Reptile & Amphibian Forums

You been helping me a lot and im just wondering, how long have u been keeping corn snakes? hehe....so how many did u start off with? thanx for all your help, it really helped me =)
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1.0 Green Iguana

I have been keeping corns for about 10 years or so. I started with just ONE and went from there as I learned more. Someone once said in this forum that owning herps should be viewed as a 'priveledge' NOT 'our right'...and that with owning any reptile comes a great deal of responsibility. Especially with the stigma and stereotypes attached to them.

The only person that's going to know if you are ready to own & care for a reptile is YOU! Just make sure that you ask ?'s and gain as much knowledge as you can about the species b/c otherwise its just not fair to the animal. ALSO, keep in mind that even with the most experienced people, the unexpected still happens. Mistakes still happen, no matter how much you learn or prepare...just try to minimize them! Recently I was very ill and spent much time in the hospital, at which time NO ONE was able to provide the same level of care as I provided for my reptiles. I was fortunate enough to recover BUT I lost one of my snakes during the absence of my care. This was something new that in 10+ years I NEVER thought of.

There are several points I was going for, but lost track!

If you are thinking of starting with more than one, I highly suggest to wait and go with one to start then more from there b/c the demand for reptiles now is big, as is the supply...you can always get more snakes as you go...but trust me....start with one first.

Thanks Carl3, yup i think i am ready thanks to u guys for being so patient and helping me so much and giving me so much expert advice. Im sorry to hear that you were sick and you lost one of your snakes =(.....anyways, are you okay? what happened to you?

Oh speaking of which, I have decided that I will just go buy my Snake from the shop that is cheapest and breeds corns themselves rather than going to the Reptile Expo.....because at the Expo, I don't think that they will have time to feed the corn right in front of me and so on, you know?

It's like reptile expos are just there for people who want to buy on impulse and have no idea of what the animal needs (In my opinion).

But i think the real reason is that i can't wait to keep a corn! lol....the funny thing is.....i dont even know or remember how i suddenly got interested in corn snakes, lol

anyways.....i dont wanna bore you or anyone who is readin this...but thanks once again for the help, i appreciate it =)
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1.0 Green Iguana

99.9% of the time you will find a much higher quality of animals and breeders at reptile shows & expos versus pet stores (with the exception of pet stores specializing in reptiles). There was an article in the Reptiles Magazine about having a vendor feed animals in front of you at the shows...well, a big downside they said was the fact that if people decide NOT to get an animal after it feeds...then others are screwed out of watching it feed (a snake can't feed for everyone) PLUS vendors will have to transport a snake back home on a full belly...this usually ends up w/regurgitation...which is not healthy for any animal. Lately, shows are just crazy busy and you're right, vendors don't have much time BUT I find if you have an idea of what you are looking for and you know some vendors that are going to be there...simply email them or call them before hand and let them know your interests so they know you are a bit more serious than the 'window shopper' walking by their tables. I think most people have specific ideas of what they want at an expo BUT end up seeing other things that catch their eyes...and become impulsive...BUT i would venture to guess that most of those people have an idea of basic reptile care, esp if they have other reptiles.

"Oh speaking of which, I have decided that I will just go buy my Snake from the shop that is cheapest and breeds corns themselves rather than going to the Reptile Expo.....because at the Expo, I don't think that they will have time to feed the corn right in front of me and so on, you know?

It's like reptile expos are just there for people who want to buy on impulse and have no idea of what the animal needs (In my opinion). "

I agree about the reptile shows. I have never bought a reptile from a pet store. As has been said many times, pet stores really don't know and don't care about their animals from puppies to reptiles. Actually the pet store in my area goes to the local reptile shows and buys their snakes then comes back and marks them way up. (A cal king at reptile show for $30-$40-pet store up to $110) You will actually get to meet some people in your area that breed and sell the snakes, and this comes in handy for future purchases and even questions you may have. Everyone that I have met through my local shows have been extremely nice and helpful. I suggest trying your local reptile show, you will be pleasantly surprised of the choices that you will have. Just my .03 cents.
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SpardaWolf
1.0 okeetee-Sparda
1.0 pastel motley-Peeper
0.1 anerythristic-Piper
1.0 reverse okeetee-Stripe
1.0 ball python-Cobra

>>Oh speaking of which, I have decided that I will just go buy my Snake from the shop that is cheapest and breeds corns themselves rather than going to the Reptile Expo.....because at the Expo, I don't think that they will have time to feed the corn right in front of me and so on, you know?
>>
>>It's like reptile expos are just there for people who want to buy on impulse and have no idea of what the animal needs (In my opinion).

I bought my first snakes at a reptile expo. I knew before I went what I was looking for. Same thing with the other species I bought at expos (brazilian rainbow boa, amazon tree boa, ball python) pretty much the only snake I bought without having left home thinking of buying one is the rainbow boa, but I had already known the care, requirements, etc., because I was interested in getting one at some point.

I honestly think that pet stores have a much higher rate of impulse purchases where the buyer has no knowledge of the animal.

I have never worried about not seeing an animal feed at a show. I think it is less common to have sick, non-feeding animals at shows than it is at pet shops. I would trust a well-known breeder's word over that of a pet shop. The breeder has more to lose over bad word-of-mouth. Pet stores seem to have less incentive to care well for their animals - they always seem to get customers even if their animals are rotting in their cages. Plus they have a significant markup on the animals they sell. They probably get their corns for less than $10 and go and sell them for $70. So even if half die before they're sold, they still will make a profit on them.
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-audri
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