Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i know this might seem like a dumb ? but i was wondering, why are indigos so expensive???

Supply and demand.

Easterns are hard to come by and highly desired. They are also expensive to keep (they eat a lot) and not easy to breed.

Why do things cost so much?
A question I constantly ask. When it comes to gas prices, cars, clothes or food(produce esp)

But with INDIGOS it works like this:

Easterns: These animals are on the Endangered/Threatened list. their habitat is being encroached upon in the wild by developers.
They cost quite abit to feed in captivity, and need to be cleaned often which requires the use of more supplies(i.e. $$) and time=money. They also have a relatively high infertility rate and are not that easy to breed, get good eggs from on a consistant basis, and they take quite a while to attain maturity, which means the breeder has to feed them for that period on the CHANCE they may produce something for him/her 5 years down the line. You want to talk about cost. It costs to raise them. Period. Demand ALWAYS out weighs supply.

Yellowtails: There are relatively few people produceing yellowtails on a consistant basis. They can be agressive.They can grow large. They eat a lot, and require good sized cages as s.

Blacktails: Relatively cheap for a Drymarchon. again, not a guaranteed shoe-in as far as breeding but usually better results than with Easterns.

Rubidus: Rare as hens teeth. Worth whatever is being asked for captive bred babies.

Once you factor in theskyrocketing cost of heating, feeding, raising to maturity breeding stock, cleaning utensils, cages, VET visits, advertisement costs and oroginal costs of breeders...well you realize that breeders actually make very little on Drymarchon ESP if you factor in their time.

sincerely,

Fredrick Albury

Have to agree with Fred here, in regards to Drymarchon. However, Drymarchon are quite a deal, in relation to a variety of other, more readily available, specimens. Just go shopping for a D. c couperi right now, then go looking for an amelanistic Python regius!
On the other side of the coin, I often wonder why the prices of Pituophis, especially P. logingi and P. ruthveni, are relatively low. It seems as though their true value is not reflected within their pricing. Of course, I felt the same way in regards to Corucia zebrata for 15 years!

Jeff

Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.526.4856

I bought a hatchling Louisiana Pine for $350. He wanted four but I talked him down. And yes, it's real. Mike Monlezun stock. That's more than I've ever paid for a hatchling Pit.

Considering the rarity of true P. ruthveni (Louisiana Pine snake) I'd say 350.00 was a steal! Personally, I would have paid the 400.00 without question, had accurate locality data been available on such. Still, 350.00 for a specimen condidered to be one of the rarest, of native vertebrates, sounds quite cheap to me.
I suppose an adendum to the list Fred made, could include what a particular individuals financial threshold is.

Jeff

Jeff snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.526.4856

That all depends on what you consider expensive. Given the following facts maybe not...
1.Indigos are both federaly protected and state protected in their native range because they are a threatened species. So you can't go out and catch one.
2.They are very beautiful, docile, gentle, and desirable to have.
3.They can be tricky to breed in captivity. And don't produce many young.
4.they can be even trickyer to get started feeding as neonates.
5. There are a limited number of breeders, unlike pythons and boas.
In short...supply and demand. Low supply/ high demand=higher prices. But when you've spent a little time with them, you come to realize that for the joy and fascination they bring into our lives, it's worth every penny. Frankly I was surprised to find how affordable they are. I guess it's all in how you look at it.
Tony.

1. Attractive and rare, therefore desirable

2. Slow to mature and relatively difficult to breed

3. Higher maintenance requirements than most other snakes

You're not going to find many Indigo breeders producing and making their livings selling designer morphs-of-the-moment (bastard hybrids) with improbable names. You will find a group of dedicated, passionate people who spend a lot ot time and money (and blood, sweat and tears) making sure that this spectacular animal survives. I think Indigos are cheap. If any nimrod with a few spare fish tanks could produce Indigos, then they wouldn't be unique and - only comparatively - pricey.

N/P
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Carl W Gossett
Garage Door Herps
Monument,Colorado...northern territory of the Great Republic of Texas

Oh no, not stupid at all. I think the Eastern Indigo is a threatend species though, that may be why.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

Indigos are way underpriced. It takes 5 years to raise a pair to breeding size. Breeding on a consistent, annual basis is incredibaly difficult. They take an enormous amount of space and time for cleaning.

Last year I paid $4000 for 2 snow Houndurans. This year I am paying close to $5000 for 2 vanishing pattern ghost Hondurans. These are colubrids that are easy to breed, reach sexual maturity in 18 months, double clutch, breed year after year for anyone who puts them together, can be kept in a sweater box in a large rack system for life, and they have no special housing and cleaning requirements.

If you ignore the federal protection aspect and just look at the supply and demand side of the equation, you will come to the conclusion that indigos are under valued and underpriced.

I have almost gotten out of indigos every year for the last 8 years because they take a great deal of space which I could put to better economic use, they take a lot of time to clean, and they are very difficult to breed consistently. The reason I have not done so is the animals themselves. They are captivating to the keeper. And there is nothing like seeing the eggs hatch, something I will see again in 4 weeks.
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