Brian Barczyk's Open Forum on Snake Rack Systems

[Ax01]

finally - ok i just spent the last hour watching the vid and actually reading this thread.

My opinion on this whole meeting is that Brian is just looking for another money making angle. He is going to reduce operating costs by keeping less animals and up the cost per animal with the justification that he is keeping them in "better" conditions. It is BS and false advertising when it comes to balls. From what I have seen of his animals and things that I have heard from people that have been in his facility, mine are healthier and of the same or better quality than his. All he is trying to do is negatively impact the small breeders whom has to compete with. This whole subject when comes to ball pythons is a false narrative and Brian's motivations for even addressing the subject are suspect.

alot of that was addressed in the vid. IMO his intentions are very clear and his business is evolving. he expects BHB to be very different in a few years. he's already diversified his business w/ Reptile Prime and the Reptarium among other things. i think it is very transparent when he talks about if there is a market for snakes bred in larger enclosures that would have a premium price tag. he asks what if he moves from a big 30 tub rack to 10 roomier enclosures? we can draw similarities and it already happens in other industry niches. for example, many peeps seek out and pay premium on free range chickens. maybe there is a market for snakes and reptiles kept and bred in larger enclosures like BP's in T8's and colubrids if 40gallon tanks. you can argue that this would be better for the animals butt would this make everyone feel better? or would they snark and say this is some elite, pretentious/snobby BS gimmick like what free range chickens are.

here are some of my personal questions:

• what exactly are your goals for this open forum?
• ball pythons absolutely thrive in rack systems. which species do you feel suffers the most in your rack systems?
• breeder husbandry standards and hobby husbandry standards are vastly different yet both are valid: do you plan to distinguish the two? or do you think there shouldn't be two standards?
• are you personally looking to raise the standards of breeder husbandry? or just your own?
• what do you have to say to those who believe you cannot make a change?

ill likely think of more later...

i think this needs to be re-phrased. husbandry standards are pretty much the same - u are looking for same temps, humidity, security, etc. i don't think any breeder is setting the t-stat on their rack to 75degrees b/c it's enough for their husbandry standards and helps w/ the electric bill. i think size and scale of operation and collection is the biggest difference. whereas a big breeder will have hundreds of snakes, they would likely run racks. we like to imagine that the hobbyists or pet keepers always keep their snakes in something like a T8 but that's not true. in my experience, an equal amount if not more keep racks or a standalone tub or whatever. IMO this question should be geared towards racks and enclosures, not husbandry.

anyways i like Brian and his channel. he's an OG w/ a wealth of knowledge and still has crazy passion for animals and named a gene after his wife. there has always been polarizing figures and debate topics and philophosies in the hobby, not just rack systems. there's Live vs. F/T, Spider BP's, using snakes (or Normals specifically) as feeders, etc. etc. hell even using glass tanks for some snakes can be controversial. have any of these led to legislation or reform or some big change - no, not really. so what's a Rack Townhall supposed to do? it's supposed to give panelists space to share their experiences, promote their ideals and debate. and hopefully, the viewing public gets to tango as well. and just like in the political arena, there probably won't be any real winners but some views may change/shift while others will dig their heels into their ways. i'm glad this is happening and at least Brian has been taking feedback and opening up to change for animal keeping and business.

Edit: lol awesome screenswipes/transitions at 3.22 and 11.49 of the vid BTW.