Breeding snakes and overpopulation

[marionsclan]

Hey Everybody,

Because I am a new snake owner I have a question about breeding snakes and what it does to the economy/environment.

As a conscientious animal lover and owner (of the furry breeds), I am fully aware of the amount of animals in the shelters and the amount of animals that get euthanized on a regular basis. In other words, I am for spaying and neutering your animal. I also believe that no breeding should be allowed until there is a 50% reduction of animals in the shelters and anyone who breeds should get fined. That is the only way I can see that is a way out to make a difference.

Anyway, that brings me to my real question. Having seen snakes in shelters I wonder if there is an over production of snakes on the market and will they go down the same road as dogs and cats? Are there too many snakes being bred?

I'm really curious for I don't know any statistics on this and I hate to see any animal going into a shelter.

Thx!

[stephanbakir]

I have never heard of a shelter for reptiles, there probably is one but I haven't heard of it.
The market works by supply and demand, and some people don't understand that mass producing one morph is going to drop the price and if you overproduce the excess have to be kept by the breeder or culled. Is it happening, yes! Regarding the environment, it's not the reason snakes are being released into the wild. I doubt any smart breeder would drop off any snakes he cant sell into the wild. It's much better to give them as a bonus when someone purchases a snake. The only reason snakes are being released into the wild is because people are idiots and think its a good idea to do that with their animal when they get too big, cant afford them etc. And escapees...

[infernalis]

Yes I know for a fact that there are shelters that get bombarded with ball pythons, retics, burms, iguanas and monitors.

Until many pet shops around the world correct the practice of misinformation to gain a sale, it will not cease anytime soon.

The other facet of your question: Most of us, myself included would never buy a $100-2800+ animal only to abandon it later. So we deal exclusively with private breeders, and do our best to support quality breeders with integrity.

The "dark Side" for every decent minded breeder there are also numerous idiots who care about nothing but profits. These liars will actually tell parents that baby iguanas don't get big, monitors are for beginners, and ball pythons make great beginner snakes.

As long as chain stores are willing to buy crate loads of harvested baby ball pythons and have those $25 baby BP sales, the mental midgets of society will continue buying them and not following through with the commitments.

Those are the poor animals that suffer, wind up dead or in shelters.

[marionsclan]

Lots of good points and unfortunate facts. And yes, I too was told that a BP makes a great pet for beginners. I suppose if someone has done some research and is aware of what's involved and has been a conscientious pet owner in the past then they could handle the responsibility. I myself started off with a Cornsnake but found Pythons more interactive and awake when I am and after doing some research to find out if I can handle the responsibility I got one. And this site has helped me greatly in learning more about my python.

[stephanbakir]

We are here to help :)
The only problem I see with adopting a reptile from a rescue is possible mites/conditions so even quarantine will be risky and as a breeder I like to know what line the animal comes from and any possible hets. None of which the people probably cared about.

[Jay]

We are here to help :)
The only problem I see with adopting a reptile from a rescue is possible mites/conditions so even quarantine will be risky and as a breeder I like to know what line the animal comes from and any possible hets. None of which the people probably cared about.
But imagine the suprise if you didn't know the hets.

[stephanbakir]

Thats always fun, and what if they are hets no1 has ever heard of :yes::yes:

[marionsclan]

Well, mine is suppose to be a Het Pied, but there is no way of telling until I breed him. Maybe once he is of age I'll give it a try. Would be nice to know. On top he looks like a normal but his belly is a very very light whitish yellow.

[stephanbakir]

Where did you buy it?
It's always a good idea to buy animals that aren't visual hets direct from a reputable breeder, they will sometimes give you a written guarantee on the higher end morphs.
Sometimes they have you implant the snake, but thats a good idea anyway.

[marionsclan]

Well, I bought it from a private person who, now that I know better, didn't keep up the humidity and he also seemed a bit dehydrated and I saw some dull scales on him. Probably a bad shed. However, he is very placid and very curious so they did handle him often and I give them credit for that.

He is my first so I'm not sure what to look for anyway, but once I get some money saved up, and Smokey continues to do well, I will look into a female for him and take it from there. He is only 9 mts old so I still have time.

[stephanbakir]

For bps, it has allot to do with weight for females and age/weight for males. But you don't want them fat.
Sometimes you can tell when a snake is het, that's called a visual het, but its rare.
Sometimes you can be tricked, like when you breed a sunfire retic to anything else, you will get 50% sunfires 50% normals, but even the normals will look brighter because they were from a sunfire clutch.

[Coffee Black]

Sean Casey Animal Rescue deals primarily with rescue reptiles. Most are Iguanas but i bet he gets a lot of requests for some of the larger snakes, however since they went illegal here in 2005 I'm sure he has to turn away a lot of people. a lot of Craigslist ads in New York are people trying to rehome "large python." I've also seen an add for a "South American Water Boa" ( Anaconda) and an Egyptian River Lizard ( Nile Monitor, also illegal.) Its a shame, really.

[stephanbakir]

I've been toying with getting a green anaconda in a few years, I love them but they are notorious for being finicky eaters and getting girthy, I think I'd prefer to stick with retics that are handle-able at full size.

[marionsclan]

In my area the Humane Society opened a separate Reptile Rescue and Adoption Center. Sad that they have so many incoming that they needed a separate area for them.

[jhiggy69]

thats the kind of attitude that gives incentive to dog & cAt breeders to continue to overbreed animals "demand" ....

The best pets ( dogs&cats) i have ever had (smartest , healthiest , all around just great ) an animal should never be looked at negatively becaus they r not the breed of the week ,or not of monitary value!!!!!!

..............came from a pound or was found roaming & needing help & a chance

[marionsclan]

thats the kind of attitude that gives incentive to dog & cAt breeders to continue to overbreed animals "demand" ....

Who or what are you referring to with "kind of attitude"?

[infernalis]

Who or what are you referring to with "kind of attitude"?


"public attitude" I'm sure.

As long as there is a market demand (general demand) for animals, the creeps will always have a reason to keep on raping Africa.