Low prices???

[Tim_Cranwill]

What do you think about "low priced herps"? Should they be more expensive or not???

I feel that the lower the price, the more expendable the herp becomes to the average Joe. When people can buy a corn snake for like $25 some "amateur" herpers would treat it like a $25 toy. But if that same corn snake cost them $200, I think they would invest more time and effort into caring for that animal. Personally, I'd like to see herps command higher prices. How do you guys feel?

1. Lower cost = more herps for me!
2. I keep my herps in tip top shape no matter what I paid for them!
3. I'd like to see the prices go up a bit on the "cheaper" herps.
4. Herps should be at least $200... weed out the riff raff.

[Stalabros]

Do you have any in mind that you want us to comment on?

I just got myself a Western Hognose for $80...She is a great little snake.

I plan to get a Kenyan Sand Boa in the near future, they are $60.

I also have a California King Snake that I've had for about a year and a half now...I paid about $180 for her but you can get them for $50.

[Bartman]

cranwill you should have made a poll. I would choose option 2 either way. Makes no diff how much i payed for it but i know some people use house geckos as feeders because they cost like 5 bucks.

[wyz]

What a question ! :) ishh... where to start ? And how "doable" is it ?

1) I would like to see prices get higher on the cheper herps.
Since I breed some of them and because I do think that a new herper will threat is 25$ with less care then if he had paid 100$. No everybody, but most.

2) But I still would like to see some prices go down, all species that I like and that I'm not breeding :)

I think opinions will vary from one individual to another depending where we are situated in the herp comunity: breeder, simple herper, herp collectors, etc...

I found out this year how much time and money it takes to bred reptiles, we mostly do it out of love, but it sure would be fun to make good profits in the same time ;).

So if i read my post again, I see that I have no opinion what so ever :) I'm a poor poor man :)

WYZ

[Tim_Cranwill]

Well, I guess I mean how cheap some of the "lower end" corns go for. I can't say that I'm too familiar with the prices of amphibians and lizards but I'm sure they have their "entry level" priced species too. And some of the cheap hots... that kind of worries me.

I have 6 cal kings myself and they each cost me only about $60 but I think even $60 is a bit too low. I understand all about ease of breeding and supply and demand and all that. I just wanted to know what other people thought.

[marisa]

It doesn't matter to me. All my animals get the same standards of care. Some I got for free, some we paid for. All are cared for properly, and we enjoy each one. Personally I love corns and kings so it's nice they are cheap but I see your point. If they were over a couple hundred bucks I'd still be into them.

As it is now people treat them as "lower end" snakes. But I feel this is more because they are hardy and any joe shmoe can care for them, and it doesn't take much skill. LOL. But the price obviously also affects this IMHO. :D

Marisa

[Tim_Cranwill]

Bartman, I thought I <b>was</b> making a poll but the options din't show up... oh well. Everyone here would probably choose option #2 anyway. I know we all care for our herps... or at least 99.9% of us.

Just thought I'd start a discussion anyway... :)

[Invictus]

I think if the prices went up too much, a lot of breeders would be out of business. Granted, I think $25 is way too low for a herp, but I don't think it will accomplish anything. I've seen people spend $4000 on exotic birds, and neglect them. I've seen people mistreat $2000 dogs. People who want a pet will get that pet regardless of the cost. I say raise prices a bit, but keep them reasonably low so I can still buy herps 10 at a time without going bankrupt. :)

[Invictus]

Oh, and yes, I agree with #2. Some of my herps were free, and I treat them like gold.

[Amiechann]

I think it really depends on the type of herp..
There's a vendor that frequents a few of the local reptile shows (Kentucky, Indiana area) that sells baby Savannah Monitors for $7.00 each. I've seen kids walking out with these little itty bitty cute savannahs, and their parents buy because they are so cheap (cheaper than the $15 dollar leo that would be better for a kid that's never had a reptile)... they have absolutely no clue that savannahs are not a pet for a child. I think a little higher price would keep away 1st time reptile owners from pets they may not be ready for.

btw.. I like getting them cheap myself.. we've gotten killer deals on most of our boas..

my 02 on it

:)

[burmer]

First off I'd pick option 2. To me it doesn't matter if it's $25 or $2500 they get the same care. The problem that I have with cheaper snakes and lizards is that it makes it too easy for people who really shouldn't have them to get them. I left a show in Orlando in June and there were kids walking out of there with BPs that were $5. They had burms as low as $25. I think alot of these are looked at as disposable pets and thats a shame.

[Snakecharm]

Hmmm... I don't know that high prices are the answer, really. I adore and dote on the rescue JCP I got for cost of shipping as much as the ones I bought from breeders. I'm a bargain hunter, I want to get the best possible item I can for the lowest possible price. So in some ways I prize the things that I paid less for more than the things I shelled out big bucks for.

It's a relative thing. I kind of agree with the point made about cheap hots. If I was a hot keeper I might feel differently, but it disturbs me that people can buy coral snakes for less than $100.

But... by the same token, maybe we'd have fewer problems with the throwaway burm phenomenon if they were higher priced.

[lilyskip]

I'm all in favor of low prices--for non-venomous "pet" species. you might get some people that mistreat their pets, but I think a lot more people fall in love with herping as a result of low prices than would have if they couldn't afford a starter snake. I don't know if I would have gotten into herping if i had to pay $200 for my very first bp.

and lower prices definitely = more herps for me!

[Jeff_Favelle]

The lower the price, the more disposable the pet. Its all well and good that SOME people treat all animals the same, but does that make the rest of the PLANET do that? No. Its very nice that you all would treat a $20 animal the same as a $2500 animal, but you are really not the problem. The problem is impulse buyers that don't give a crap about animals in general, or reptiles in particular. Eliminate the chance for them to buy $20 animals, and you eliminate those instances where animals are basically tossed aside when they fail to excite or fail to thrive in substandard conditions.

That is fact. And actually, more importantly, that is relevant. I can say until I'm blue in the face that I would never dream of feeding my snakes live mice, but that isn't going to stop the dunderheads who buy a 10-foot Burm so they and their friends can feed it live rabbits to watch the spectacle. Its irrelevant what I do. I'm not the problem. Tim hit it on the head. Its sad, and with the ease of breeding these things and with the cutthroat competition, its only going to get worse.

[SerpentLust]

Option 2 for me, no matter how much I payed for the animal, they deserve the best treatment I can give them.

Jenn

[Andy_G]

#2 for sure.

[RepTylE]

Well, the price will always be what the market will bear. The more common the herp the lower the price. I think that the common thread among the replies has been that it is love of the animals that gets us hooked. I've known people that spent a small fortune on a pet then not take decent care of them.

You can lead a herper to a common corn snake but you can't make him pay 200 bucks.

[bob_thesnowman]

i definately can see a point with 7 dollar savanna's those kids don't know what they're getting into,but at the same time you gotta keep in mind spacious housing along with electricity and food,it's not cheap to get a new animal and provide all of it's needs i'd say that some of these herps should have there prices raised,but in all reality nobody would want a common corn for the same price they pay for a "higher end" corn

[marisa]

My other issue with herps getting any cheaper is personally I DON'T want anyone who can't put out a 50 bucks for a corn, buying a corn. If they can't afford that tiny chunk of change, the snake will die if an emergency happens and they canno't afford the basic vet fee, let alone any special charges (which there always are! lol)

Marisa

[sapphire_moon]

I agree with marisa, if you can't put that amount of money into the animal it's self then don't get the animal!. Someone here has their signature as "don't buy an animal you can't afford, it might get nasty"....here's a prime example..........a 4-5 ft iguana...in a 55 gal tank......:( ......no special light (as in uvb) only direct sun light, a UTH meant for a 20 gal long tank, and one of those small cat food bowls that the water and food part are attached together........sad, but true......It's my own parents, everyone that has read the beardie section knows that story....I am always asking then to go buy their animals bigger cages......they are always like......"we can't afford it right now".....so I have gone without a hair cut for almost a year and a half now because I put that money where I believe it is best put to use...my animals. I quit smoking for my animals..............I did alot of things.....just so I could provide them with a better enviroment....or buy little things for them, like fake plants, or a new hide, or a better water bowl. If people can't aford to pay atleast 200 dollars for the inital set up of their first snake, (that includes everything even the cage, I'm not including people that get their snakes free, or had a cage, etc.....etc...) then they have NO place having the pet........And I could just go on and on about the savannah but I've rambled enough! lol

[Linds]

The selfish, financially-challenged part of me says I wish they grew on freakin trees :D But in all reality, thats not fair to all the reptiles out there. The higher the price, the more the herps chance at survival :(

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
The problem is impulse buyers that don't give a crap about animals in general, or reptiles in particular. Eliminate the chance for them to buy $20 animals, and you eliminate those instances where animals are basically tossed aside when they fail to excite or fail to thrive in substandard conditions.


*sigh* I saw thse people more often than not at the store. The used to come in and complain about their $5 anole that needed housing or was sick, so I would show them everything it needed and they would refuse to get it all. They would look at a $75 corn and complain about the price, "aren't there any cheaper snakes? that's so expensive!" :rolleyes: People would come in asking advice about what to do with a sick animal, I would tell them the problem but they woudln;t want to spend the $30 to fix it :( As you said, its all fine and nice that we are all willing to put forth all the effort in the world for our herps, regardless of dollar value, but we're not the problem. Hell, we are a total minority :(

[Bryce Masuk]

I agree 100% with what Jeff said and the prices are going to drop lower and lower then stabilize at a low level on high dollar species look ate the price of things 10 years ago and now. supply and demand will always control the market there is no way around it