Eric I know alot of breeders that are very good about either getting their alterna and montane kings feeding, or fully informing customers of their eating habits before they will sell.

Lloyd Lemke was a huge breeder and he would not even sell me a cb rosy boa when I was just starting out with captives, unless it had fed 3 or more times. I also saw him refuse to sell nonfeeders to newbies at the San Diego herps shows. Yes there are alot of people who don't care but there are a large number of breeders who do care.

Economically speaking as well, just as a hatband benefits not just the collecter but also the wholesaler and retailer, so does a captive born snake economically benefit cage and supply manufacturers and rodent breeders for the life of the snake. There is a chain of benifit in both but again it all goes back to sustainable harvest being what really matters the most. There is much critcism that can be leveled at both sides as well.

I would like to see roundups promote the fact that rattlesnakes are a vital part of the ecosystem and that they should never be exterminated, only harvested. I don't know that they don't do this because I don't follow them. I just hope that if they don't already they look to the future and promote practices that ensure survival of rattlesnake populations as a core ethic not just lip service. Again not saying they don't but there is an obvious right and wrong way to go about it.
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