Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I went to Seminole, FL to a pet store a friend of mine owns. He had a captive bred female ornate for sale. She was originally $79.99, but he said he'd sell her to me for half off since he knows me. I was almost going to buy her, but I decided I'd hold off and try to get a male at the Tampa Reptile Mania. And my father almost got bitten by a mata mata too! My father is 67 and doesn't seem to have all his marbles. He was looking at the mata mata, which had just come in today and was in a bucket until he could find a place to put it. My father puts his hand down to try and scratch his head and the mata mata is hissing, with his mouth open the whole time. He eventually looked at his face and took his hand out.

Ouch that would've hurt. You are lucky to be able to attend the big shows in Florida, I would love to go but it would cost me a couple body parts, not to mention the ones my wife would take if I went alone
Try to hold out for CB either way, they are a lot less trouble and the responsible way to go too.
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Jeff Benfer

1.0 pastel Python regius
1.1 mojave Python regius
0.1 normal Python regius
1.3 Terrapene carolina thriunguis
2.3 Terrapene carolina carolina
4.1 Kinosternon baurii
1.1 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin
2.2 double het albino and anerythristicThamnophis sirtalis parietalis
1.0 anerythristic Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
2.2 Iowa snow Thamnophis radix
0.2 het Christmas albino Thamnophis radix
1.1 double het cherry erythristic, albino Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 melanistic Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
1.1 triple heterozygous for amelanistic,carmel, and stripe Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 anerythristic motley Pantherophis guttatus
0.1 Okeetee Pantherophis guttatus

I'd really love to find a captive bred one. I've never had a problem with any of my wild caught box turtles and tortoises, most of which I've had for years, but I've been hearing alot of people tell me about their wild caught ones dying. I have one captive bred box turtle, an Eastern that I got from a friend's private collection, and this one is the only one (other than the male eastern I caught last month) that started eating right away.

I hate to say it, but at that price for an adult, I doubt she was CB.

Katrina