Licensed Tortoise Updates

By: Natalie Times Read: 1251

23rd September

As most of you may already be aware, we are experiencing delays with our certificate applications. This is due to government office staff still being furloughed and those who are still working, working from home. What would normally take 3 weeks, is now taking 3x longer. We appreciate your patience and understanding during what is always a busy time for ourselves and APHA. Know that we're in this together and this our first time working through a pandemic too. We don't understand the ins and outs of what goes on at APHA to cause these delays, but we imagine it's because they don't just deal with tortoise licensing, they are the governing body for all animals and plants. 

Many of you have been informed that your certificates are on their way, this is still the case and the 45 day estimate still applies. Those who were not contacted on the 2nd September will be contacted in the coming weeks, all being well. 

We understand this new announcement has people worrying about how this effects their orders but know that we will continue to care for your tortoises, APHA will continue to work from home and we will be welcoming those who chose the pick up from store option, to collect their entire order from our unit as soon as those certificates land on our doormat. Those who paid for delivery will still be able to take delivery from as early as the week following the certificates arrival.

17th August

As of this morning, we have now been made aware that due to the current delays with government offices still working from home, we have hit yet another delay for applying for our own licenses. It is now looking like the early orders will be looking at late September for their deliveries, pushing everyone back about 3 weeks from their first given estimation.

As specified in your pre order email and the Pre Order Terms and Conditions blog, we understand this is a very long wait and we are happy to refund anyone who would prefer to look elsewhere. However, with the importers unable to get their tortoises to the UK, this is making all of us UK breeders very busy, as well as APHA for UK hatchling applications, and we appreciate the patience of all those who are happy to wait.

We thank you all for supporting such a small business, it can be hard to put your trust in just two people, but know that you are the reason we can continue to do the job we love.

2nd August

We understand some of you have been waiting a long time for our baby's to hatch and then for their certificates to arrive. Unfortunately, Covid-19 is affecting lots of industries, including government processing times (due to offices working from home). This means the certificate processing time is behind a couple of weeks.

Luckily, our eggs hatched a little earlier, so we are still on track for September deliveries for those who ordered early on and October deliveries for those ordering July onwards.

Please be aware these are still estimations, as no one knows where Covid will take us next, but we are confident in these estimates, so long as nothing changes. As per the pre order email, we won't email you individually until we send our own applications off, but in the meantime, here are some cute photos to show your friends and family. Your new family member is coming, they've just got a little growing to do first, while we await their paperwork .