Posted by:
tc@screamdreams
at Mon May 26 20:35:18 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by tc@screamdreams ]
Well there's two sides of the coin here. After 15 years taking this hobby seriously, I've found that this time of year tens of thousands of hatchling BP's are imported into the US. Yes there are the sellers that throw 50 or more to a tank, and try to make a quick buck (really bad idea-everyone's got 'em) Then there's the guys that set them up 10 or so to an enclosure (better-but only for a very short time) and at last we have the true keepers. One's who take the time to set-up each and every animal in a very well contained enviroment-one per cage so to speak- keeping them in optimum conditions from their first day in captivity. I've seen racks that will house 100 hatchlings easily in this manner-stacked accordingly, the length of walls for a 3,000 housing unit. Keep in mind these are the people who have lived and learned-plus have the monies to initially invest and properly care for these #'s. My guess is there's a lot more people buying 100-200 lots than there is 1,000 but still it is not rare in this industry for people to do so in that amount. Yea, it's sad to see how some aellers set-up there animals, but it comes w/ almost all of your more common reptiles. Through the years I've had lot pricing as low as $5.00 per animal. I've actually heard of much less in past years, and yes the animals are worth far more than that-but ultimately they are a common species that readily breed in captivity (in very high numbers in their place of origin) and although numbers are high, I still don't feel that they've become a "disposable" pet in the industry ie: the local fairs giving away baby green iguanas for prizes. I think sadly, that animals with all kinds of price tags from $2.00 to $2,000 are at the keepers mercy, I've seen Green Tree Frogs set-up in incredible surroundings, I've seen Albino Retics crawling in their own S**T, so the money doesn't matter - it's the keeper's choice - set them up right, and you'll have great success w/ low mortality rates and excellent feeding response whether you're buying 1 or 100. I see your point's and there worthy of concern but the season for these prices is very short, the guys that bought 100 to make some quick money will learn they will not if proper consideration to their requirments aren't met - yes the animals that fall in the hands of these people are at risk but hopefully most will find homes soon after, and get the proper care the they so much deserve. In short, I think if a seller sets them up poorly the first couple of times he buys a 100 lot, he will learn quickly, at the animals expense. Most of us (I hope) fill only our "empty cages" accordingly and nothing more. If money is the motivation, they will loose. Again, the time is short for these prices and we will blink and they'll be gone (the low prices that is) and hopefully not the animals themselves.
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RE: $6-8 Ball Pythons - tc@screamdreams, Mon May 26 20:35:18 2003