Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's some new pics I took today of my 05 male from Dwight Good. He's growing fast, and getting darker with each shed. Thanks for looking.

Steve

That animal is SHARP! I really love that color. It's almost glossy black...very nice!
Dusty
Suboc.com

people actually pay money for more than common reptiles found of mass areas in this country. Monies : I mean outside of the cost factor of legally collecting species to breed ( not the pet scenario ). Unless it is the belief or faith of not wanting to put stress of the environment and or populations of wild collecting species. That , while I argue somewhat , I can understand. Again, on this forum several snakes are so common in mass numbers of my area/region and a large area throughout........it's not like trying to collect subocs or alterna for example. No, this factor of what is very common and in numbers wouldn't make me a commercial collector in any form or manner. Although I know it does go on of non-resident people but probably not in huge numbers as of past. I can also understand with high gas prices and possibly high lodging cost at this time it WOULD be cheaper to buy/purchase what I consider very common. So far as to considering meaning if i wanted to like collect ( hypothetical now ) red rat snakes in the southeast or Florida. But while the red rat would be my target species, I would think of the rush/excitement of seeing other species on a trip ( and mind you I would be LEGAL with all necessary permits-license ). My thoughts...........
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

Interesting viewpoint. Living in Va, I could go out this spring and have plenty of Blk Rats to choose from. But given a choice, I would rather have captive bred. It has more to do with health reasons then with me worried about depleting the local black rat population. Makes no difference to me if it's rare, or the most common snake on our planet. Then again the type of snakes I have a love and passion for, will never get looked at twice at herp shows or the classifieds. While 80 percent of everybody else is looking for that next ball python morph, I'm plugging away with Normal Prairie Kings, emoryi rats, eastern kingsnakes, holbrooki, etc.
So yes, there are a few folks like me that will go out and buy something like a, dare I say....................................
"captive bred garter snake", LOL

Steve

You had me all the way up to the garter snake

I know I could actually make money if I kept different snakes but you gotta love a good old eastern king or wc red rat. I always loved looking at 4-5 wild red rats and comparing them and just falling in love with each one in a different way. I just got tired of trying to sell the babies when I kept them so I got out of them and just enjoyed them when i came across them. Now I am out of Florida and no where near a red rat population I wish I had kept some.

great post

later Jason

I agree completely. I could find 50 black rats a day for the rest of my life but they would still be my favorite! I love their attitude or should I say lack there of? They are both curious and active too! Some of my favorite snakes are black rats, corns, emoryi, everglades, yellow, and prairie kings. ALL of these don't even get a second look by most people.
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0.1 Snow Corn "Hope"
1.0 Ball Python "Wilson" (Castaway)
1. Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Chunk" (Goonies)
.1 Orange Albino Black Ratsnake "Peaches"
0.0.1 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Onyx"

Herpers buying "normal" snakes is not a common place occurance for sure. However there are a few reasons why we do it.

I really enjoy the natural looking animals vs. the colorful eye candy. To me the normal snakes are far more interesting than any of the morphs out there. Im not knocking any of the morphs, because I know a lot of work has gone into them. They are just not my cup of tea. Of all the snakes I have, only one is a morph. Its an albino black rat. Everything else are the normal run of the mill snakes. I am big on Kentucky locale animals and have a few colubrids that I have personally collected here in KY.

I know that to some people, paying money for a normal black rat, or corn, or Great plains rat may seem odd, but not to someone that wants a locale specific animal, or one that is a normal from W/C parents that are not het for anything.

Just something about pulling my big honkin KY black rat out and seeing how big he has gotten from a hatchling. And knowing that he is a native species makes it that much sweeter. Ill have to post some pics of my rat collection later on. I need to take some updated pics anyways.
Brian
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RATS
1.0 Corn snake "Warpath"(KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Great plains rat snake "Reign Fire" (TX locale)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Yellow rat snake "Wolverine" (Dwight Good stock)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

through the years of my long association of this hobby and industry I have noticed at times the " get back to basics " scenario of the common and no morph, no hybrid keeping. Or the " pure strains " keeping. Maybe we are at that point again by a large number of us herpetoculturist. Of course one would be hard to be convinced of this by reading the BALL python forum and the CORN snake forum ! LOL !
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

I have heard others say the same thing, but I have never been into the different colors and morphs of snakes. I grew up in SouthEastern MO and always caught snakes, frogs, lizards and turtles. I guess some who get into the herp industry because the "eye candy" lured them in. And they probably appreciate the normal stuff more after they have been into the hobby for a while and start field herping.
Brian

>>through the years of my long association of this hobby and industry I have noticed at times the " get back to basics " scenario of the common and no morph, no hybrid keeping. Or the " pure strains " keeping. Maybe we are at that point again by a large number of us herpetoculturist. Of course one would be hard to be convinced of this by reading the BALL python forum and the CORN snake forum ! LOL !
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>>I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......
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RATS
1.0 Corn snake "Warpath"(KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Great plains rat snake "Reign Fire" (TX locale)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Yellow rat snake "Wolverine" (Dwight Good stock)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

I love glossy jet black snakes, and I don't think this male is going to dissapoint. Let's see, I have a black ratsnake, a Mexican Black Kingsnake, and by this weekend, a black kingsnake (nigra) Yep, I'd say I like black snakes, LOL

Steve