charged to transport the animals back to the seller. Any remaining balance after a 50% restocking fee of the original purchase price will be refunded to the buyer if the sale is canceled.
TRANSPORT DEPOSIT: A nonrefundable deposit of $100 is required to book transport. Some private transporters may require a larger deposit. A link to pay is provided at the bottom of the Pet Transport page.
PLEASE NOTE: It is known that transport can be stressful on animals. The buyer must understand that Dragonstone Ranch has no control over what happens to the animal during transport. Once the animal has left our care, Dragonstone Ranch makes no guarantees of the animal's condition when it arrives. It is the buyer’s responsibility to insure any animal throughout transport, if desired. We prefer all our buyers to pick up their new pets from us in person. However, if the buyer still wishes to choose this transport option, it is at the buyer's own risk.
If you require transport, you must visit the Pet Transport Page to follow the appropriate transporter’s page for ETAs and updates to your delivery. You can learn more about the different transporters we use on that page as well.
rescheduling
It is our policy to choose the soonest transport route in order to get babies to their new families during the optimal bonding period. For pickups, we allow a 7-day grace period from the date of reservation or ready date, whichever is later. If the buyer chooses to reschedule pickup or transport to a later date, they must pay for the animal in full by their ready date, and all payments will be nonrefundable. They will also be subject to a daily boarding fee as listed in the below schedule, which is also nonrefundable and needs to be paid upfront.
boarding fees
Boarding fees apply after the initial 7-day grace period. These fees need to be paid upfront and are nonrefundable.
The boarding fees - which include enclosure space, milk replacer & feed costs, feedings, socializing, grooming and more - are per animal, per day as follows:
Pocket pets: $10
Weaned animals (not pocket pets): $30
Bottle babies without overnight feedings: $50
Bottle babies with overnight feedings, and all monkeys: $100
PET Photoshoots
We take 2 sets of photos for all animals that are for sale. Once when they are posted to the website, and again when they are just about ready to leave. If you would like to request additional photos, please click on the button below to pay the extra photoshoot fee. $15 will cover 5 photos, and $20 will cover 5 photos plus a short video. Sometimes we will snap quick photos and videos of certain animals that we will happily send you for free. However, the fee will apply if you are specifically requesting extra photos/videos, as it takes us some time to set up and conduct a pet photoshoot. Photos will be provided within 5 days of payment date.
RETURNS
We offer the following return policy to ensure the well-being of our animals in the case that you decide that they are not the right fit for your family or lifestyle. 50% of the animal’s purchase price will be refunded if the animal is returned to us within 7 days of the date the animal left our care, or 25% if returned within 14 days. If discounts were applied to the purchase price, the refund will be adjusted accordingly. The animal must be returned to Dragonstone Ranch at the buyer’s expense, and they must be unaltered (if sold unaltered) and in good health and condition. After 14 days, we will gladly accept surrenders of any of our animals so that we may find an appropriate new home for them. Dragonstone Ranch reserves the right of first refusal on any animals sold, should you decide to rehome them. Deposits, boarding fees, shipping charges, vet fees, and photo fees are nonrefundable, as well as supplies and food purchases.
Hoofstock are exempt from this refund policy. No refunds will be given for any returned hoofstock.
ADDIITONAL POLICIES
We reserve the right to retain any animal for our breeding program, regardless of waiting list status. We also reserve the right to prioritize partnered facilities and customers with export deadlines on the waiting list.
Species-Specific Policies
AFRICAN PYGMY HEDGEHOGS
BREEDING POLICY
When purchasing an animal from Dragonstone Ranch as “pet only”, breeding the animal is strictly forbidden. Breeding is considered a breach of policy and is grounds for legal action. Only USDA licensed breeders and hobby breeders with registered herd initials and an established business relationship with us may request pedigrees and inquire about hedgehogs for breeding. If you are a breeder that we have not worked with before, please message us and we will send you a short application that you must complete before being added to our approved breeders list. Unless you are an approved breeder, we will not sell opposite sex hedgehogs to a single household.
Hedgehogs may not be resold or gifted for breeding purchases without the explicit written permission of Dragonstone Ranch.
EXTENDED HEALTH WARRANTY
All of our African pygmy hedgehog babies come with a 1 year congenital health guarantee and a lifetime warranty against Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome (WHS). We will replace all African pygmy hedgehogs that fall under our health warranties with one of equal or lesser value. WHS can only be diagnosed postmortem. A necropsy report written by a licensed veterinarian at a University stating that the congenital defect or WHS was the direct cause of death must be forwarded to Dragonstone Ranch in order for claims to be considered. This report must include a detailed description of the hedgehog's color and markings. A photo of the deceased animal must also be submitted. Other species of hedgehogs other than African pygmy hedgehogs are excluded from this extended health warranty.
SUGAR GLIDERS
BREEDING POLICY
Lineage will be provided only when sold with breeding rights. Without breeding rights, the buyer may not ever breed the animal. Breeding an animal sold as “pet only” is strictly forbidden and is considered a breach of policy and is grounds for legal action.
In order to request breeding rights, you must track lineage on the TPG database and be lawfully licensed or permitted, if required. You must be: a USDA licensed breeder; a hobby breeder with an established business relationship with us; or, if you are a new breeder, you must qualify for the following conditions:
You provide the lineage and a recent photo of the sugar glider you plan to pair them with.
The Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI) for the pair is below 3%.
Recent photo or video proof of the enclosure the breeding pair will live in is submitted to us and approved, as well as photo/video of your entire glider room.
Sugar gliders may not be resold or gifted for breeding purposes without the explicit written permission of Dragonstone Ranch.
Neutering
Neutered sugar gliders make better pets than intact sugar gliders. Neutering greatly reduces aggression and halts the development of scent glands. Sugar gliders purchased without breeding rights will come neutered. We make no exceptions to this rule not only to be able to provide the best possible pet to our customers, but also to prevent our babies from being subject to inbreeding and producing offspring with genetic health issues.
FENNEC FOXES & BAT-EARED FOXES
BREEDING POLICY
When purchasing an animal from Dragonstone Ranch as a pet, breeding the animal is strictly forbidden. Breeding is considered a breach of policy and is grounds for legal action. It is illegal to breed and sell fennec foxes or bat-eared foxes without a USDA license. Only USDA licensed breeders that have established a business relationship with us may request pedigrees and inquire about foxes for breeding.
LEMURS & COTTON-TOP TAMARINS
TEXAS RESIDENTS ONLY
You must be a Texas resident to legally purchase cotton-top tamarins or any species of lemurs from Dragonstone Ranch, per the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA prohibits selling any endangered species, including lemurs and cotton-top tamarins, across state lines. Failure to present a valid government-issued ID of the buyer’s name and Texas address will result in a canceled sale and forfeiture of all deposits.
BREEDING POLICY
When purchasing an animal from Dragonstone Ranch as a pet only, breeding the animal is strictly forbidden. Breeding is considered a breach of policy and is grounds for legal action. It is illegal to breed and sell lemurs without a USDA license. Only USDA licensed breeders that have established a business relationship with us may request lemurs for breeding purposes.