Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Howdy, I have been lurking here for a good bit and post occasionally. I have noticed many issues within this community (herps as a whole) and have been trying to figure out a solution to them. I have come up with a solution that would work great (in theory). I am thinking that an organized group of breeders and hobbyists could do much to solve these issues. A small and incomplete list of issues I have noticed as follows: Scam artists, fake hets, poor conditions of WC adults and babies, societal fear of reptiles, scant and scattered info on care and breeding, difficulty in pricing (both for sellers and buyers), lack of good shipping service, no control over exporters in africa, lack of a real community tightness, no real way of knowing the reputation of a small/new breeder. I know there are MANY more issues I have missed or failed to mention, but those are the glaring ones to my mind. Now I think a sort of Union or Society of breeders with bylaws and standards would go a long way to diminish these things. It would also be able to lobby for reasonable laws regarding reptiles. I am fully aware that this would be more help to the small guys in the hobby, and little good (at first) to the big established breeders. I would also like to see more educational lectures in schools and public forums to grow new crops of customers and breeders. It could put economic pressure on exporters for better care and shipping practices. I also think with the bylaws and standards that labeling a breeder and their animals with a "stamp of approval" would go a long way to eliminating scammers. There is a host of other possibilities which would only strengthen our hobby and community, from yearly trips to other countries with deep discounts for members, to being able to buy larger quantities by grouping member orders. This is a way we can all join our resources and become better as individual breeders and hobbyists. I must admit that implimentation of this is an area I am lacking, a union/society can not and should not be formed by an individual. I would like some input from you all with thoughts and ideas, please take a moment or 2 and think about this. I would like both positive and negative (if any) aspects you all come up with. I will be making a list of course and carefully looking at any concerns you all have. I know this is a massive undertaking and not going to happen overnight, but I think we would all benefit from it.
Many Thanks, Matt Staudenmaier

won't work.....we all hate each other.......LOL

well..not really...but with all the bickering and whining going on in the herp community......alot of people do not get along..

there will always be liers and cheats....especially with hets......so know who they come from,where they luve,and know how to get to their house......if they prove non-het....bash....

anyways.....

noone will do all the work.....noone will pay money to join a union......and the union would end up being run by bigheaded people that want to make money from it and not care about the initial thought of a unified ,protected hobby/uissness....

anyways..just a few thoughts.......
-----
........................................................
yep
......................................................

If they can come to a concensus as to what makes a Tiger Ball different from a Reduced Pattern / Banded, I'm all for it! LOL

Chris =)

When I was 16 I joined local 484 Musician Local Union in Chester, PA. All that was required by me was a check. It was a total joke. Dues Dues Dues. Not how well you performed as a musician...only dues.
Just like PSEA. [Pennsylvania State Education Association] Another joke! Teachers' could not control their class room of 24 where members....how .................................money.
How many children across this country have been molested by a "certified" teacher? How many clergy have violated children. People you "SHOULD TRUST." That is my two cents.
Build your customer base in the reptile world one customer at a time ........ it will be much better than any union.
-----
RicK @ BbI

Ball Boutique,Inc.
The home of the singing snakes!

Rick, you bring up very good points, I would not want a useless union either. I want to see it built by members for the members benefit. Dues are a small part of any organization, and would of course be needed to run things, but they can be minimal. I do not think dues are really a big issue to be honest, anyone who wants to sell here on KS must pay a form of dues. How is that different from union dues? I mention it because the union would have to have some forum for sales in order to be of any real benefit to it's members. I think a number of bad points can be made into positives with a little inventiveness. For instance a "board of mediation" to settle disputes, maybe a breeding loan facilitator, an escrow service to protect investment sales. There are a great many things that can be accomplished if we all get together as a group. Have any of you ever wanted to actually see the "farms" in Africa that tens of thousands of baby BPs are hatched at every year? It is nothing to set up a trip for a group to go over, but as individuals it would be a nightmare. I understand that most unions end up being pointless, but I don't see why we have to allow that to happen. Also as part of the union we could police ourselves, reward those whose practices are superb and help those who are not strive to be better. A union could also control the inevitable price drop in morphs and keep it to a reasonable decline. This would only make our hobby stronger, and make individual breeders more able to focus on breeding projects. A union could offer health insurance, life insurance, disability, and the like to it's members as well. I am willing to put in the time and effort to help get this started, I do not expect to be paid for it, this would be simply to strengthen the hobby for all of us.

Many Thanks, Matt Staudenmaier