Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After jumping on here for the first time this weekend and reading the "Market Speculation" the "This is the coolest hobby in the world" (which I agree with) threads, I discovered something.

Within this forum and community we begin to recognize each other by our names and businesses. Posting on here is like the myspace of reptiles. And if your posts are in anyway representative of your attitudes and business practices, I could draw a line down the middle of a list of who and who I would not buy from or recommend to others.

To stay on the positive side, here are some breeders I would look forward to working agin or for the first time:

Brian @ Bhb
EmberBall
Debra & Diana @ Camlon Reptiles
Tosha

Just to name a few. The optimism and attitude does everything for me as a small time hobbyist. A big thank you to those who stay upbeat!

-John

LOL

Yea....we buy from Brian each time we run into him almost......

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.............does that mean I shouldn't hang pest strips in my room?

Very well said. My wife was reading that ongoing conversation and feels the same exact way.
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www.myspace.com/pichereptiles
Website coming soon

Thanks John,

It would be my pleasure if you ever wanted to do business. I'm glad you joined our passion. It can be a great hobby and business. Take care, Brian (BHB)

Do you like to deal with people who are real or people who "dance"?

I like to deal with people who are real, because quite simply, I can't dance, nor have any desire to...

BHB is great to do business with. Brian is one of the "originals" in this market/hobby/passion. I could easily ad to your list some great people who thrive on their passion for Royal Pythons and they have been doing so for many years.

How about we turn this thing around and focus on the upside/passion/fun of this Royal Python forum/market/passion and let's all work together to build a community based on our "common" "similar" interest and passion that we ALL can benifit from. MOST IMPORTANT is our responsibilty as care takers of these amazing unique animals, "Royal Pythons".

It might sound corny? but we are in this together or at least we can be if we choose to be. Let's put this thing in high gear and take it to the next level. Let's produce the best/quality/unique Royal Pythons possible and let's have fun doing it!

Sincerely, Kyle
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Kyle
www.royalvariations.com

"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid" David Coverdale

I don't think that was corny in the slightest
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1.2 normal ball pythons (Cindy, Darwin, and Periscope)
0.2 rescue chinese water dragons (Yoni and Linga)
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
1.0 gerbil (Yerbul)
0.1 neurotic mouse (Cute Girl Mousey)
1.0 escape artist mouse (Jesusmouse)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
1.1 betta fishes (Vicious and Killer)
2.2 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
3.0 horses (Buddy, Sam, and Scout)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
1.25 chickens (Ugly the rooster and his harem)

The Saddest Mouse

Having read everything that has been posted here for the last 24hrs and I could not agree more. There is a stigma about used car salesman deserved or not, but I think we've heard from alot them this weekend. There is alot of talk about bringing in new people to this hobby and the trade. I have been keeping snakes for a long time, but I am new to Ball pythons. When I first discovered KS I read for a long time before deciding to post. I will tell you the main reason for that wait was reading post like the ones that have been on here for the last 24hrs. Maybe there are alot of people here that know each other, but as a first time reader seeing people ripping on other people for their opinions really put me off. Some people seem very quick to attack other people and the projects that they are working on, WHY? I come on here to learn, discuss and have fun. Talk about taking the fun out of a great hobby. Lighten up a little.
Didn't your mommas every teach you if you can't say something nice don't say anthing at all.

Jeff

I just got caught up on the "Market Value" posting. A lot of interesting thoughts and ideas. I'm a little put off by the "High School"/"Who's 'Balls' are bigger" pissing match.

A few issues, maybe I have all wrong:

1. If you are in this hobby/passion for the money, you're in it for the wrong reason. The money is a side benefit and should come as a result of dedication and care of the animals not a 25k price tag. After the time and money put into feeding, heating, cleaning, bedding...you should not be "Making Money". You should be paying for your interest.

2. You have spent so much time competing with each other that you have forgotten about the customer. I am the customer. I have been a Ball Hobbyist since my first Ball in 97. I have gone in and out because of moves but have kept an eye on the market and the availability of normals and morphs. I would kill for a pied or albino back then but 12K for a pied and 7k for an albino was just crazy. Now that there are ivories, pewters, and lucies, pieds and albinoes have dropped. I will wait until the price is reasonable. As a customer, explain to me why any ball is worth more than the $35 I paid for my first normal just because of a color or pattern variation. I not complaining, just asking why and letting you know that the average customer wants to know why they are paying the price for what they are getting. The car reference: Why pay 125K for a Lamborghini when a 14K Honda will get me there and back just the same. In short, educate the public.

3. Who cares. See point one. If it is that frustrating that someone else wants to spend ungodly amounts of money on a few pets, gets them to breed and then wants to pawn off the babies for less than what they are worth, get out because you will always be pissed. Someone will always sell for less.

4. As stated in another post, This is the coolest hobby. Why are you degrading it with arguing. Help the new guys, congratulate the successful, and let the market deal with itself. Yesterday is already gone, tomorrow may never get here, so enjoy the time you have today.

5. One question never addressed. How to generate more interest. Again, educate. Tell others what you have and why. When I tell people that I have snakes, they ask "Why". I explain the joy I get from caring for and watching them. They ask to see them, hold them, and then where they can buy one. Once people get involved and see the joy that we have, they see the fun as well. If there is a support system that they can turn to with issues, they are more likely to take the chance. I started with one. When I left WA, I had 55-60 snakes of all kinds. It doesn't take much. We can't expect others to be interested if we are tearing each other down.

My 2 cents turned into a nickle, but, there it is.

A-freaking-men! Note to guys: that was not an insult to you, lol.

I am in this hobby because I love to learn about the animals and what care requirements they have. Yes, I also breed, but to long term goal is to educate the people and expose them to reptiles, not to make money. The whole driving motivation behind this "business" should be love, not capital. Anyone who disagrees is simply not the kind of person that I care to buy from.
When I have my reptile business in full swing, the idea will be to sell affordable healthy reptiles to people, not to make an extravagant amount of $$ from some color. I will have some morphs, but yes, thousands of dollars for a snake due to its genetics is very unreasonable.
There will always be someone out there that has created a new "morph" of python or gecko that everyone wants, but my passion will always be for the love of reptiles and not just what they look like. Don't get me wrong though; there are some people who breed high end morphs that also love the reptiles. But to the others I say "go back to your roots and what drove you to reptiles in the first place".