Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do you sell them personally? Sell to pet stores? Sell to other breeders?

I am just wondering what the market for all these snakes is like. How many snakes end up in Rescue Centers? I know that when I bought my Ball Python from Petco, they gave me all the wrong information and almost cost me my snake's life. It wasn't until I went to another pet store (more reputable) that I was able to get the right information and he did a complete turn around and thrived.

I guess I am just wondering how many snakes grow up properly after they are sold. Any opinions?

kind of trade them back and forth to each other.

After we trade them,then we tell our wives or husbands that this will be the animal that will help us make money NEXT year.

I can't speak for the breeders who do this regularly (I just produce a litter here & there) but I sold my first litter wholesale to a local reptile oriented pet store. This litter, and any future ones, will be sold to individuals at a local reptile show that I participate in. Well, that is, the babies that I don't keep will be sold. As it stands right now, I'll be keeping at least two or three out of my litter of thirteen and my best friend gets her pick of the litter for the stud fee on her male. I helped the same friend sell her first litter of boas in 2002 - between the two of us, we kept 5 of 21 or so babies, and traded a few others off to other keepers/breeders/vendors for animals they had that we wanted. We tried to make sure that the people who purchased from us knew about the proper care & husbandry and also knew that should they decide the boa wasn't for them to contact us to return it....even if that was months or years down the road. Our main concern is that we wanted the boas to have a good home and a good life. For myself, I truly love my animals and they are a great joy to work with. The day I start viewing them as a job or simple commodities for sale is the day I need to get out of the hobby.

Raven

The last line of your post has been the way I've tried to operate the last 14 years. My involvement has been on the hobby level with responsibility and concern toward the animals I produce. I also hope the animals I bring into this world takes some of the pressure off additional animals being exported out of the wild.

Years ago, when I first started, I was overwhelmed with the number of animal imported into the US in additional to all the captive born. I remember asking Dave Barker where do they all end up going. His answer was..."in The Great Reptile Vortex." Like all things in life, there is a lot of gray, with some animals living long and wonderful life's in captivity. While others parish far to quickly at the hands of either uncaring or inexperienced individuals.

Over all I tend to be optomistic that most animals receive adequate care thanks to the advance of books and knowledeable web sites.

She said, "truer words have never been spoken!" LOL!
Then I got "the look".
John
-----
"To be the best..........You must lose your mind."

You nailed me on this one. Further justification: The nice thing about snake collecting is that you have a commodity that can eventually be resold to re-gain some of the initial cost.
If we were all golfers, the money would be going right down the drain...In fact, I am going to explain this to my wife right now...

-----
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Rom 8:1

I produce about 300 baby snakes a year (corns and boas) and I don’t sell any of them! You see every June 21st is the first true day of summer and the longest day of the year and I have been trying to make it into a widely accepted holiday . I started doing this about 20 years ago……
I call this day Hoppy’s Holiday (Named after me of course). On this day I take all the pretty little snakes that I bred all season long, in all their pretty colors. I tie a nice green ribbon on each one (because I’m Irish and every one knows there are no snakes in Ireland, work with me here, I’m still working out the details). I then dress up in a giant snake costume (try finding one of those at your local Party supply store!) and I place one very colorful snake into each and every mail box of my community (ahhh all warm and fuzzy inside)
I just wish I could be there in the morning to see the joy in the children’s faces when they all rush out to see what the “Hoppy Snake” brought them this year. I just know that the children in the area go to bed, but are to excited to sleep on this night. They know that the Hoppy Snake is going to be slithering down the street to bring them a new bundle of joy to their mail box.
I like to think of myself as a cross between Santa and the Easter Bunny, but with no religious attachments. I do keep a list of all the good and bay boys and girls (I had some really big copy right issues on this one with Santa, boy you would think he invented a dang list, grumpy old fat Bast----- opps rated PG) I got past this by not leaving coal for the bad kids, instead I leave urates! It gets a little smelly collecting them all year long, but it really teaches the kids a lesson and I never have to leave them more then 5 or 6 years in a row, (yeah I really am making a difference in these kids lives!)
Although, I don’t get see the joy on their faces in the morning, once I have made my rounds (I actually drive my riding lawn mower from mail box to mail box, while in my snake suit, I figured Santa had a sleigh, and I do live in FL so it works), but after I have made my rounds, I climb out of my snake suit, and exhausted from a night of spreading joy, I climb into bed for some much needed rest! By first light I can start to hear the shrieks of joy coming from all of my neighbors (ahhh all warm and fuzzy again). The shrieks continue through out the day and with each new one it brings me a feeling of contentment and peace, knowing that I am bring so much happiness to so many!
I have been working on a deal with Hallmark to make up some cards and go National with this, but they seem hesitant about it, I just don’t see what the problem is……
So remember to tell your children to be good and go to bed early on June 21st and just maybe the Hoppy Snake will visit them too!
-----
Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

Very well thought out, thanks for the laugh.

Mickey Hinkle
The Lizard King Reptiles

ill give you my adress, and you can slither my way, and put one in my mail box!!!!! lol

Houston....but, I will gladly wait the week or two it takes you to get here.... )
-----

You're a nut Hoppy...thanks for starting my morning with a smile.

Raven