Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am surveying on what people look for in a reptile/amphibian breeder that they intend to buy from. I would like your help on this project. Any support is great.

Thanks
Mike
Greater Cincinnati Herptological Society

Well, my snake is an adoptee, but for my next critter it'd be a few things.

1. The species I'm looking for. Not as redundant as it sounds.
2. Babies well started on unscented f/t by the time I get them.
3. Photos of parents, and individual photos of baby snakes with gender known.
4. Good reputation and if not in area, very reliable shipping arrangement.
5. E-mail support and willingness to make recommendations and give husbandry advice before the actual purchase. Especially needed in unusual species.
6. High quality, healthy, relatively mild tempered, preferably non-related stock with records kept.

Big list I know, and I realize there would have to be room for compromise. But in a nutshell, my highest concerns are quality and security. Price, while quite relevant, is after those two aspects.
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0.2 chickens (Condor & Valentine)
0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave, Lucy & Amy)
0.1 Halflinger horse (Crissy)
0.1 Normal phase California Kingsnake (Sophia)
1.1 parents
Still searching for 1.0 WC human

Ok. Thank you for your input.

Thanks
Mike
Greater Cincinnati Herpetological Society

I think this list pretty well covers the bases. I might go further on a couple of points.

I'd like to know how long the person has been breeding and keeping snakes. On the ball python forums, I'm always seeing posts from people who want to get a couple of "hets" or "co-dominants" and become a "breeder." In many cases, they've owned snakes for less than a year or two and are still caught in the excitement of breeding. While I understand their excitement, I'd view taking one of their snakes as a rescue and not as a major investment. The ones who started keeping a few snakes as a hobby and grew into breeding are the ones that I'd trust the most.

I'd like to know what issues the person has faced with various health problems. For instance, if I hear that he has a mite infestation every six months, I'd want to look elsewhere for a snake. I'd want to know how often his snakes suffer respiratory infections. I'd like to know whether he sends snakes to the vet for checkups and how often fecal scans have shown digestive disorders.

I'd want to know what the person's feeding practices are. I'd want to know what food items are offered and where he gets them.

I'd want to know how the breeder's population compares overall to that species in the wild. Is the average weight/length of the breeder's population of a particular species the same as the average across other breeders and wild-caught specimens. Are the breeder's snakes generally of similar appearance to wild-caught specimens. Generally, I like a snake that represents the normal pattern and color of the species and would prefer to have one from a line of snakes that represent the normal variation. I'd be willing to pursue collections of some morphs, but I like the "factory spec" snakes.

These points are just extensions of what Drosera said, but they are worth explaining.

I bought both of my snakes at pet stores, and I didn't know nearly as much as I'd like about either of them. I don't regret either choice. I've been fortunate to get two great snakes. If I knew a "breeder" that had a nice snake that I liked, I might be willing to buy it regardless of whether he was perfect on all of these points. However, if I were trying to be a serious collector making a discerning purchase, these are the points that I'd investigate.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

I look for, above all else, someone that is knowledgable and clean. But even then, sometimes you run into some problems. I bought an irian jaya carpet python from a guy, who will remained nameless, and the snake came complete with a RI and internal parasites. $150 later, after vet treatments, I have a healthy snake.
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0.1 Irian Jaya carpet python
1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1 Ball python
1.3 Crested Geckos (harlequin/fire, dalmatian, fire)
4.6.0 Leopard Geckos (nrml, abno, htct, blz, lcs)
0.1 Western Hognose snake
1.0 Albino Lavender California Kingsnake
1.3 Bearded Dragons
0.2 Water turtles
0.0.1 Rose Haired Tarantula-Sammy
1.0 Umbrella Cockatoo (belongs to my mom and I)