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Health Guarantee

Millermeade Farms strives to produce the highest quality animals possible. We guarantee that to the best of our knowledge all the animals that we sell are free from any known health problems. We would rather not make a sale than sell an animal that doesn’t meet our quality standards. Please keep in mind that any time you transport animals or change their environment, animals will undergo different amounts of stress. This is often termed "shipping stress". It is important for you to pay close attention to the health and condition of your animal. Millermeade Farms has a lot of experience transporting animals for both long and short distances. We hope that you will follow our suggestions to create as little shipping stress as possible for your new pet. We will make suggestions concerning shipping containers, caging or housing, and diet for your new pet.

We have no control over the care you give to your pet or how your pet will react to its new home so our health guarantees are geared toward problems that originated while under the care of Millermeade Farms. First and foremost we want to make sure you are completely satisfied with the health of your animal at the time of purchase. If you have concerns with the animal you are about to purchase, please express your concerns to us and do not purchase the animal. If your pet should die for unknown reasons, we strongly suggest that you request a necropsy (animal version of autopsy) from a veterinarian who is familiar with small animals. Some veterinarians will do this for free and others may have a standard charge. It is important to determine whether the death was related to care or diet issues, congenital problems (a problem existing at time of birth), or a disease. If your pet has died from a care or diet related issue it is important to be able to identify that problem and prevent it from happening to another pet. If your pet has died from a congenital problem that information is very valuable to us. We need that information to be able to produce better animals in the future.

Our animals are guaranteed to be free from congenital health problems for six months from the time of purchase. Should something happen to your pet within the first six months of you owning your pet, we will replace the animal at no charge if we are given a necropsy report from a licensed veterinarian stating that the problem was existing at or dating from birth. This does NOT include accident, negligence, and treatable or communicable illnesses. Please contact your veterinarian and us as soon as you have health concerns about your pet. Many pet deaths can be prevented with immediate and proper attention to a problem. We recommend a well-pet visit with your veterinarian by the second month of pet ownership so that you have developed a relationship with a veterinarian prior to the need for treatment.

Refunds, Exchanges, and Returns

Purchasing a pet is an important decision that should not be taken lightly and we strongly encourage you to research the nature and personalities of any animal before purchase. We want you to be completely satisfied with your pet and we will make every effort to ensure that you are completely comfortable handling your pet and that you are well instructed in proper care. Many pets require considerable time, attention, and patience in order for them to become comfortable with you and vice versa. The temperament of the animal is shaped in part by the personality of the animal and the personality of the handlers, the environment and the amount and type of bonding time spent with the animal. For these reasons, there is no way that Millermeade Farms can guarantee the temperament or personality of an animal once it leaves our care. Therefore we do not offer refunds or exchanges on animals. If you have put down a deposit on an animal and the animal presented to you does not exhibit the personality or temperament you were looking for in your pet, you are encouraged to wait for the next available animal. A refund will not be given on deposits if you change your mind about purchasing from us since you have agreed to the terms listed in the Deposit Agreement. If for some reason your new pet does not fit into your family during the first week you take your new pet home, we will offer a 75% refund on goods and products returned but no refund will be given on a returned pet. If at any point in your pet’s life you find yourself unable to care for your pet, we will accept that animal back into our care or we will find a suitable adoptive home. Please do not release any animal into the wild or turn it in to an animal shelter.

Legality of Owning Exotics

We are frequently asked: “Is it legal for me to own an exotic?”. This question must be addressed in several steps by identifying federal, state, county, and local regulations.

There is a federal restriction on prairie dog and dormice ownership. It is illegal to buy, sell, or transport these animals anywhere in the United States without permission from the Food and Drug Administration. (Visit the FDA website now.) All other exotic small animals in the pet industry are legal to own on a federal level without licenses or permits. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA - Visit their website now) does require all hobby breeders who own more than three exotic animal females, all pet stores, and all exotic animal brokers to obtain a license.

Each state will have their own regulations and requirements and there may be several agencies within the state that governs exotics. The best place to start checking for regulations is the State Veterinarian’s Office. The Indiana Board of Animal Health has an excellent website that lists many of the State Veterinarian’s Offices. Individual counties, cities, townships, and municipalities may also have their own regulations. A couple places to start checking are the Sheriff’s Department, the County Commissioner’s Office, the Mayor’s Office, or your City Council Office or website.

It is up to you to make sure that you are aware of the laws and it is your decision if you are going to abide by or resist exotic animal regulations. I will not ship or deliver to states without the proper permits or health certificates.

Michigan Department of Agriculture

Phone: 517-373-1077

Indiana

As of 2/1/05 the Indiana State Board of Animal Health does not require entry permits or health certificates for any small mammal except ferrets.

Shipping [back to top]

Millermeade Farms’ “Critter Connection” is a small home based business with a shop and learning center that is open by appointment. We’re not a large corporation with many employees and resources. My manager, Billie, and I have young children and husbands to whom we are devoted. We’ll do our best to work with you to the pets we proudly raise here on the farm into your hands in your home but keep in mind our time and resources are somewhat limited.

The prices of our animals are set based on picking them up here at our Farm/ Learning Center/ Shop or meeting us at one of the shows we attend.

We understand that it is sometimes necessary to ship and we have had to have animals shipped to us many, many times over the years. We do our best to accommodate the requests of our customers who need animals shipped but we must charge extra for our additional services.

In the past we were able to ship out of Toledo Express Airport. As of December 2009, Delta and Continental airlines use only commuter plans from Toledo Express and they cannot accommodate animal cargo. American Airlines cannot pre-book flights, which means animals may or may not be able to get on the desired flight and so our time and resources in preparation for that flight will have been wasted. Therefore, we will not ship on flights that cannot be pre-booked.

Our best and most frequently used method of shipping is Continental Airlines out of Detroit. Below is the information I used to establish our Crate and Delivery Charges:

Continental Airlines: Air Cargo
11701 Metro Airport Center Drive
Romulus, MI 48174-5413

I-80 E/I-90 E and I-75 N
110 mi - 1 hour 47 mins (provided no traffic tie ups)

  • 2010 IRS mileage rate $.50 per mile = $110.00 round trip gas/wear and tear on our vehicle.
  • $6 tolls I-80/I-90
  • 4 hours road/travel time $15.00 per hour = $60 (large portion of this goes to babysitter)
  • Travel Cage $10-$25 depending on type of crate required
  • $8 travel bag per animal during winter months
  • Time scheduling flight, packing animals, and airport paperwork $25 Food $5-15 depending on species

$200 minimum dollar amount of animals to be shipped.

Crate and Delivery Charges in Addition to Animal Charges and Airline Charges

  • Animal Sales $200 - $299 = $200 Crate and Delivery Charge
  • Animal Sales $300 - $499 = $150 Crate and Delivery Charge
  • Animal Sales $500 - $749 = $100 Crate and Delivery Charge
  • Animal Sales $750 - $999 = $75 Crate and Delivery Charge
  • Animal Sales $1000+ = $50 Crate and Delivery Charge

Health Certificates $30 - $60

  • Continental airlines animal cargo # is 1-800-575-3335. Please call and find out if there is a flight that works for you.
  • We need to be at the airport 90 minutes prior to the flight and have an hour drive and need time to pack the animals. Flights can’t leave earlier than 10:00 am.
  • Our last shipment out of Detroit via Continental Airlines was approximately $165.00

Delivery to Your Home

Again, we prefer for our customers to come to our home. We can deliver to your home but we do have to charge accordingly for this service. Our delivery fee is $.55 per mile round trip and $10 per hour of the trip.

Other Breeders and Dealers

We know there are other breeders and dealers who can offer a better shipping and/or delivery deal. We are blessed to have a large family and a business that has been successful since 1997. We value our customers but our top priority is our family and we must take steps to ensure that our most valuable resource – our time is used most effectively. Thank you for your time and understanding!