Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I notice a good number of ads on Fauna which list snakes for sale without providing any photos. I don't think I'd buy a snake sight unseen, would you? Do people not have cameras or are they too lazy to set up a photobucket account?

"Do people not have cameras or are they too lazy to set up a photobucket account?"

I totally agree. Not the smartest way to advertise something that can vary like night and day. If snakes were stereo systems with model numbers or something like that it wouldn't be real necessary, but with snakes it couldn't be MORE important in my opinion.

The way I figure it, the person would get bothered FAR more having to provide pics by email from any prospective buyers anyway. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Unless I knew the person EXTREMELY well, and always agreed with their opinion on what a great looking specimen looks like, I would NEVER buy a snake sight unseen........period!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

It's just not smart. Pictures sell merchandise, unless your trying to hide something.
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

That's really what my very first thought would always be.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

I would never purchase a snake without seeing it first...Not real fond of sending out money to strangers either for their snakes that I have seen pics of either, would MUCH rather see snake in person(show, petstore). It's not a problem to find a reputable seller though. A little research...
I was just as bothered by the chondro ad that stated we move so many animals that the snake in ur pic may not be actual one sent out!!!

Who could resist this beautiful baby (Gerold Merker)
I wound up getting not only this one. but a pair of females from him, too. The photo made the sale! No pic, no sale.

LLLReptile sells Thayeri online but you wont get the one in the photo; you have to go to one of their stores and buy one in person if you want a specific animal.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

>>LLLReptile sells Thayeri online but you wont get the one in the photo; you have to go to one of their stores and buy one in person if you want a specific animal.

It is best to buy thayeri from those who produce them, know their lineage and know how to care for them properly.........unlike most of the "flippers"
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

You are right! If I ever go to buy any Thayeri I will deal with somebody like you who is devoted to the species.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

what a great photo and a spectacular animal. Photo would have done it for me too! Dave.

The two little females from Gerold. I requested theis photo though email since I liked the little male so much.

Gerold is a master photographer, well known for his nature photography, so he may have the advantage on getting good snake pictures. Check these out:
southwesternherp.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1287692987/0#0
But I think anyone with a decent camera can get a clear photo of the animal they are wanting to sell.

A picture I took of my female bull when she was a baby. If I can take a reasonably clear photo of a snake I don't see why anyone else can't, too.
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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Killer pyres Bob!
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

Well, now if someone has lots of different types of animals for sale(like on their website) I can certainly understand them having only one, or a couple pics that are decent "representations" of the animals a customer might expect to get from them. This way the seller doesn't have to constantly update their website with hoards of individual snake pics of each individual one all the time. That can become quite a chore sometimes. Then when a potential customer contacts them inquiring about a certain specific type, the seller can then offer some photo's to them via email, etc...I do that all the time, and so do countless others, and that is quite normal and acceptable. But to have only one ad for one, or a couple snakes in the "CLASSIFIED" type ads, and not have pics of the EXACT animal(s)for sale is just ridiculous to me. This seems like just pure laziness to me basically.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

I think that's fair. I don't expect someone like the Loves to have a picture of EVERY 20 dollar corn they produce this year. But I would like pictures of the clutch or something!
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
1.3 African House Snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
1 corn snake
4.3 Florida Kings
2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
1 Argentine boa
1 Texas Rat Snake
1 checkered garter snake

exactly, I totally agree!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

Out of the many purchases that I have made in the past few years, one of my biggest purchases was actually "blind". Tom Agosta of Eight Legs Plus only sells at shows and when I say that, I mean he almost NEVER sells over the phone. I bugged him about his Flame Line of Floridas for so long and had the help of Zenny, one of his close friends, and was able to convince him. I saw NO pictures of the actual animals that I bought, just some reference pics from Zenny to get an idea of some of the snakes that I was buying. I knew that the genetics that he works with are some of the rarest in FL Kings and to me it was worth the gamble. I have to say that opening that box was one of the most exciting things that I have done snake-related. The "Extreme Flames" "Black and White Ghosts" (anery ghosts), and "Lavender Flames" were my favorites out of the group that I got and I was not disappointed. I realize that I did have something to go off of, the word of Zenny, Tom himself, and some "they may look something like this" pictures, but I just remember how reluctant I was at first when he told me his prices and said "man I dont have a way to send you pics, but trust me they are worth it". Just my experience, but I would not have purchased them without Zenny's recommendation and that fact that very few work with the Fengya line of flames. I would buy "blind" from him again, but not from some person on ks or fauna who I did not know at all.

Jeremy Thompson
Captive Born Investments Inc.

or even deceptive in some cases....
I WOULD NEVER buy a snake without seeing some pics FIRST....

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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

ditto that Zee!.it just won't happen here.

BTW,.......KILLER South Georgia getula!!!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

That Kingsnake was my biggest ever. He was 6'2" in that pic and maxed out at 6'5" before he died....
This pic shows him at 76"

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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

That was a beautiful beast!
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
Jorge Sierra

My Site > www.Sierrasnakes.com

Quite the beast there Zee!..

I have a pretty big male floridana that will probably top-out at 6 or so feet when he is older. He isn't quite 4 years old yet, and is well over 66 inches now and about 3.75 lbs.

~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

A picture's worth a thousand words, Doug. Gorgeous animal man!

Although I do enjoy the differnt Floridana morphs out there now days, they're really just icing on an already delicious cake. The male you posted is simply STUNNING. It was those giant, school bus yellow, male Brooksi, that I especially loved, years ago and left a lasting impression on me.

Thanks Micah!,....glad you like him bro. I really enjoy working with him and the others myself!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

I think I need a bigger cage!
That's a huge king! I hope mine get that big (but if they don't htat's OK)...mine are all under 4' right now. if they get that size I'm thinking some of the 4x2x12" AP cages...wonder if they'll cut me a bulk deal if I buy 15-20 at a go?
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
1.3 African House Snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
1 corn snake
4.3 Florida Kings
2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
1 Argentine boa
1 Texas Rat Snake
1 checkered garter snake

LOL!!,....yeah, this guy makes a normal sized colubrid tub look like a match box, but I don't think "most" of the other males are going to be quite the bruiser that this guy is. The older female isn't any wiggle-worm either though, and is pretty darn big herself.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

oh yeah There DORKS. And that's why they don't do that. And since I'm the DoRK SlaYER and such I guess I have a lot of work to do therefore.

I have Fauna ads...
I have 3 cameras..
I have no cameras that have been used in 6 years...
lazy?..yes..I work a fulltime job and have 200 to 400 snakes here plus a couple thousand rodents, grass to cut..and I have a real problem setting here waiting for pics to load then reload them into ad, etc etc ...computers make me scream....

and yes..I buy unseen snakes...I do not open containers at shows and play with snakes...I don't have to loom at them....if they are junk you can see it...if you don't trust people ask the correct questions and they will either be truthful or lie...you have to tell the difference....I have had a guy tell me he would ship me snakes the next day...and I never saw them , he didn't know me, and he wasn't paid yet (pre paypal, we used mail and money orders then).....he said no problem...I said are they good? he said they are nice...sold better yesterday but these are top..I said...mail them....they were screeeeeamers....Thanxx Norm Damm............

....unseen? un played with..yep....I hate people opening my taped cups ,play with snake..walk away...no...turtle and lizard infected fingers on my animals makes me want to scream again...

and ...they are what they are......each morph looks like what we want or doesn't....just ask....or buy local always....???

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........JY

Understood. I can empathize with all of your reasons for not posting pics, - the 40+ hour a week job, home life demands, pain in the ass slow to download computer, etc.

However, I would submit to you the following, but first preface what I'm about to say with it is by no means a slam against you, or intended to be argumentive...just a thought.

Although I too, as at least CBI also replied, am comfortable buying unseen snakes from a very select few breeders, but for the most part, would not even consider buying a snakes without seeing it first. Whenever I cruise the classifieds I ALWAYS look forward to seeing the pics. Whenever I come across an ad without pics, I'll continue on (maybe bookmark it and go back) and usually end up buying the snake that I see.

Whenever someone is competing in any given market place, he/she must use every advantage and tool available. When it comes to reptiles, pictures are one of the most powerful marketing tools out there....second to maybe a breeder's reputation and word of mouth. Especially when advertising to the general public, when someone's shopping for their first snake.

I bet if you posted pics with your ads, you would sell more snakes to first time buyers, thus broadening your repeat-customer base. Just a thought.

Good luck this year man!

Also, there's a world of difference between playing with and seeing a picture. Oh vey, at a show I'd be paranoid as hell aobut people playing with my snakes!
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
1.3 African House Snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
1 corn snake
4.3 Florida Kings
2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
1 Argentine boa
1 Texas Rat Snake
1 checkered garter snake

Yeah, it might be a buzz kill for some, but I would proibably be pretty choosy about just letting every passer-by fondle my snake. Who knows where their hands have beenm

Please excuse my spelling on the above post....I was (at the time) about a six pack of Heineken into UfC 130, while trying to talk snakes on my blackberry. Hiccup....Sorry...Hiccup...

And I'm waYyyyyyyyy past that now!!!!!!! Hahhahahaha!!!!!!!! It sucks being on the west coast....everybody gets off the forum and goes nighty nighty way before I do (PST Zone)! I guess I should be greatful I'm not in Hawaii.....but then again, I wouldn't even know about this snake forum if I was in Hawaii.

And I'm waYyyyyyyyy past that now!!!!!!! Hahhahahaha!!!!!!!! It sucks being on the west coast....everybody gets off the forum and goes nighty nighty way before I do (PST Zone)! I guess I should be greatful I'm not in Hawaii.....but then again, I wouldn't even know about this snake forum if I was in Hawaii

I lived in hawaii and there i kept many reptiles that were just as interesting as snakes. I worked a lot with (at that time rare) phelsuma and torts. They are a blast to work with there because the weather conditions are perfect to keep them outdoors.

Also I was really rooting for Shane Carwin. Just to much ring rust after losing weight and the back surgery. He will be back stronger and be champion. Just wish he would have thrown more kicks. I was also dissapointed that Florian won. But he deserved the win. He beat a real tough guy.
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www.Bluerosy.com

i'm a sentimental lesnar fan but he would've been clobbered by jds, imo. i think carwin did well for the amount of time he had to prep for jds and surgery, etc... carwin would've clobbered his original opponent.
florian will fight in any weight class he can become #1 contender...
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oh and here is a kingsnake. originally from dick deuel (now in SC). hatched in '97 the king grew to about 65" and almost 4 lbs. he had the great greenish yellow color and very little pattern, one of the best normal brooksi i had owned. sold him to a young man that knew quite a bit about fla kings and really wanted to own one. steve cade in GA has some of his gene pool, someday i might have to get one back.

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odelay odelay odelay hee hoooo...
heeeeya huhhhh!
~Back in the saddle (Aerosmith)

I would tend to agree on most of that (can't say I'm a Lesnar fan though lol!). JDS is a heavy-weight version of GSP...a top notch athlete who's well rounded in all areas, AND has the cardio to go with it. I would give him a definitive edge in the standup, however the "Sun Devil" D1 wrestler that Velasquez is, coupled with his unmatched cardio, could prove to be the demise of Jr. We'll see, and CAN NOT wait to see it!!!!!

I am picking Cain in the fight vs JDS. But DAnnnng, that JDS seems to have improved as well. Especially his getting up after being taken down. Very slick!

It is going to come down who has the better game plan and imposes it. That said, I think Cain will get JDS down and will be to much for him.

Look who I bumped into at Wal Mart in Jonesboro, GA ...of all places.

Can you guess who that is on the left?

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www.Bluerosy.com

Hmmmmm......not sure. I suppose he kind of looks like Dan Murgliotta, but I really can't say for sure.

So who is he?

Oh shoot. I was off topic . So that was not fair. he has nothing to do with MMA. He has a tV show.......

Pawn stars...or something like that. It is the Pawn shop in Las Vegas with the old man and Chumlee..
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www.Bluerosy.com

Lol! That's ok, we were both off topic....this is supposed to be a KS forum. I wonder where Cindy is gonna move this thread now cuz it doesn't belong. Sherdog maybe? Can she do that - does she have the juice? Hahaha!

Lol! That's ok, we were both off topic....this is supposed to be a KS forum. I wonder where Cindy is gonna move this thread now cuz it doesn't belong. Sherdog maybe? Can she do that - does she have the juice? Hahaha!

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Sherdog. LOL! That's funny!

I think Cindy has been moving posts from the Underground to the Otherground as well.
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www.Bluerosy.com

I... Think.... JYohe... makes... some....good points..
I think I would be annoyed....bummed....at folks...possibly infecting my stuff by having to play with it and then leave to pick up a wildcaught fireskink 2 tables away after the hard work of breeding and raising....

Having just gotten an Iphone, I can tell you sending a decent quality pic of a hatchling can be done in 4 seconds! I would buy sight unseen from a few folks but the majority I need to see pics of parents and the animal before. For those of us that only keep a couple dozen animals I am very discriminating. I'm probably keeping/cleaning/feeding it for years so I have a specific look in mind and dont have the resources or desire to have a million of them. I'm not a new keeper that buys everything they look at. You have to be AWESOME in some way to be in MY collection (at least in MY opinion LOL )
While you can find gems at a table with a dozen plain containers you see CROWDS at the tables where the vendors have the awesomely clean displays,lighting and pro knowledgeable courteous staff like at Snakebyte Brians. It's a choice I guess a vendor has to make for himself, if he's willing to go the extra mile or not.