I don't think it's over the top or 'wrong' to want as much information about a particular animal, whether its a $10 snake or a $100 000 designer morph. The whole advantage of a reptile show and meeting vendors/breeders is the ability to talk to them directly, ask questions, learn about the feeding/health of the animal you are interested in. Asking its current weight doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
Guessing weight isn't very accurate...but like any 'skill' some are better at it than others. I doubt there are too many breeders who can accurately tell the difference between a 150g snake and a 200g snake...though the 50g difference may not mean much, but for a very young snake it could mean the difference between life or death. However weight should not be a major factor in deciding whether to buy a particular snake.
The overall experience with the vendor (does he make an effort to establish good customer relationships, or just push for the sale? Does he answer all your questions in a way that is satisfactory to you, etc. If he has a feed/weight card or paper guarantee, definitely beneficial as well.) Providing that little extra is also a way for vendors to get a customer who may decide to go for another vendor who has a lower price or has more info.
I can also see the vendors side of things, going to a show is a very stressful time, especially vendors who have some distance to travel. All the prep work needed (packing up all the snakes, labeling deli cups, loading up the car/truck/van) Making sure they didn't forget anything...driving to the site, getting up really early to do the set up (I have done set up and tear downs for booths held by my local reptile group, then interact with the public, answering questions letting them touch a snake, hold it etc.) IT takes alot out of you.
It is a good idea for breeders to keep track of feeding etc....but I can see it can be alot of extra work (though if 'cue cards' are taped to the outside of each bin...can't see it being hard to mark in '1 f/t pink rat - eaten - 'date' ' after each feeding/cleaning. Or if all snakes are fed on set days, it can be easier...just a yes/no under 'fed?' and just have the hatch date, or first feeding date, if food is offered every 7 days or whatever schedule is used.) I think this type of 'extra' effort for higher end morphs would be worth it. I would hate to spend $1000 or more on a snake who has always refused food, or is underweight etc..or if the vendor can't remember what it ate last or when.
Huge breeders I can see having more trouble keeping track...but I think the bigger breeders have a greater need to keep accurate records. If they are breeding 20 different morphs and combination of those morphs...including recessive hets...knowing what goes into each animal, plus feeding etc of the babies...and knowing which animal is which is very important. Its a pain and of course alot of extra work, but I feel it shows more determination and organization in the breeder, if they take that extra tine. It can also be reputation damaging to not have good records...I know I felt a little less confident about a breeder who posted images of several of his combo babies on here awhile ago and state in the post he wasn't sure what was in the animal, or if it was this or that visual morph...If he can't even identify what he bred...kind of makes me feel less confident in buying his animals (not that I could afford any of the combo's shown in his posts). Of course for a post in a forum, its possible he just didn't have the info on hand (at the computer) or after taking x amount of pictures, he simply lost track of which picture represented which animal...but the actual bin the animal is in, has a detailed label.
Back on the weight/scale issue...I don't think its as important at the show to have an accurate weight. As people should have an idea of what they are buying (ie did their homework on care/husbandry about the animal) they would have seen pictures online or in books of what babies or adults should generally look like. Thus, if the animal is a little underweight or the weight 'guess' is off..if the animal is healthy and feeding, there is higher chance it can gain weight in its new owner's care. I would be more concerned if you are looking for a breeding weight and want to get it established in a new home and cooled asap...for the season, and if it was 'guessed' at 1600g and turns out to be 1200g....it could make a huge difference. But in general, though certain people may have other reasons to get a more accurate weight...being off by 20% shouldn't make much difference in regards to animal health (unless the stated weight is of an animal that is noticeable underweight already...far greater chance of a severely underweight animal to die before it can recover from the stress of being brought to a show, then a new home).
but in the end, if weight is really important for you to know...bring your own digital scale. They are small enough to slip into a backpack or even a basic grocery bag. The vendor may even have an empty deli dish for you to 'zero out' so you can weight snake and deli dish together and get the snake's weight alone.
(sorry for the long ramble...this came out far longer than I initially intended)
-----
PHLdyPayne
Forum Princess
