I am here to stay

[Gio]

I joined USARK today and donated to the Reptile Defense Fund.

Reptileexperts is correct!

The battle is ON and if you want to do your part, joining and donating is the only way to this.

Sitting back because you don't own the "current" species under attack is a bad idea. Tomorrow or the next day it could be boas or royals.

You don't have to drop a ton of cash either. Just a little bit from a lot of people can help.

We can all voice our opinions here on the forums, but to really HELP, you have to donate to the folks that will be fighting for us!

[reptileexperts]

Texas is set, we have everything available to us, many things which no one else may even have access to, like Tribal Retics. I'm not worried so much on that front at this time.

I MAY add one more gene to my pool before this all hits the fans (OGS) but my last addition was not cheap. And was meant to be the last.

There have been people out there right now, driving up their own debt to get animals into their state before the ban. This is silly if the market is not there in the state to begin with, there is no point to invest if they wont move. At this point, many of the wiser breeders are downsizing according to the viability of their state - Then, there are those who just wanted to make an easy buck that have completely thinned out their head, and are moving on with their lives in another direction .

[artgecko]

At least you are in a big enough state to possibly have a descent market. With the smaller states, it may go the way of the fancy rat/mouse community etc... Basically breeding to swap animals / genes between breeders and only breeding enough to sustain your colonies (like only doing 1 clutch per year, etc.). If nothing else, it will weed out the people that just got into retics to make a quick buck.

I just hope that all states (or most) have access to SD genes. Size is what prevents many people (like myself) from even considering retics. With the advent of the SD genes and breeders working them into their projects, I had hoped that there would be more SD morphs available and in a few years, that the majority of retics would be smaller in size, so would appeal to a greater audience. The ban could seriously stifle that though.

Good luck with your collection! and I hope that your state has a good-enough market for you to continue to breed. (although truly, I'm hoping this thing gets repealed if USARK wins their case).

[jclaiborne]

I still have aspirations to own a pure SD at some point and would love to get a Dwarf Burn as well, however we currently live in California and may be relocating to Texas in the next few years for work. All that being said because of this any new additions are on hold until we know if the move will happen or not. I am just hoping that in the mean time they dont decide to come after the large lizards as well because after all the work I have put into my Tegu I can't give her up.

[reptileexperts]

I still have aspirations to own a pure SD at some point and would love to get a Dwarf Burn as well, however we currently live in California and may be relocating to Texas in the next few years for work. All that being said because of this any new additions are on hold until we know if the move will happen or not. I am just hoping that in the mean time they dont decide to come after the large lizards as well because after all the work I have put into my Tegu I can't give her up.

No fear, in Cali or Texas your SD niche will be covered - enough demand for pure locals is there that people are already collaborating to ensure that we have the local specific pairs that can reproduce in Texas. California has a slough of breeders who aren't going anywhere since the demand is consistent enough. It's places like Ohio, Michigan, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia, and many many many more states that will suffer from this.

Don't be knocked down. This fight is not over.

[bcr229]

It's places like Ohio, Michigan, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia, and many many many more states that will suffer from this.

We've been coordinating with other breeders and owners in the state to determine what genes are missing and try to get them in before the deadline, but lack of QT space and lack of $$$ means we're going to miss out on some nice combos.

[reptileexperts]

Are there any large propagations in WV? I cant recall for the life of me seeing any from there on the webs, aside from a couple here and there. Glad to know there is something going on!

[bcr229]

Large? No. Certainly nothing on the order of Prehistoric Pets or Vital Exotics. At best there are maybe half a dozen of us. I expect breeding will be done very selectively, and offspring traded rather than sold.

[MrLang]

Hmmm... I want to be clear about what I'm saying here because I would never advocate knowingly breaking the law, especially with animals being the ones at risk.

I am curious what kind of enforcement has been in place with this?

Let's say someone comes to your door and says "where did you get your snake?" and you let them know you got it from a guy named Joe on Craigslist. You don't have a 'sales receipt' and you can't find the guys email. Are people confiscating snakes or prosecuting owners in that situation?

Are there USFWS patrols going around stalking snake owners?

I'm sorry if I am missing some detail from the act, just curious since the original ban on burms etc. if anyone has reported a problem with the law as a result? Obviously people are not shipping snakes around any more, but has anyone had first hand negative experiences or known someone who has had an experience with enforcement of the Lacey act?

[reptileexperts]

Hmmm... I want to be clear about what I'm saying here because I would never advocate knowingly breaking the law, especially with animals being the ones at risk.

I am curious what kind of enforcement has been in place with this?

Let's say someone comes to your door and says "where did you get your snake?" and you let them know you got it from a guy named Joe on Craigslist. You don't have a 'sales receipt' and you can't find the guys email. Are people confiscating snakes or prosecuting owners in that situation?

Are there USFWS patrols going around stalking snake owners?

I'm sorry if I am missing some detail from the act, just curious since the original ban on burms etc. if anyone has reported a problem with the law as a result? Obviously people are not shipping snakes around any more, but has anyone had first hand negative experiences or known someone who has had an experience with enforcement of the Lacey act?

Big breeders are being monitored and packages are being opened and examined for species confirmation. I do know that.

I have also heard word of a case that will soon hit the fans regarding Burmese that were photographed in one state undercover, then photographed again in another state at a big show.

Big brother knows some... not all... but some. The question to ask - is it worth becoming a felon if caught? People joke about the underground railroad of retics... but the law is just that... the law. No matter how retarded it becomes. We must be civil.