Another fact about the ball python 'market' is that, unlike horse racing, it is DEPENDENT upon basement breeders. Basement breeders are the bread and butter of 'professional' snake breeders who rely on reptile sales for their livelihood.
I'm just wondering what you mean by "basement breeders." I am honestly ignorant to the term and am not trying to be sarcastic here haha. If you mean smaller breeders (with as low as 2-3 snakes) who do this as a hobby then I don't know why they should not be part of a coalition of other breeders. I feel like if you've spent years saving up or selectively breeding to have four really nice snakes then you are just as important as the guy who produces 10,000 snakes a year and deserve a seat at the table as well. If by "basement breeders" you mean people who breed for the quick $ no matter what the danger to the gene pool, then I feel like that is something that should be rectified. Why should an industry be dependent on shady practices?

Bruce- Thanks for the compliment . I understand the uneasiness for bringing a bureaucracy into the hobby. I don't mean to suggest either that unless people are part of an organization that they cannot breed reptiles. All I am saying is that I see an effectiveness in having an organization that people can trust, because as soon as a non-profit organization loses the trust of the people then it ceases to be relevant.

I feel like like the statement that it would not work because it would be a large group of stupid people is really selling the people of this and your community short. Like i said I am new to the reptile community and I am sure there are 50+ power-hungry famous boneheads out there with a bad reputation that would love to sit on a board and draw a line that everyone has to follow. But what about everyone else? What about all of those people that rallied to help someone when a loved one of theirs passed away? Or the posters who don't mind explaining for the 80th time that week what the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat is for the new herpers?

I am certainly not talking about a body that will choke the liberties of breeders. I read something the other day on this forum. A few people were discussing breeders and someone said that they would all have to stick together to survive. I don't know, but that statement rang true for me and maybe it's because I have yet to experience the real world fully but I feel like A LOT of people are inherently good and having a way to glue those that want to be glued would be beneficial.

It's a good idea in theory, but sadly not really executable.
I don't know why it should not be executable. Honestly everything starts somewhere you know? I'm talking about offering the customers a choice between buying from someone that has no references to buying from someone that belongs to an association that is reputable. Do I expect everyone to jump on board tomorrow? No way, but like all good things an association can gain credibility in time. I know a lot of people that will only buy a dog with "papers" because they feel more secure in dropping 1200$ for X breed registered at AKC rather than 800$ with the guy at the flea market that will not be there next week.

Also, another issue is having a body that can protect the rights that reptile breeders should have. I feel like there is a certain stigma that comes with owning a snake (one that I have been suffering in trying to acquire one, with my family) and this stigma certainly plays out when it comes to what laws and regulations are being passed within our country. The biggest problem we have is that there are people who are ignorant about the issues and then they go vote. I can't really blame the voters for their ignorance if there isn't some big force out there trying to educate people in a way that is short of harassment. There was a time when I was pretty sure (living in SoCal) that pitbulls were not going to be allowed on this earth anymore. I remember the almost instant reaction of people when you mentioned that you owned a pitbull. It took a while for people to understand that "bad dogs aren't born they are made" to quote Corky Romano, and while that stigma isn't completely gone yet, through the calculated efforts of many communities the Pitbull PR has been affected positively.

I honestly don't think that telling everyone to stick to a price would really work, I mean it's a good theory, and all but if you need to pay the rent then you are going to sell the snake at a cut and count your losses. I do however think that being an organization would make snakes more readily available to those who want them.

I mean the Petco near me sells their normals at 79.99 no joke and lets be honest there are SOME good Petco's out there with employees who really know what they are doing, but I went by mine today and there were five snakes in that tank two of which I don't think were BPs... but people go to Petco because it's there, and it's available, and it's oh so easy. There will always be people that are going to impulse buy of course, but I think there are a lot of people who wake up one morning and decide they want a snake and do their research if only for a week, and it would be nice to offer them a list of organized breeders that can be trusted. I will even admit, it was getting really hard for me to wait around for a reptile show so that I could find a breeder and not have to pay the extra 55$ for shipping so I even considered buying from a big chain petstore until I became more educated on the issue.

Today a letterhead tomorrow ...I can't think of anything more gratifying than a letter head, sorry.


Stephanie