Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, I recently read that Indigos tend to be expensive, but the book I read that from was published I believe in 1995, so I am wondering if this is still true? Thanks for everything
Sincerely,
Dave

The term "expensive" is all relative....for some, spending $1200 on the opportunity to keep one of the coolest snakes on earth is a steal while others may look at it as the breeder stealing money from the buyer (in those cases I simply say "well, go find someone else to buy from". This hobby is still steared by supply and demand and indigos still command a very high price. You'll see them anywhere from $500 to $600 on the very low end to updwards of around $1500 on the high end (and this is for a hatchling). You can sometimes get great deals from owners who are cash strapped and need to make a quick sale but those are few and far between.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>Hi all, I recently read that Indigos tend to be expensive, but the book I read that from was published I believe in 1995, so I am wondering if this is still true? Thanks for everything
>>Sincerely,
>>Dave
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

Dave,

Eastern Indigo prices have increased substantially in the last several years. But then the cost of living in the good ole' U.S.A. has increased dramatically as well.EVERYTHING cost more, from the cleaning agents we use to clean cages with, to the cages themselves, to the rats and mice that we feed our snakes, to the electricity that we use to heat them and operate the incubators.Most Eastern Indigo breeders actually lose money wotking with these snakes, as the upkeep is expensive and unless they are mass produced and housed in cookie cutter caging and pushed to breed every year.. the profit margin dissapears quickly.

Life is seemingly getting more expensive.

Eastern Indigos, as wonderfull and beautifull as they truly are, are a LUXURY ITEM. No one has to have one, and because of that, when people breed them, they set their prices accordingly to what the market will bear, or to keep up with the market and not bastardize it. As Rob said...OCCASIONALLY you can find "Discount" Eastern Indigos, usually males, from people that are in a bad financial state and need the money NOW. Many of us have been in this predicament. It stinks.. FEMALES do not usually come up for sale as lone individuals, as they are harder to come by and retain more value when they get older. There seems to be a preponderance of males available, but even they are rather hard to find.

Eastern Indigos are one of the few snakes in this hobby whos value has INCREASED over time rather than decreased, and all this without the introduction of a "hot new morph" to keep the public interested and valueing them.Their intrinsic value as rare and potentially endangered native serpents is enough, coupled with their good looks.

If I were looking for Eastern Indigos to buy,I would buy them from someone that , if at all possible, I could SEE their collection and see what care they take of their snakes BEFORE I purchased them. This is not always possible, as some of the breeders will live out of your state, and some breeders, whether because of outright fear or good common sense do not want people they dont know tromping through their snake rooms. After all a lot of money is tied up in these collections.And theft does happen..

But if I were you,I would not price shop for an Eastern Indigo. The old adage "You get what you pay for" applies here. Buy from someone whose snakes you can see, that has a good reputation in that snake community, ask to see the adults, and try to get the largest and healthiest, best fed eastern babies that you can.

Scour the classifieds and go on www.indigosnakes.com and look up breeders.Lots of good guys on there with TONS of knowledge.

Best of luck

Fred Albury