Cost for a hog isle boa?

ChristinaM · 03-16-04, 11:11 PM

Just curious as to what kind of price range these guys run in?

Thanks

Drew S · 03-16-04, 11:16 PM

I got my female for $225 Canadian, but I think they average higher than that.

foman · 03-16-04, 11:18 PM

$300-$400 but be careful they are just like werther's candy you can't just have one.hehe

BoidKeeper · 03-17-04, 06:31 AM

Mine will be $350 if they produce next year.
Cheers,
Trevor

djc3674 · 03-17-04, 06:45 AM

WOW!!! $350 seems quite high. I paid $225 for mine. He is from a reduced pattern line produced by Paul Mitchell. www.pmherps.com

NiagaraReptiles · 03-17-04, 08:43 AM

I see you are in NY, which would mean you paid $225 US. Trevor was talking in Canadian funds. Actually, $225 US = $300 CAN at the current current exchange rate, plus CITES/Inspection/Shipping, your snake would have cost a Canadian close to $500 CAN.

JonK

BoidKeeper · 03-17-04, 09:06 AM

Thanks Jon.

ChristinaM · 03-17-04, 09:11 AM

So is it pretty much safe to say it would be around the $300 mark?

JonK: do you have any hogs?
Trevor: hmmmmm, too bad you weren't closer. I'd like to avoid shipping if possible, but will keep a look out for your posts saying you have babies up for sale.

Thanks folks.

BoidKeeper · 03-17-04, 09:17 AM

If you get $300 you're doing good. Demand for these small boas is on the rise. My only concern is that more and more people are claiming to have Sears line when I only know one person with, them. By tagging the name Sears line onto their hogs breeders also tag on another $100. All you have to do if want to make sure you're getting pure hog blood is ask to see pics of the parents. If the mother is under 5' then your going to be getting a hog that will stay small the way they are supposed to be. All the hogs that were imported in the 70's were small. It's only since people started crossing them with colombians that 6'+ hogs have been produced.
Cheers,
Trevor

ChristinaM · 03-17-04, 09:42 AM

Thanks Trevor. I will definately keep that in mind, as well as post a zillion questions if I decide to get one. They are beautiful, but may be out of my price range.

djc3674 · 03-17-04, 05:27 PM

Quote:

I see you are in NY, which would mean you paid $225 US. Trevor was talking in Canadian funds. Actually, $225 US = $300 CAN at the current current exchange rate, plus CITES/Inspection/Shipping, your snake would have cost a Canadian close to $500 CAN.

Didn't realize he is in Canada. So do you need a CITES permit for each snake you purchase in Canada? How much do these permits cost? If someone pays $350 CAN dollars plus all those other costs does it wind up being over $500 CAN? That ends up being a nice chunk of change for a Hog Isle, not to mention, if you become addicted to them...you'll be broke in no time...hehe.

All I know is I paid $225 US and he included shipping for me. I'm happy!! I'm thinking about getting one of his Hypo Hog Island females that should be coming soon, to breed w/ my male in a few years.

Here are my males parents...again bred by Paul Mitchell. As far as I know they are pure Hog.

Normal Female
http://pmherps.com/boids/hog/hog202F.jpg

Patternless Male
http://pmherps.com/boids/hog/patternless/hog10a.jpg

foman · 03-17-04, 05:43 PM

djc3674- Looks like you scored a hoggie from some nice stock, I have seen pics of hypo hogs and they look awesome.

tHeGiNo · 03-17-04, 10:45 PM

What is a hypo hog?

NiagaraReptiles · 03-18-04, 03:32 AM

Bichiraddict - Yes I do have Hogs and expect a litter in about a months time.

Trevor - I'm not sure how much weight I would put in the whole lineage thing with Hog Island Boas. It's been many, many years since they were collected, so new blood is pretty limited I think. I also think this can be attributed to the larger size of some of the females we see today. Reptiles evolve over time, and it's been theorized that Hog's were staying small to begin with due to the limited amount of food in their natural habitat. Many species grow larger in captivity (especially after several generations of captive breeding) than their wild counterparts. I'm sure people have crossed them out with mainland locales, but I wouldn't blame every large female of being tainted....... I don't know, just my thoughts.
From what I understand, the original wild caught imports were quite "ugly" and much darker than the refined versions we see today as well.

djc3674 - My point was to lay out what your same snake would have cost if someone on the Canadian side of the border were to have purchased it at the same price you did. Any and every type of Boa requires a CITES permit and inspections to be moved across international borders. They can, however be moved internally within a country with out the need for CITES paperwork and inspection.

Best wishes all,

JonK

BoidKeeper · 03-18-04, 07:57 AM

Jon,

According to Vin Russo's article "mini boas" there are american breeders that have been able to retain pure blood hogs.
As for them growing larger in captivity there is some weight to that therory yes but I think of it like this, no matter how well you feed a poodle it will never grow as large as a great dane.
So given that they will grow larger because of better diet and some mixed blood I still feel the best way to ensure small hogs is look at the parents. Regardless of the line, if you want small hogs buy from breeders who have small adults.
Cheers,
Trevor