Chris,



The majority of herp breeders are casual hobbyists who breed a few reptiles for fun and sometimes profit. In most cases, these herps come from long lines of captive bred stock. In kingsnake.com's colubrid, leopard gecko, bearded dragon, boa and ball python classifies, the vast majority of the animals being offered for sale are captive bred. Such animals should not be regulated.



Those who breed birds, fish and insects for a hobby are generally not pestered (or busted) by U.S. federal and state wildlife officials for pursuing their interests.



While there are still types of amphibians, turtles and lizards that are not widely captive bred, simply having a fishing license to allow the collection of no more than four adult animals would solve the issue for the people who want to work with such animals.



I can tell you from a breeder's standpoint that the vast majority of people looking for a snake seek out captive bred animals because they know that they are more suitable as pets and potential breeders. I can also tell you that I do not want to be hassled by the government for pursuing my hobby, which does no damage whatsoever to wild populations of herps.



I think most other herp breeders have the same point of view.



Tim

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