Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm not complaining or upset..
I'm just wondering why are Woma's significantly more expensive than many other snakes? Limited breeding in captivity? No exportation from Australia? They seem like AWESOME snakes, and I was just a little curious about them.. Thanks!
-Jason
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1 snow corn
1 redtail
1 baby BRB

Australia does not allow export. Any on the market are either captive bred or smuggled WC. Stay away from the smuggled WC.

Price is usually set by the market according to supply and demand. Quality also impacts price.

I believe they typically lay less than a dozen eggs and do not or rarely double clutch.

I suspect prices will drop considerably in the next 10 years.
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly

Woma prices have actually dropped significantly within the past year or 2. I'm actually surprised they have dropped as quickly as they have. While captive breeding is now pretty common, most hobbyists were tight lipped until recently, so most propogation was trial and error. Now it seems more folks are willing to share their experiences.

This combined with there awesome demeanors makes for a great addition to the collection, and a sought after species. I became enamored with them some years ago, and several years ago I spent $4K on a group. I was able to successfully breed them the first time I tried, however, I hatched 1 out of 14 eggs from the first clutch...the rest, I just watched die and get moldy.

Through more experience and learning, my hatch rates have improved, and in '08, I had my first clutch with a 100% hatch rate. Still, the relative difficulty in getting everything just right, when compared to other pythons, makes some keepers hesitant to attempt breeding in larger numbers from what I have heard from some other hobbyists. Of course, I still love 'em and will continue!

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"He who would stifle debate rather than engage in it, does so at the expense of his integrity and credibility"

Mike Curtin

Thanks guys. I suppose those are the reasons that i originally suspected.. They do seem to have an awesome attitude, paired with stunning looks. Oh well, i'll be savin' my pennies for a while....
Do you sell your little guys?
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1 snow corn
1 redtail
1 baby BRB

I had 100% hatchlings, 12/12 this past year (first try) and still have some...not including the ones I'm keeping. One has gone from hatchling to almost 300 grams since this past August when they hatched. And yes, prices have gone down this year. People who want to sell babies are pricing them accordingly. They ARE neat animals...much like Black Heads.
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1.1 Blackheaded pythons
2.4 Woma
4.2 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
2.2 Bloods
2.2 IJ Carpets
1.1 Coastal Carpets
1.3 Macklotts
1.2 F2 Carpondros
2.0 Jungle Carpet
0.1 Carpondro
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow boas
1.1 Striped Bolivian Boas
0.1 child, CB
0.1 wife, WC

Wow...that's a pretty impressive growth rate!

How long are they? What are they eating? Do you have any pics?

My 07s, which I will admit were definitely thin (just weren't fed to their full potential) when I bought them in August, are currently in the low to mid 400 g range when they're empty and are about 3.5-3.75 ft. long. Is that below average?

Also, I have heard that keeping Womas very well-fed (bordering on fat) can result in lower fertility/less likely to have a good clutch. Is there any truth to this?
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Take care,

Alex Pepper

CBB '07 1.1 Aspidites ramsayi--Woma Pythons (Don Hamper/Rare Earth Stock)
CBB '08 1.1 Bothrochilus boa--Bismarck Ringed Pythons (Tom Keogan Line High Contrast)
CBB '07 1.0 Heterodon simus--High Red Southern Hognose Snake (Tom Pinson Line Red)
CBB '07 1.1 Pituophis catenifer sayi--Marathon, Texas Out-crossed Stillwater Hypomelanistic Bull Snakes
CBB '08 1.1 Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi--Black Pine Snakes (John Ginter Stock)
CBB '06 & '08 1.1 Eublepharis macularius--Blazing Blizzard & Reverse Stripe Tangerine Albino Leopard Geckos "Blaze" & "Angie"
CBB '02 0.1 Hemitheconyx caudicinctus--Stiped African Fat-tailed Gecko "Smeagol"
CBB '03 0.1 Canis domesticus--Cocker Spaniel "Cupcake"
CBB '99 0.1 Canis domesticus--Yellow Labrador Retriever "Freckles"

Happy Herping!

Most of them are in the 150-230G range, but I don't feed my adults that much. My breeder male is about 5.5-6' and eats rather modestly every 10 days...a couple mice. Female was fed a lot after laying, and is back up to normal weight now. I'll breed her again this year. Funny...I have a good supply of very young frozen hamsters, and most of them started f/t about a 3 weeks after hatching. They looked like fat caterpillers after a meal

Two will only eat rat pups.
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1.1 Blackheaded pythons
2.4 Woma
4.2 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
2.2 Bloods
2.2 IJ Carpets
1.1 Coastal Carpets
1.3 Macklotts
1.2 F2 Carpondros
2.0 Jungle Carpet
0.1 Carpondro
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow boas
1.1 Striped Bolivian Boas
0.1 child, CB
0.1 wife, WC

I want to add 1 more thing to this topic. Yes prices have dropped fast, I believe it is because there are more people breeding the ugly womas and flooding the market with a lot of garbage.
If you do invest, make sure you get quality animals with great looks. If not you will not be happy.
Nick

I agree and that one is total knockout! WOW.

They really aren't that expensive when you compare them to most Ball Python morphs...and some other pythons...I got my male for a great deal, $325 about 8 months ago. He isn't perfect but I think he is a pretty good looking Woma...I plan to get a knockout female for him. Womas are really interesting snakes...definately completely different attitude than the other pythons I've had...They are worth the price. Mine is a royal pain in the ass when it comes to feeding time...but I love him none the less.

why is he a pain in the ass to feed?
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1 snow corn
1 redtail
1 baby BRB

He cant seem to decide whether he likes F/T or live better...The person who had him before me had him on F/T...So i was doing that when I first got him...but if I would have a leftover live rat that one of my other snakes didn't want to eat, I would just throw it in with him...After I did that a few times he wasn't as interested in the F/T. But on the other hand, he is a terrible hunter...constantly striking and missing...he will just slither up and bite a live rat like it's an F/T...He'll grab a rat by the tail and coil it up...It's just a mess when he tries to eat live...I'm getting him back permanently on F/T now, so it's not as bad...

I always prefer f/t, but unless you have one that's a good constrictor, it's never safe to feed live after getting them on f/t. I just shipped a nice juvie male out to the west coast. He was pretty and about 200G from hatching in august.

They're pigs....lol
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1.0 Blackheaded pythons
2.4 Woma
3.2 Aussie Olives
1.1 Timors
2.2 Bloods
2.2 IJ Carpets
1.1 Coastal Carpets
1.3 Macklotts
1.2 F2 Carpondros
2.0 Jungle Carpet
0.1 Carpondro
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow boas
1.1 Striped Bolivian Boas
0.1 child, CB
0.1 wife, WC