Reptile & Amphibian Forums

are womas gonna be the next "ball python". they've got the small size, good disposition, and ease of care going for them. if the price drops (alot!) it could happen, no? the reptile hobby is growing, but people are gonna want something that not everyone has. everybody and their brother has a corn snake and a ball python. do you think more people will start breeding womas? how cheap do you think theyll get, and how soon? do you think when the price drops that womas will really catch on? -Mike
p.s. ive been up for a while...my mind is....working? haha

But to me I do not see how anyone whoever has a chance to see and hold a Woma in person could not want to keep them.
They are calm, beautiful, trouble free captives, I know temperments can vary but mine are hands down the most placid animals I have ever seen.Taking all these factors into consideration I cannot imagine a better pet snake for a keeper at any experience level.
But that is just my opinion and I could be wrong, but I doubt it
David

Well, mine are pretty calm, too but maybe a little ravenous. My female sometimes decides to latch onto my hand and is a real pain to get off. I think that kind of behaviour (not unique, either) might put off a few of the more pet-oriented types that currently love Balls.
But there is another essential difference in the markets of the two animals. Balls have become so ubiquitous because of the massive numbers of cheap imports from Africa. This is simply never going to happen with Womas because of the nature of Australia's laws.
Also, a lot of the Balls' popularity is centred around morphs, which have generally begun with wc specimens. That kind of market is going to be very hard to recreate with the Womas' limited genepool.
I, for one, hope that the Ball Python's popularity is a one off. I'd rather not see Womas bought for a pittance and kept by children in ten gallon aquaria before ending up in rescue centres.

G

Well said.

Like Gary said, the popularity of Ball Pythons is centered around the pet trade, and the hobbyist part of it is centered around morphs...two things that the Woma will never be able to compete with. There just aren't enough Womas out there for morphs to start popping up...and even if morphs do pop up in the wild, they'll probably not make it into the United States.

Another reason that Womas will never be as popular is because they're too rare for the price to get down to the pet trade level any time soon.

I think if anything will ever come close, it will be the Carpet Python. There are already several morphs out there, they stay small (relatively speaking) and they're super easy to care for.

This is not to take anything away from Womas, but Ball Pythons are in a league all their own...not that I wouldn't rather have Womas, but that's just how it is.
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Anthony Caponetto
http://reptiles.drivennewmedia.com