Snakes

   - Why should I get on an email notification list?

   We recommend getting on one of our email notification lists for a couple of reasons. First, we notify folks on these lists with species availability before we post ads online, or even make updates to te availability pages of this site. It's simply the most convenient means for us to sell animals with the highest percentage of completed sales - folks on these lists are typically familiar with us as a company, how we operate on sales, how to purchase animals from us, and finally, though most significantly, the quality of the animals they will receive. Beyond this, we suggest getting your email on a notification list, because it drives our purchases - the more certain we are that a given species is widely in demand, the more likely we are to acquire them for future sales when our suppliers have them available. This is part of the reason we always list an abundance of species - we try and cover the bases of what we typically expect to see, and what we like to work with. Some species will rarely be available, but if we have a list, we suggest you get on it.

   - I want a ... when will you have them available?

   Even with those dots filled in, it's still very tough to say. Some animals, like blood pythons, we nearly always have in stock. Others, like Indo bred papuan pythons, are available maybe once a year. Still others, like US bred lesser sundas (Timor) pythons and black (Boelen's) pythons are even more rare, and may only be available once every two years or more. This is a commodity market unlike most; availability is often a matter of chance more than intent, and quite simply, we'll have them when our suppliers have them available. In terms of the animals we breed at our facility, it's easier to estimate a time of availability, but often, as with Rhino Ratsnakes, we cannot get more specific than late fall or winter, with potential availability sooner. As stated above, the best way to keep in touch with our availability is through our email notification lists. This doesn't help with saving up money for a dream snake or two, we realize, but it's about the best we can do. All that being said, feel free to drop us an email about our availability - we'll be glad to help you out as much as we can, but please be mindful that we are often as in the dark as you all about future potential availability on animals bred or hatched outside our facility.

   - Are your pictures accurate?

   Yes, our pictures accurately represent the animals we have for sale when viewed under good, but standard lighting conditions. We have two Nikon digital cameras; a sophisticated new model, and a dated point and shoot model. We utilize both of them, and work with the varying lighting conditions to which we typically have access. We are not professional photographers, and do not claim to be such. That being said, we try our hardest to get representative images, that are, if anything, less spectacular than the animals themselves. We would much rather have customers excited that an animal exceeded their expectations based upon our photos, than be under whelmed when their shipment arrives.

   All that being said, we do our very best to take pictures of every animal we have for sale. However, it simply is not always possible. Between dealing with squirming animals and varying lighting conditions, it takes us roughly 15 minutes to get a good shot of ONE animal. We do the best we can to accommodate photo requests within reason, but typically, we have chosen images we believe to be representative of the animal’s in question – what we provide is what we would be satisfied with seeing ourselves as customers. Between the time we spend prepping animals for photos, time cropping photos, downloading them onto our computer, and finally uploading images to this site, the effort is often not worth our financial return on a potential sale.

   - Where is Sulawesi/ Ambon/ Sumatra?

   Check out the software program entitled Google Earth, available for free here: http://earth.google.com/. It’s amazing software that offers unique aerial views of many of the unique places pet trade reptiles come from.

   - What is a Bangka Blood Python?

   Bangka Island is one of two islands in the Bangka-Belitung Province of Indonesia. It lies just off the eastern coast of Sumatra, and is a popular tourist area. Over the past decade, importation of blood pythons (Python brongersmai) from this island has been sparse, as it is away from typical collecting centers. They became available in 2002/2003 for the first time in relatively large quantities, since which time they have been largely unavailable.

   The bloods on the island are typically brilliant examples of the red phase with ferocious temperaments. These are not typically suitable for first-time blood python owners, as their irascible natures make them unpleasant, though attractive captives. Equally nice red specimens come from the regularly collected areas of Sumatra, and tend to offer better captive potential for most keepers. We will offer choice wild caught/ and or captive hatched specimens from this locale when they come into the country again in solid numbers.

   - That Sulawesi Retic looks like a Celebes. What gives?

   The Indonesian Island of Sulawesi used to be known as Celebes. As is typical of nations undergoing independence movements, many islands in Indonesia changed names, and some names historically associated with collecting locales have changed. The animals the names refer to are the same, but sometimes animals are represented by their former locality tags in the marketplace. We have seen this unintentionally by some dealers and hobbyists, and intentionally by others; the former are typically unaware of the change in nomenclature, the latter typically use old or otherwise misleading names to confuse buyers and promote their animals as unique.

   - Do you refer to localities or locality-types?

   We use both actually to refer to two different points of origin. We refer to animals physically collected as wild specimens, or produced from animals physically collected in a given area by the current name of the area – typically from the island of origin (as is the case with Indonesia), or by the nearest export center from which animals are shipped out to Jakarta after being collected. When referring to animals on which we have no credible origin data, we refer to locality types. We typically only use this information in species that vary in color or pattern by locale, such as Reticulated Pythons (Python reticulatus), Blood Pythons (Python brongersmai), and Green Tree Pythons ( Morelia viridis).

   - Are "dwarf" Reticulated Pythons real?

   Insular populations of Reticulated Pythons (Python reticulatus) that reproduce at smaller sizes are fact. We have received wild caught breeding age adults from numerous islands, including Jampea, Kayuadi, and “Super Dwarf”, and found them to be the same snake – wild animals that are typically five to seven feet in length and under five pounds. We have maintained these animals in captivity on a steady diet of rats, and only seen minimal growth (a couple inches over the course of three+ years). We have worked with captive bred animals of these types as well; while they are smaller than typical retics from Sumatra and Java, they typically grow larger than their wild counterparts on the same diet. We don’t pretend to know the full biology behind insular retic morphology, and recognize that some breeders have attained tremendous sizes out of their “dwarf” Reticulated Pythons (Python reticulatus). We typically only offer wild caught adults of these varieties; these are most definitely small retics. However, the potential of captive bred offspring from these animals to grow significantly larger is very real.

   - Are Blood Pythons mean?

   In our experience (more than a thousand bloods, both farmed and US captive bred), most blood pythons fit into the normal temperament range of typical pythons. This is to say, they are typically calm patient animals that tolerant gentle maneuvering, but they are not necessarily unwilling to bite if grossly mishandled. There are exceptions on either side, with some being calm, tractable, “lap-quality” pets, and others being irascible, nasty animals that will literally fling their bodies to express their distaste for handling. Most bloods calm down with gentle gloved handling, and tolerate, though not necessarily enjoy, proper handling. The majority of babies are nippy to some degree; however, the use of leather work gloves is all that’s necessary in preventing bites during “taming” sessions. They aren’t corn snakes, but most fans of blood pythons enjoy them precisely for that reason. To this same point - in truth, no snakes are "tame". There are some snakes that have been conditioned out of a fear of being handled and manipulated by their keepers, but this represents an absence of fear (of being eaten), not the tameness seen in domesticated (more than 50 generations captive bred) animals such as cats and dogs. One final note on blood python handling - try and gently hold them at midbody or further back; do not attempt to restrain the head unless absolutely necessary as this only irritates most bloods and typically starts them thrashing violently, so violently that they may break their backs.

   - Are most Blood Pythons on the market US captive bred?

   No, most Blood Pythons (Python brongersmai) available on the internet and in pet shops throughout the Untied States are not captive bred. While it’s hard to accurately gauge the numbers of farm hatched babies available for sale relative to the number produced in the US annually from parents maintained in captivity, it seems 95% or more of the bloods offered for sale are farm hatched in Indonesia. The majority of genuine captive bred blood pythons available in the Untied States at this time are either genetic mutations or offspring from particularly spectacular adults. More than 5,000 Blood Pythons are imported into the US annually for the pet trade. Typically these are as farm hatched babies, though particularly spectacular wild caught adults are occasionally included as well. We sell both types, as well as captive bred examples from parents maintained in captivity in Indonesia and the United States. Animals from all of these sources feed equally well, and offer excellent pet potential; however, the price is often markedly greater for US captive bred animals as a result of their genetics. When looking for a Blood Python, be sure to inquire about the animal’s origin – many dealers intentional mislead their prospective customers into assuming that their available snakes are captive bred to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Do not be fooled; ask questions, spend your money wisely, and get the best animal for you, not the best story from a conniving vendor.

   - How do you guys feed baby Rhino Ratsnakes?

   We work diligently on all our babies, and will only ship them out after they have passed this stage and are feeding on whole pinkie mice without hesitation, but unfortunatly we can't do that with all the babies on the market. There are many different methods, and we certainly don't claim ours is the only one, but we've had tremendous success starting the species, and use the same procedure every year. Tom has written up a few page caresheet, it is available here. Feel free to contact us if it doesn't quite make sense or you have further questions. Good luck, these are exceptionally cool snakes, and once started make calm, intriguing, captives.

   - Morally, how can you guys sell Reticulated Pythons?

   Reticulated Pythons are amazing creatures. They are certainly not for every home, or every setup, but cared for properly these giant constrictors can make very rewarding captives. We do not feel it is our place to decide who can access a given species or type of animal - the laws, and they are certainly emerging, dictate limitations, but we do not. We are not familiar with the legality of these or any other animal in your city/ county. Please be aware of your local laws before purchasing - we cannot keep track of them for you. That being said, we try and find the best situations for the animals we provide, and we feel the price and quality of our animals lends them to finding appropriate homes. We don't do many retics overall, but, we try and offer ones with genetic potential, either as locality-specific animals or potential genetic variations that would be most appreciated and utilized by breeders of the species rather than single pet owners.

   - My wild caught ratsnake died. What will you do?

   This is not an issue we've had to deal with much, but when we have, it has been no fun at all, and in many ways forced us to choose not to even offer them for sale. Wild caught ratsnakes, particularly those from China & Indonesia, are notorious for acclimating VERY poorly to captivity. Alot of this difficulty has to do with the origin source of the animals in their home countries, but it also has a tremendous amount to do with the maintenance techniques of caregivers here. We do not work with any snakes that are purchased for export from the asian food markets. This helps to alleviate some stress, dehydration, and parasite exposure issues common to these snakes. However, succesful acclimation here requires a total absence of stress on the animals, or at least the nearest extent possible. All instances of negative experiences have been the result of keeper error, plain and simple. In these instances keepers have stressed their animals with daily handling and/ or observation far more invasive than we would ever consider, and typically included close examination of the head and mouth, as well as constant observation. These techniques will quickly kill the snakes - I would expect to see sucess rates with these species go down 90% with these techniques, and when their difficulty in the best of circumstances comes into play, it is totally futile to even try and acclimate these species. All this being said, we will still pursue them for seriously interested parties, however, we will put a waiver on the purchase, where the buyer acknowledges the risk, and will not hold the animals for longer than 36 hours before shipping them on to their final destination. Additionally, the animals must be prepaid before the shipment comes in. We guarantee we'll pick the healthiest and most beautiful animals available - we handpick them before any are shipped out to any other buyer in the country - but even as such, live arrival and accurate representation is our only guarantee on these. Sorry, no exceptions, ever.

Lizards

   - Why should I get on an email notification list?

   We recommend getting on one of our email notification lists for a couple of reasons. First, we notify folks on these lists with species availability before we post ads online, or even make updates to te availability pages of this site. It's simply the most convenient means for us to sell animals with the highest percentage of completed sales - folks on these lists are typically familiar with us as a company, how we operate on sales, how to purchase animals from us, and finally, though most significantly, the quality of the animals they will receive. Beyond this, we suggest getting your email on a notification list, because it drives our purchases - the more certain we are that a given species is widely in demand, the more likely we are to acquire them for future sales when our suppliers have them available. This is part of the reason we always list an abundance of species - we try and cover the bases of what we typically expect to see, and what we like to work with. Some species will rarely be available, but if we have a list, we suggest you get on it.

   - I want a ... when will you have them available?

   Even with those dots filled in, it's still very tough to say. Some animals, like blood pythons, we nearly always have in stock. Others, like Indo bred papuan pythons, are available maybe once a year. Still others, like US bred lesser sundas (Timor) pythons and black (Boelen's) pythons are even more rare, and may only be available once every two years or more. This is a commodity market unlike most; availability is often a matter of chance more than intent, and quite simply, we'll have them when our suppliers have them available. In terms of the animals we breed at our facility, it's easier to estimate a time of availability, but often, as with Rhino Ratsnakes, we cannot get more specific than late fall or winter, with potential availability sooner. As stated above, the best way to keep in touch with our availability is through our email notification lists. This doesn't help with saving up money for a dream snake or two, we realize, but it's about the best we can do. All that being said, feel free to drop us an email about our availability - we'll be glad to help you out as much as we can, but please be mindful that we are often as in the dark as you all about future potential availability on animals bred or hatched outside our facility.

   - Are your pictures accurate?

   Yes, our pictures accurately represent the animals we have for sale when viewed under good, but standard lighting conditions. We have two Nikon digital cameras; a sophisticated new model, and a dated point and shoot model. We utilize both of them, and work with the varying lighting conditions to which we typically have access. We are not professional photographers, and do not claim to be such. That being said, we try our hardest to get representative images, that are, if anything, less spectacular than the animals themselves. We would much rather have customers excited that an animal exceeded their expectations based upon our photos, than be under whelmed when their shipment arrives.

   All that being said, we do our very best to take pictures of every animal we have for sale. However, it simply is not always possible. Between dealing with squirming animals and varying lighting conditions, it takes us roughly 15 minutes to get a good shot of ONE animal. We do the best we can to accommodate photo requests within reason, but typically, we have chosen images we believe to be representative of the animal’s in question – what we provide is what we would be satisfied with seeing ourselves as customers. Between the time we spend prepping animals for photos, time cropping photos, downloading them onto our computer, and finally uploading images to this site, the effort is often not worth our financial return on a potential sale.

   - Where is Sulawesi/ Ambon/ Sumatra?

   Check out the software program entitled Google Earth, available for free here: http://earth.google.com/. It’s amazing software that offers unique aerial views of many of the unique places pet trade reptiles come from.

   - Can you guys sex monitors/ baby geckos?

   We do our very best, but, in the majority of cases, we cannot accurately sex juvenile geckos, and monitors of all ages. Temperature sex dependent gecko species are an exception - when an incubation temperature has been used in the hopes of acheiving offspring of a particular sex, we will note that with the animal. Most monitor species, particularly young animals are notoriously difficult to sex accurately. When observed in groups, there are subtle physical differences that we can observe, but for the most part, these allow us to make educated guesses, nothing more. If someone tells you differently, closely examine the source of the information - monitors cannot be probed to determine sex, and popping is not a reliable technique either, as both males and females are capable of everting their sexual organs.

   - What do you feed your monitors?

   Using a method introduced to us by Pro Exotics, based on a method pioneered by the San Diego Zoo, we feed our monitors a variety of food items, centered around crickets. Crickets are an excellent food source for most omnivoric and carnivirous lizards, and monitors are certainly no exception. We offer crickets to our collection daily, and they are an economical diet for most customers. We supplement this diet with roaches, wax worms, mealworms, rodents (or rodent peices, based on the size of the monitor), and defrosted ground turkey available at your local grocery store. All of this items, used in conjunction around a staple diet of crickets lead to excellent growth and temperament in monitors. Monitors feed exclusively rodents and turkey tend to become hyper beasts - their digestive systems are on overload, and their temperaments tend to become the worse for it. Go with a well-rounded diet, and you should see excellent, safe growth, as well.

Philosophy

   - What does the breeder's choice mean?

   "The breeder's choice" is our motto. We strive to represent a unique, affordable source for breeder's to purchase exceptional and/ or rare animals to add to, or create, their own breeding groups. We do offer some pet animals, like our Rhino Ratsnakes, and various monitor species, but, the main focus of our company is on acquiring and distributing animals that will thrive and breed in captivity, as the cornerstones of breeding projects. We handpick the vast majority of our animals up at Bushmaster Reptiles. As the main importer of Indonesian reptiles (as well as China, Guyana, and Suriname to name a few), Bushmaster Reptiles is a great wholesale resource. But, the sheer size and scope of their business prohibits the time and scope involved with single animal sales and individual pictures that we provide. We pick through literally hundreds of animals to purchase a few choice specimens, and then offer them for sale here. We pick animals based on size, coloration, pattern, temperament, and overall health. The idea behind this is fairly straightforward, particularly with blood pythons. Literally thousands come in, and we pick through all of them. We are looking for aberrancies that may represent genetic mutations, in the same way that old school ball python people looked through lots of imported baby balls a decade ago - there are plenty of mutations out there beyond what we see in captivity - the same potential is there in bloods as it was in balls, but the legwork of large scale captive breeding as yet to be done to expose this anomalies. In buying from us, you are stepping right in, and acessing potential mutations no longer available in ball pythons, at far reduced prices (typically our choicest specimens are the same price as the below average animals available elsewere online). Get on our notification lists, get the inside scoop, and see the true potential of these species beyond the dull, traditionally patterned babies seen elsewere.

   - How should I contact you?

   Email is the best means of reaching us, we are often away from the phone, or unable to keep track of messages left on our answering machine. We respond to all our emails in the order received - typically on the day they are received, though it may take longer in some istances. If you would like to speak with us over the phone, or need to pay using a credit card, email us a good number to reach you, and a preffered time for us to call. If we are offering an animal that you'd like to purchase, it is in your best interest to make clear the serious nature of your inquiry. We recieve a ton of emails everyday, and when it comes to sales, we are forced to act essentially on a first-come, first-served basis. As we answer these emails in the order they are recieved, it is actually in your best interest to email only once, or use multiple messages (rather than replying to a message you've already sent), otherwise your email is listed as coming in more recently than actually was the case. We are more than happy to answer questions regarding the health, temperament, feeding habits, etc. of all our animals, but please be aware that delays in sending funds may allow another interested party to purchase the animals you desire. We apologize for this potential difficulty - we have just found it too cumbersome to stray from this policy for the most part, as we lose sales on animals because we are forced to turn away serious buyers while others are busy kicking the tires.

   - Why do you only accept credit cards & PayPal?

   Payment is instant, and the sale is guaranteed. Plain and simple, that is the reason. In the past we have tried accepting money orders and checks, and the vast majority of the time, it has been nothing but trouble for us. More often than not, such payment was enver in the mail; these buyers did not seriously intend to purchase the animal's they ordered, and we lost sales because of it. The turnaround time waiting for such types of payment is simply too long - we will hold animals and hold animals awaiting payment that's not coming, all the while turning away customers intent on paying us that very minute. Financially, this just doesn't make sense for us, and we CANNOT do it any longer. Most buyers, in this e-commerce world, either have a PayPal account or a credit/ debit card. I fully understand the problems of using PayPal, and why some choose to avoid it. However, in the absence of that, we can and do take credit/ debit cards over the phone. We can and do accept payment plans - if your finances dictate that you will have to wait until a paycheck clears, etc. to pay that's fine, we just require a small deposit to ensure your interest. We have worked with buyers for months on big purchases, and while it is not optimal, it clearly illustrates our desire to be as accomodating as we can afford. Our payment methods are completely safe - you, as a buyer, are protected using these methods of payment by either PayPal or your credit/ debit card institution. If you are not happy with your shipment and we cannot come to an arrangement (yet to happen, knock on wood), you will have recourse as a buyer. Ultimately, this policy protects both us as a vendor, and you as a buyer, while ensuring as smooth a transaction as possible.

   - Can you export live animals?

   Sorry, but we are not setup at this point to export our animals, or ship outside of the continental United States. We apologize for the inconvenience; we are working on getting registered to export animals, but for the forseeable future, it is not in our capabilities.

   - How do you ship?

   We ship using Delta airlines various air cargo methods and UPS Next Day Air only. We typically use Delta's services on large, bulky, or heavy orders, and UPS for everything else (95% of our shipments). UPS Next Day Air is typically guaranteed to arrive at your door by 10:30 am, unless you are away from a major city, when the arrival time is typically by noon (rarely later). We ship in insulated boxes, with ventilation holes and heat packs/ cold packs as the weather dictates. Please assist us in shipping - we simply cannot keep track of the weather everywhere, let us know how the temperatures are on your end. We will only ship when the weather on our end seems safe, please do not ask us to risk the safety of the shipment. Shipping is not free - the average shipping costs via UPS range between $45 and $50, while Delta shipments typically start at $70 and gradually go up. We cannot use other carriers - we only have accounts with these two shippers, and their is no convenient drop location for any other shipper nearby. If you have a UPS shippers account, we will be happy to charge the shipping to your account. We guarantee live arrival and complete satisfaction using our delivery methods, but it is imperative that someone be in to recieve the shipment. If the shipment is rescheduled for later delivery because no one was available to recieve your shipment, we cannot guarantee live arrival, sorry. We are not setup at this point to export our animals, or ship outside of the continental United States. Sorry for the inconvenience; we are working on getting registered to export animals, but for the forseeable future, it is not in our capabilities.

   - Can I come to your facility? Do you guys attend shows?

   Unfortunatly, our facility is generally not open to the public. Rare exceptions exist, but for the most part, we cannot have people out to the facility for security purposes. For local customers, we are generally quite accomodating in terms of driving to meet buyers - please inquire via email, and we'll figure out a good means of getting your animals to you without the hassle of shipping. Beyond that, the best way to see us in person is to attend either the National Reptile Breeders Expo held every August in Daytona Beach, Florida, or one of the various reptile shows we have here in Colorado. We have done other shows in the past, but, as our animals are typically more suited to specialized purchasers than a walk-in customer at a local reptile show, we do not frequently attend such shows anymore. We have found it nearly impossible to sell $300 and $400+ animals at reptile shows (excepting Daytona), and we simply do not carry the normal leopard geckos, etc. that would be the most suitable items for such shows. We are considering attending either the Anaheim show or the Chicago show, but at this point, nothing is set in stone.

   - Why should I get on an email notification list?

   We recommend getting on one of our email notification lists for a couple of reasons. First, we notify folks on these lists with species availability before we post ads online, or even make updates to te availability pages of this site. It's simply the most convenient means for us to sell animals with the highest percentage of completed sales - folks on these lists are typically familiar with us as a company, how we operate on sales, how to purchase animals from us, and finally, though most significantly, the quality of the animals they will receive. Beyond this, we suggest getting your email on a notification list, because it drives our purchases - the more certain we are that a given species is widely in demand, the more likely we are to acquire them for future sales when our suppliers have them available. This is part of the reason we always list an abundance of species - we try and cover the bases of what we typically expect to see, and what we like to work with. Some species will rarely be available, but if we have a list, we suggest you get on it.

   - You killed the market. Raise your prices!

   As crazy as this may sound, we actually hear this significantly more than we ever anticipated. Our off-the-cuff response is immediately a feeling that it's not our problem. We charge what works for us on our animals, and as this is a capitalist sytem based on supply and demand we do our own thing. Our pricing reflects our costs, both in terms of the animal involved, and the maintenance we have to put it. We purchase most of our animals from one supplier, Kamuran at Bushmaster Reptiles in Boulder, Colorado. His facility is an hour's drive from ours, and we believe he offers the best wild caught, Indo bred, and captive hatched animals on the market. He is the primary supplier for many of the larger reptile businesses online. For the most part, we have first access to these animals, and at the very least, have a competitive advantage in that we can, and do, hand-pick all of the animals. When it comes to animals that come into the country in large numbers, such as captive hatched blood pythons, we will pick through literally hundreds of baby bloods to purchase the best five or ten. Additionally, we don't have to pay shipping costs on these animals, or get animals that are not commercially desireable - we don't get any normals in our normals, they represent the picks of the litter, before anyone else has had a crack at them. This advantage allows us to offer better animals at better prices than nearly every other single reptile dealer online, on the very same animals. It's funny sometimes - we'll see animals marked up for more than ours, that we didn't think desireable enough to purchase at wholesale prices. Our stance has been, and always will be, that if our prices are too low relative to their supposed market value, buy all ours and sell them for what you think they should go for. We have absolutely no problem with that at all - it makes us more money, and gives us the time, money, and room to acquire new animals and give as many customers as possible the greatest experience possible. This stance certainly hasn't one us many friends amongst our competitors, but we think it benefits the marketplace. We often bear the brunt of this in emails, phone calls, and on forums like the fauna classifieds board of inquiry. In these places, people, protected by the anonymity of distance and the internet, will rip our product not because of its quality, or our ethics, but because their business depends on the failure of ours. All that we ask is that you, as a potential customer, give us the opportunity to earn your trust through a positive experience - customer, not competitor, satisfaction is our number one goal.

   - Wild Caught v. Farmed v. Captive Hatched v. Captive Bred

   We get directly asked about our policies on animals of differing origins quite a bit, and it's most certainly an issue we hear about on the forums and at trade shows, so I thought I’d address it here. First off, it seems to be an issue in the minds of less-experienced keepers, or keepers with a limited focus of interest, rather than long-time enthusiasts who've kept a wide variety of species. I don't mean to rule out the possibility of exceptional individuals falling into the opposite category; it's just a general observation. The reason for this seems simple enough - a lot of captive breeders, that is to say folks whose business or hobby is based solely on the sale of captive bred offspring produced in their own facility, seek to perpetuate a negative image of animals from all other sources to improve the likelihood of selling their captive bred stock. This is not necessarily negative, as a lot of the cautions espoused by such folks about animals of other origins are founded in animal experience, but the vigor with which it is delivered to influence the breeder's ability to make a sale is detestable. I view this practice as an attempt to brainwash good folks, occasionally creating uneducated cronies who memorize the information like gospel and never venture beyond that comfort zone to try new methods and techniques.

   In terms of actually addressing the issue, my opinion is that all four of these sources of animals have their merits, though the positives and negatives associated with each may them most useful for different keepers. Wild caught animals are an excellent source of genetic diversity, and for the most part, are the most easily accessible means of acquiring unique genetic mutations (both in terms of cost and actual availability at the development stages). They can be difficult to establish; some animals feed with vigor immediately, while others can take months or years to fully acclimate to captivity. They may take as long, or longer to acclimate sufficiently to breed than it would take to raise up captive bred offspring. They can, and often do have parasites. These should be treated in due course to optimize the captive experience and avoid transmission of parasites to other animals in the collection. However, very rarely do animals actually die from parasite loads. We have received and observed wild rat snakes with literally dozens of ticks. These were full grown, reproductively active adults seemingly unhindered by their parasite burdens. I don't mean to suggest that this is optimal, but rather, use these examples to stress the durability of reptiles to parasites when otherwise in good condition and maintained appropriately. Finally, some species are simply UNAVAILABLE as United States captive bred at ANY PRICE. Some species, like our Halmahera Pythons, have NEVER been bred in captivity to date. While wild specimens of this species are not right for every keeper, we will continue to provide them for the keepers who would like to be the first to accomplish that feat.

   Farmed animals, particularly blood pythons and some Indonesian monitor species take a lot of heat in forums like those at kingsnake.com. These are animals, in the case of blood pythons, that were hatched in captivity from eggs collected in the wild or laid in captivity by wild bred animals. Farmed animals are not much different than captive hatched, and many folks use the two terms interchangeably. However, farmed animals are typically species that are collected for financial reasons other than the pet trade, such as the skin trade or the food markets. Tens of thousands of blood pythons are harvested legally from Indonesia every year for the skin trade. When the animals collected are unique, or are gravid, they are typically sold as wild caught animals, or held in captivity in Indonesia until they lay their eggs. The females are either used to incubate the eggs then released or they are skinned. The offspring that hatch from this practice are farmed. If farmed blood pythons were not such popular pets, thousands of blood python eggs would go un-incubated, and the impacts of the skin-trade would be drastically exacerbated. As is the case with all other non - Us captive bred animals, the folks who perpetuate notions that these animals are somehow inferior either feel this way to defend their higher captive bred prices, or because they were taught in that way of thinking by someone whose motivation was financial. This is not an attempt on my part to intentional step on toes, but from my perception, this is a widely held view that is underrepresented in internet forums. We have worked with literally thousands of "farmed" blood pythons and hundreds of purportedly US captive bred ones. In my experience there has not been a single common theme of temperament difference, eagerness to feed, or successful reproduction between these two origin sources. I have had "puppy-dog" tame farmed blood pythons, total hellion US captive bred blood pythons, and vice versa. Both make outstanding captives, however, and rightly so, the price of US captive bred bloods is often three to five times more than farmed blood pythons. This price disparity is not a function of the animal itself, or its ability to survive and reproduce spectacular offspring; rather it is about establishing known lineages of animals with relatively predictable color, pattern, feeding, and temperament traits. If you are serious breeder looking to incorporate lineage animals into a breeding program, US captive bred animals may be right for you. If, however, you are like most customers, just getting into blood pythons as pets, or are considering becoming seriously involved in blood python propagation, then farmed animals, with their unique colors and patterns may be just what you need for a great display animal or the founder of a new lineage. Please keep in mind, the beautiful founders of the blood python lineages we see in limited numbers today had to come from somewhere (THE WILD!); there is no reason you cannot do the same thing, particularly when starting with an established, feeding, baby.

   Captive hatched babies are essentially the same as farmed babies, and do equally well in captivity. The nominal difference as discussed above is the nature of the collecting relationship. Rather than being caught for the food or skin industries, captive hatched babies are typically offspring from gravid wild animals collected for the pet trade. The gravid females are held until they lay eggs or give birth to live young, then are sold separately from their offspring in the pet trade. These animals typically make exceptional captives. They occasionally have internal parasites from their parents, particularly live-born young. These can be treated with age, and the parasite's effect, can be controlled easily by the keeper.

   Finally, captive bred animals are available in two types: United States bred and foreign bred. Like farmed animals, non - US captive bred animals have been stigmatized in herpetoculture recently. These animals could have been bred in international zoological institutions, private collections, or commercial farms - they are all lumped together as an inferior product. This has nothing to do with the animal itself. I'm sorry to break this news to some folks, but parasites are just as likely to exist in United States captive bred babies as they are from babies bred in facilities around the world. The notions of infected water sources sterilizing babies bred in foreign countries are just this side of ludicrous. Non-domesticated animals (animals less than fifty generations captive bred) are built for wild conditions, not aquariums or plastic storage boxes. Again, this is not meant to de-value hygiene, extermination of parasites, and US captive bred animals, but rather to encourage folks to actually judge animals based on the particular animal involved. We have received captive bred animals from famous US zoos with heavier parasite loads than wild animals! Each animal is unique, different, and worthy of pricing on its own merit. Go for the best animal for you; don't limit yourself to following the heard over the side of the financial and emotional cliff. Pictures of an animal's parents, a precise date of birth, etc. can be nice once they start reproducing, but they have absolutely no value in determining an animal's actual value, other than in pursuing genetic mutations. I have received average to poor captive bred animals, and exceptional wild/ farmed/ captive hatched ones. While neither example is necessarily the norm, it illustrates that much more clearly that animals should be measured for themselves, rather than for the "brand" attached to them by herpetoculture. These exceptional animals are what we strive to sell, and why we are completely and totally honest in representing our available animals. I'd much rather know what I’m getting as a consumer and have the best chance of success, than be mislead into failure based on propaganda, opinion, and occasionally deceit.

   - Do you guys feed live or frozen/ thawed rodents?

   Both, depending upon the particular animal involved. Generally we feed frozen/ thawed rodents to manstays in our collection, and animals that have a particularly good feed response, for whom the action of a live rodent is not necessary to stimulate a feed response. We generally feed live rodents to babies and wild caught animals when we first receive them, the action of the rodent stimulates a feeding response more fervently. When feeding live, we are very careful to monitor the situation, and make sure that both the rodent and snake have a means of getting away from the other - this helps to alleviate biting and other defensive behavior from the rodent, while giving the snake time to recognize the presence of food and act accordingly. When we must leave live rodents in with our snakes, we also include food for the rodent - not much is more painful than a rodent bite, and a hungry, scared rodent is a disaster waiting to happen. Please ask us about the feeding habits of individual animals we offer for sale, though it is important to keep in mind that the stress of shipment may necessitate a re-training of a snake to eat forzen/ thawed food. We are always more than happy to help, just shoot us an email. Nutritionally, frozen/ thawed rodents are just as good a food source (within the first year of being frozen) as liveor freshly-killed rodents, and the convenience of frozen rodents cannot be overstated for the majority of keepers who do not breed their own rodents.

   - Rats or Mice?

   We actively feed both to our animals, depending upon the size of the animal involved. Generally, we prefer to feed rats when both are suitable, as the greater size and nutritional value of rats promotes growth and makes feeding less cumbersome when adult snakes are involved. Apparently their scent is quite different to snakes, and some will refuse one type of rodent or the other. When it comes to feeding live prey, I prefer rats - they seem to act more calm than similarly sized mice.

   - Do you guys breed animals, or just broker them?

   We do breed a few select species, but we cannot breed all of the species our customers desire. For some species or types of animals, such as normal blood pythons, normal reticulated pythons, green tree pythons, and mandarin ratsnakes, it is not financially worthwhile for us to breed them in captivity at our facility - we can purcase excellent captive hatched or Indo bred babies for less than it would cost us to acquire, maintain, breed, hatch, and get started our own stock. Theoretically, some purchasers are more willing to buy these animals, or are willing to pay more for this offspring, however, we have not seen that to be widely the case. These species are best left for private hobbyists and our customers - there is certainly a great value to captive breeding, but with our overhead as a business, it is not something we can spend time and money on. We do wrk with, and breed, morph blood and reticulated pythons, but these are more for our enjoyment than potential profits. When it comes to animals that are rarely, if ever, available from the wild, as is the case with rhino ratsnakes and all australian animals, we do have our own breeding collections that we are constantly striving to reproduce. Beyond species that we enjoy, we leave private breedig to our friends and customers - we strive to get excellent animals into the hands of private keepers who can devote more time and energy into breeding them, and making them more widely available to other hobbyists. Focusing our efforts lets us offer better animals in the long run, while maximizing our time and financial capabilities.

   - Do you guys do trades? Loans?

   For the most part (99.9% of the time), we do not do trades. They hardly ever work out well for both parties, and as we are a cash business, unlike the typical private hobbyist, trades typically do little to help us. If you have animals for sale that you think might be of interest to us, feel free to shoot us some pictures. We'll let you know if they are of interest to us, and the price we can pay for your animals. The amount we can pay is typically wholesale pricing (the same amount we would pay any of our suppliers for such an animal), which is typically less than what private hobbyists desire. In terms of loans, again, we generally do not participate in them; there are too many variables involved in the maintenance of animals that make loans a risky proposition. We have done them in the past, and currently have some ongoing projects involving loaned animals, but these are with trusted colleagues we have known literally for years. We will do our best to assist you in your efforts to find or place animals, but very rarely is that location going to be us, or our animals.

   - What is herpetology? Herpetoculture?

   Herpetology is the natural history of reptiles and amphibians, a branch of zoology which relates to reptiles, including their structure, classification, and habits. Herpetoculture is the captive husbandry and propagation of reptiles and amphibians. Herpetoculture is an interdisciplinary field which can involve knowledge of herpetology, botany, small scale open system design , nutrition, geography, climatology, physiology, veterinary medicine, and landscaping.