Yes, I've sold some animals at higher prices...I.E., Bothrops asper has always been $150-200. But other Bothrops weren't marked up that substantially.



When I imported B. asper, the prices I set were originally based on prices set by others in the market(which at that time, Dean Ripa was the only other person with asper). I used his prices as the basis for what I would sell at..why? Thats what I thought they were worth and if you use a little logic A)Bothrops aren't a snake that is a high demand snake, like for instance an eyelash viper, so the market can't be flooded all at once, or you'll shoot yourself in the foot (it's likely better to hold them back and sell as yearlings for a little more, than dumping babies all over the place)If I had a nickle for every email I got with keepers wondering why their baby aspers were dying I wouldn't have to sell any and b) I'm not dropping prices on them, because the snakes, as adults, can be pretty dangerous, so I don't want some kid forking over $75 for one on an impulse. If I look at B. asper now, Hmmmm, lets see, Mark Lucas...$150-175. At Hamburg last weekend, $175..for a tiny baby that judging by how skinny it was may not be feeding.



All other Bothrops I've had(which I think I've sold less than 2 dozen) were gauged around that based on what I, and I alone had to pay for them. The low prices I was referring too were specifically asper which Ernie was selling for as little as $60-70(i.e. wholesale price) at Daytona....per some friends of mine who went to Daytona....this (I think) was 2003, when I had a litter of captive born aspers, not imports .



As for boas....So what, they're Costa Rican. THey're still Boa constrictor imperator. They're still the same animals as Honduran boas, Nicaraguan boas, whatever...they may look a little cleaner, but not that much. If people will pay it, so be it, but I'm not going to mark them up that much just because they're "COSTA RICAN" Then again, I wouldn't pay a nickle for a pie-bald ball python either....well, maybe I would as a feeder for cobras or Cribos.



Ernie, you may or may not know what I pay, but I'm not sure we're getting them at the same price(due to volume). It really doesn't matter.



Randal, as for marking them up with age, I totally agree. That's pretty obvious.



MCH

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