Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this isn't anything special to most of you experienced hot fans but,to me this little fellow is smok'n i.m.o. Jeff

Looks SWEET to me.

Also, if you caught it yourself, it's better (IMHO) than anything you could ever purchase. The thrill of the catch is the best thrill of all. The only thing that comes close is the thrill of successful captive breeding.

I always feel bad for the large numbers of w/c dusky pigmy rattlesnakes that are offered for sale at shows. Because of their low price, few people seem to try to breed them. It seems that many people have the mentality that they are a disposable starter hot herp because they are common and cheap. Take good care of the little guy, or let him go.

I know exactly where you are coming from!The pig in this pic isn't even mine.It belongs to a friend of mine,he caught it in Fl.I may eventually get it but,even until then he is feeding great and will never be "disposable" Thanks! Jeff

And I thought they were not being bred because of the difficulty in feeding the babies. Not everyone is able to aquire food items small enough and of interest to these little gems. I know of a few experienced herpers that ended up with litters from wc gravid females and they had to force feed them. And that was not very successful.
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Tim Cole
www.Designeratrox.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
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Conservation through Education

I pray we never reach the point of disposable herps.Nice snake.

It is too bad that economics determines what we focus our breeding efforts on (I'm guilty too!). Various Sistrurus make fascinating captives and are really the ideal rattlesnake to keep in captivity due to their size and personality (the snappier the better in my book). Tim is right about rearing neonates; they can be a pain. At the same time, I wonder if more people worked with them, we may find some easy feeding strategies to get them on to standard rodent prey (kind of like baby indigos, it just takes a little patience). Although I'm sure their numbers are good, it does sadden me to see so many rattlesnakes plucked from the wild so that they can sit inside a box for the rest of their life; that just doesn't sit well (but, I am being hypocritical because my animals, though mostly captive bred, are relinquished to this very lifestyle). Yet, that train of thought is a bit anthropomorphic and a rattlesnake is probably perfectly content to sit inside a box that provides heat, shelter, peace and quiet, and food on a regular basis (heck, that's probably like heaven). With that being said, I would much rather catch a wild herp, take a few pictures, and let it keep living its life where it should...in the wild.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL

>>I pray we never reach the point of disposable herps.Nice snake.
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

I guess we can never really know if our captives are happy or not. One could argue that humans in the prison system have food, shelter, heat and all of the basic necessities...except for freedom. And I'm sure most of them wouldn't call their situation heaven.

I know, I know...play the little violin and everyone shed a tear. Don't get me wrong, I keep captive bred and a few wild-caught herps. I don't think there is anything wrong with wild-caught, as long as we at least try to learn about breeding them and raising neonates to reduce the need for wild-caught. It's just that sometimes we can get so caught up in our perceived value (monetary) of a herp, that we forget about their value as wild animals (even the "El Cheapo" snakes).