Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I havent been online in a few months, but I've recently rescued 3 and soon to be 4 PTS bringing my total to 5(6).

I looked in the classified for "rarer" BTS and i noticed that Many wholesalers had PTS for much cheaper than they were a few months ago. Has the ban on importation been lifted?

You mentioned both PTS and BTS, so I'm a bit confused, but if you're talking prehensile tailed skinks (Corucia zebrata), I have some guesses as to what's going on.

First - importation of C. zebrata is not illegal, per se. They are a CITES appendix II animal, meaning that only a limited number of individuals can be exported from the Solomon's each year, and those must have proper CITES paperwork completed at the export point and the import point.

Second - there has been a recent shipment of (supposedly) CITES documented C. zebrata into the US.

Here's where my guessing comes in: With a flood of C. zebrata coming in, dealers are looking to part with them quickly and so have lowered the price, to get them to move. Increased supply lowers prices. Plus there are at least 4-5 dealers that I've seen on the KS classifieds alone trying to move PTS. I imagine there are others out there too that simply don't advertise here. Competition may be another factor lowering prices.

If you are considering buying a WC PTS and know all of the possible negative consequences and are willing to accept them, I suggest you contact USFW DMA to check on the authenticity of the CITES paperwork. This advice comes from an individual on the Herp Law/CITES forum who seems like they'd be willing to give more info if you need it.

I'd be very interested to hear your results should you pursue purchasing one of these animals.

-Z

There is a PTS in a pet store in a tiny little town near me.
My daughter saw it this past weekend.
They are selling it for $350.00 Canadian.

How the heck does a small community like that come across a PTS?

I'm thinking that there must be a larger quantity available here in Ontario for a place like Stratford to have a PTS.

I wish I was independantly wealthy so I could go and collect all the homeless PTS up and get them OUT of the petshops!!

I just can't stand it.
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Kim

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Kim

It's strange, another forum poster rescued a PTS from a petstore in Canada. You'd really never see one in a pet store in the US... I wonder why they're so much easier to come by in Canada? At any rate, I was thinking about buying one, but the way things are going maybe I'll just wait and adopt one .

I rescued my Corucia, Dill, from a pet shop back in April.
Has there been someone other than me since then.
If so, I'd love to know who, so we can compare "notes"

Kim
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Kim

Nope, that's you.... I must have forgotten your name!
*shakes head*
*brain cells fall out*

SOUTHERN FLORIDA CORUCIA RESEARCH CENTER (SFCRC)

Location: LEE/1.

Hello,

As Mentioned recently in this forum, With the complete collapse of government, there is complete lawlessness in the Solomons right now. This has led to excelerated logging activity and high exportation-both legal and illegal of Corucia out of the area. Thus, prices have crashed. It has been observed that Corucia can be had as low as $50 apiece. One supplier listed at $99 apiece.

Sincerely,
Brian
SFCRC

It's a terrible situation...the way Corucia are being brought to North America...but it's even worse (only my opinion) that the prices of them are dropping rapidly and dramatically.

The high price in the past, I would guess, would make Corucia off limits to most everyone but the most serious of keepers.
Now...at 50 bucks a pop virtually anyone can own one.

That's not a comforting thought...at least not for me.

I have not seen any more in the local pet shops, and the prices don't seem to have dropped too much judging by the few Canadian ads I've seen...still running around $350 here...but I suppose it's only a matter of time.
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Kim