Quote Originally Posted by Dehlol View Post
I got into keeping retics lately- and sadly I find similar problems with large constrictors..... This board has gone a little rampant from when I used to read it and people would step in and tell people to knock their crap off.

It's sad, but the way snake keeping- specifically bps/small colubirds in racks have destroyed so much of the keeping aspect of this hobby. It takes no keeping ability, talent, or knowledge to buy some bps, a rack, and throw them together after a year. These people start to think they can produce animals and thus know anything and decide "man, I'm a reptile pro now i can keep a monitor." It's amazing how many people at expos I turn away from monitors by telling them the following:

1. One of my monitor cages uses more electricity and produces more heat than a rack of bps.
2. My nile eats more rats in a month than a BP will eat in a year.
3. Monitors do not always "become tame pets" and "force handling will get you the opposite result of a tame animal"....
4. A typical pet store nile/sav/water will get 4-5 foot easily in the first year if house properly...

It's astounding how few people actually give a damn about the life they decide to purchase at a show when "it looks so awesome!". It's like it's a damn toy not a living breathing animal.
Man, do I hear ya!!

I have told numerous people that what my Ornate ate in the first two years could keep a PAIR of bps going for 14 years... if they never skipped a meal.

I have large constrictors as well, and they aren't ever going to see a rack or a tub or even one of those Sentec thingies... I don't think they're big enough for a burm or tic.

Chris