Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am very close to buying some emeralds through the classified section of this site, but I am located in michigan therefore any snake that I purchase would most likely have to be sent to me and I was wondering what you all (the experts) think about this as far as implications of the shipment on the snake and whether or not it is a good idea. I certainly do not want to invest my money in a snake that most likely will not do well if that be the case.

Hi

Well, we have an ad up on the classifieds, so you may consider my answer biased, but I would give the same advice regardless of whether you were buying from us or any other breeder.

First, given the question in your post, I am guessing you have little to no experince with ETBs. If that is true, I hope you are considering buying captive bred and born (CBB) from an experienced and reputable breeder that is willing to take the time to help you out. You WILL have lots of questions.

As well, since you wrote that you didn't want to waste your money, I hope you are looking at CBB animals, not wild caught animals. Even the most experienced ETB keepers have a very high mortality rate with wild caughts over time. Just ask on any arboreal forum. CBBs are more expensive initially to buy, but WC animals nearly always end up costing big $$ in vet bills and fairly often wind up dead anyway. Out of the 13-14 northern WCs we have purchased over the years, we had 3 that survived and thrived. We have yet to have a problem with a basin WC, but I do know of people that have had problems.

As far as shipping, we only ship Delta Dash. We have turned down sales because a person didn't want to be bothered to go to the airport. We minimize the transit time as much as possible for our animals. We have shipped to Buffalo, New York, in mid-December and animal got there okay and thrived. We've also sent animals cross country with no problems. Some people use overnight services, I've heard tales of perfectly fine shipments to horribly gone wrong shipments. Any shipment is a gamble, but we feel same day air is best.

Hope this helped.
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Karen Clark
Gems of the Rainforest

Karen, your response has clarified my concerns but the other thing that I dont understand is why there is such a big variation in the pricing of the emeralds for sale in the classifieds. I have seen on the low end 175-250 and as high as 7000. Should I stray from the cheaper snakes. I understand that proven breeders and visually stunning specimens go for more or if they are from highly respected breeders. I have noticed the avg is somewhere between 700-1200. I have researched for quite some time on keeping the snakes but I havent come across info on purchasing.

First, you do understand there are northern and basin Emeralds?

Northerns are usually at the lower end of the $ scale with WC animals going for $175-350 depending on amount of white markings they have. You can find captive born babies from around $350 , but you need to make sure they are captive BRED and born, not farm bred and then shipped into this country. Ask for pics of the parents, breeding pics, birth date, husbandry records to make sure you are getting a true captive bred and born. Farm bred babies can do well, but also have been known to have problems getting established. As far as long term captive (LTC) wild caughts, we and many other veteran ETB keepers don't consider anything that has not been in this country for at LEAST 18 months with no problems to be a LTC. However, lots of dealers think 2-3 months means LTC. Buying a WC animal, even one listed as LTC, is a major buyer beware situation. Obviously, the price will be more on a TRUE LTC WC because the person selling that animal has taken care of it for a long period of time.

Basins are at the higher end of the scale, starting at just below $1000 and going up, up, up. Basins are generally more mellow and just a tiny, tiny bit more forgiving of husbandry mistakes than northerns. You will probably only see basin babies, older captive born, or LTC basins advertised. Again, all the same pricing considerations as above determine the asking price, markings (crossbars, stripe, diamonds, and laterals), age, amount of time they have been in country.

Hope this helped a bit more.
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Karen Clark
Gems of the Rainforest

and you will get to see some beauties in person. Then you can talk to the breeders personally and decide which one(s) are most likely to be around to support you if you need help by phone or email later. Not only do you avoid shipping, but it is lots of fun to see animals, cages, and other supplies in person. It is a really well-run show.

I highly recommend staying away from wild caught animals also. I see alot of adds saying brought in 3 months ago no problems at all with this LTC. This means they really don't know what they are doing in my eyes and I would stay far away from any Emerald they have. If price is your main concern go with a nice captive born Northern Emerald. Just be patience you can find healthy tame ones. Having a snake shipped to you is no big deal as long as you are dealing with a trust worthy person. Most of my collection has been shipped to me including one I bought from Karen Clark above.
Good Luck.

Thanks, Tim Rash