Doing a Trade In :(

NennaMeerkat · 02-10-11, 12:12 PM

So after Adelina didn't eat again this week (this makes 5 weeks total) I contacted her breeder. Thank god I kept their card. They said that they would be willing to do a trade for a different snake and that after the 5 weeks they would want her back to work with her. The breeder works at a exotic vet about 3 hours away but they are going to be at an expo or something this weekend in Arlington (which is about 45 min away) and to bring her by.

I am hoping to get a slightly older snake that has proven to be a good eater even if I have to pay the difference in the amount. The only thing that I am concerned with is should I get a different breed of snake or simply stick with another hoggie? The snake I have now is my second attempt at a hognose and has again met with failure to eat. My husband is p-o'ed because he wants a hognose and honestly so do I. At the same time I don't like having a snake that I can't get to eat OR handle because it isn't eating.

Whatever the case is I will be "trading in" my little Adelina for a new snake this weekend at some point. Hopefully whatever I decide to do I will get a snake that will be a champ of a eater. Be that frozen/thawed or live.

totheend · 02-10-11, 12:21 PM

Aww Neena that sucks! I am so sorry that you have had such bad luck with Hoggies! But I think that is all that it is....bad luck. I have kept many hogs and never had a huge problem with feeding so maybe 3rd time is a charm for you? I hope you decide on a hognose again

NennaMeerkat · 02-10-11, 12:30 PM

-sigh- I am hoping so. They are one of my favorite snakes and I would hate to just play it safe and get a corn just because of past bad luck. More than likely I will be getting another hognose this weekend I am just hoping it is an older one that is a proven eater. Maybe that will make the difference.

frost · 02-10-11, 12:32 PM

aw that is bad news... personally i will not give up on my snake. but hey, getting a new one is more or less the same. try getting a burmese, i have one and i have no problems feeding... well actually i do since they get really big and i will have a problem sourcing rabbits... for now i am fine since she is only 6 months old.

Best of luck on your trade. Post some pics!!!!

:P

NennaMeerkat · 02-10-11, 12:44 PM

I have a 5 year old son, 2 dogs, and a cat. Getting a Burm would be dangerous right now. Plus I don't have a ton of room...not only that but the breeder doesn't do any really large exotic snakes. Just Hoggies, Corns, Milks, and Kings.

I will certainly post pics when I do the trade. Will be taking my camera since this is supposed to be a HUGE event that only goes to 3 cities. It is the North American Reptile Breeder Conference. I am almost kicking myself for not knowing about this event when I first bought my snake.

serpentshideawa · 02-10-11, 02:04 PM

I envy you i wanna go so bad that or the other show that happens in arlington every few months

NennaMeerkat · 02-10-11, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by serpentshideawa

I envy you i wanna go so bad that or the other show that happens in arlington every few months

Aw why can't you go? You are like the only other person that I know on these forums that is even in Texas. And the other one you are talking about is in the Moose Lodge. That is where we got Adelina originally. It is nice but crammed tight. Looking forward to seeing this one, seems much more...professional.

Sapphyr · 02-10-11, 03:45 PM

Man, I wish I could go to some of those big time expos. Don't have the money to fly there, though.

At any rate, I hope you find the snake you're looking for.~ Good luck!

NennaMeerkat · 02-10-11, 03:50 PM

If you look around Sapphyr you may be able to find some local ones. I know that Texas, while it has many large ones, also has many smaller ones as well that are localized and feature only local breeders. Sure the same can be said for your own state.

Sapphyr · 02-10-11, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

If you look around Sapphyr you may be able to find some local ones. I know that Texas, while it has many large ones, also has many smaller ones as well that are localized and feature only local breeders. Sure the same can be said for your own state.

Well, yes. We have our own Lexington Reptile Expo. They supposedly travel around in Kentucky, but by far they've stayed in Lexington this year, which I'm glad about. Only a 10 or so minute drive for me to get to the show hall. I mean in terms of BIG expos.

NennaMeerkat · 02-10-11, 04:03 PM

I wish the expos that happen here were 10 min. from us! 30-45 min are the closest and most of them are just not big at all.

Sapphyr · 02-10-11, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

I wish the expos that happen here were 10 min. from us! 30-45 min are the closest and most of them are just not big at all.

Ouch :c Yeah, ours is just downtown. Not a big commute. I'd say ours had maybe... 9 vendors there in January. Two had a tons of snakes from Corns to Blood Pythons. I saw Bloods, Corns, BPs, BRBs, Milks, Kings, Rats, Carpets, GTB, and hognoses. I was really satisfied with the variety, but there wasn't alot of morphs. Only one vendor had a buttload of morphs.

Another had alot of interesting amphibians like dart frogs, clown frogs, bird poop frogs(LOL), and other things. A tokay gecko, leos... I really loved that Tokay, but I just wasn't 100% sure about buying it and I really wanted another snake.

For some reason there was a guy wearing an eyepatch with his big, fluffy sheepdog, selling little rubber bathtub froggies and giving some kind of pamphlet out.... I was like,"... What?"

Another had cresteds, pygmy chameleons, beardies, and other lovely lizards. Another was a general supply vendor. Plenty of feed vendors, full of roaches, mice, rats, and even a tank full of baby chicks. There were also tarantulas being sold, from adults to little babies in tubes... I was surprised to discover just how little they are as babies.

We all love pics, so here's some. I didn't take alot, was too busy admiring a carpet python I was holding. <3

I absolutely LOVED this snake here:

I loved how, even in the plastic container, the tokay would open her mouth if you so much as looked at her. The owner said she had a decent temperament compared to other tokays. Said she initially goes to bite at first, but she strikes and instantly lets go, and after being picked up she just kinda sits there. It made me intrigued and interested in buying her but... I just wanted another snake.

NennaMeerkat · 02-10-11, 04:31 PM

Tokays are awful biters. We had a pair at the zoo I used to work at and they would lunge at you with their mouths open throwing huge tantrums. It was hell getting them out to put them into their day enclosures for the public...I will never get a Tokay.

The last expo I went to was primarily filled with BP and BP morphs which was kind of disappointing. I can't remember but off hand do you know how big of a tank a BP should have when full grown? I thought about getting one later in the year, but since they are tropical and can get big I am unsure. Native species are more of my thing since they don't need anything overly special besides what is normally going on weather/humidity wise.

Besides the BP's there were a lot of beardies and leopard geckos. We are actually gonna get 2 leopards when one of our tanks clears up. Its not a lack of money to get more tanks but more of lack of flat surface. Though there is this makeshift table that could be cleared...LOL

I ramble to much

Sapphyr · 02-10-11, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

Tokays are awful biters. We had a pair at the zoo I used to work at and they would lunge at you with their mouths open throwing huge tantrums. It was hell getting them out to put them into their day enclosures for the public...I will never get a Tokay.

The last expo I went to was primarily filled with BP and BP morphs which was kind of disappointing. I can't remember but off hand do you know how big of a tank a BP should have when full grown? I thought about getting one later in the year, but since they are tropical and can get big I am unsure. Native species are more of my thing since they don't need anything overly special besides what is normally going on weather/humidity wise.

Besides the BP's there were a lot of beardies and leopard geckos. We are actually gonna get 2 leopards when one of our tanks clears up. Its not a lack of money to get more tanks but more of lack of flat surface. Though there is this makeshift table that could be cleared...LOL

I ramble to much

Naw, I ramble waaay more. Besides, I like ramblers like myself.~

At any rate, I didn't dive too into studying BP's 'cause I wasn't sure about getting one(I personally love Milks), but some people say a 30g full grown, 20g at the least, though.

Take in mind that, with any snake, females generally get bigger than your average male. So, if you ever feel bad about space, you can always wait until they're a year or two of age(some people say 3) before upgrading to a 30g.

People often refer to Tokays as 'the pitbulls of gecko society'. I personally think this is a wrong analogy since I personally own a pitty and it's more of an irresponsible owner's fault. I'm strictly against BSL and anyone that discriminates a specific breed for how a poorly raised/trained/treated of that breed acts. If they mean it more as a biting thing(not letting go) I'd agree because pits, should they ever bite, in most cases, won't let go. They take in the full bite.

NennaMeerkat · 02-10-11, 05:22 PM

Never heard of a Tokay being called a "pit bull" of the lizard world, but I can see it all the same. Not their meanness in generally but their attitude as a whole can be considered unpredictable and even you can agree that most pits are rather unpredictable be it a good thing or a bad. I got a half pit myself and she is rather unpredictable. Caused out other dog 3000 in damages from a couple of fights. Now we have to chain them up from one another when they are outside by themselves. Some things just set her off for no reason, I myself have gotten snapped at on a couple of occasions.

Whatever the case I think I am gonna try to convince my hubby to help me clean up our office and get this modified card table cleaned up so we can put a large tank on it so we can go ahead and get a couple of leopard geckos. This room is one of our warmest during the winter. I do enjoy lizards more than snakes just because they eat bugs (or at least the smaller species do) and usually aren't as finicky as snakes can be about eating.

I need to read up on leopards more though and maybe by the time our tax money comes in I will be able to get them.