Bound to be a controversial post

[Bogertophis]

My concern is what do people do with the excess babies who are not exciting or valuable, or have birth defects? Do people kill them because they won't sell, or sell them cheap on Craigslist to people who don't know what they are doing? That part is never really talked about.

I also see racks and racks of snakes in people's garages-- and I know they are "just" snakes and don't require a great deal of stimulation, but surely they can't get the best quality of life in a small plastic bin with just the basic hide and water dish, vs. a nice terrarium with branches to climb on, fake plants to hide under, and a window to look out.

And I don't get why people cut the snake eggs open. I am not a breeder so maybe there's a reason for it in an extreme circumstance, but it seems like the egg protects the snake from bacteria and controls humidity, and that a healthy baby snake will come out when it's good and ready, so just let nature do its thing and stop meddling.

I've heard of people say they sell their normal BPs as cobra food...it's talked about sometimes but not enough... Not saying cobras don't have to eat too, but I wonder
how many ppl will buy a BP with full knowledge of what they're supporting? Personally, I know that many snakes are "eye candy" but I still prefer the ones that nature chooses.

I HATE seeing snakes raised & kept in racks...I know they're mostly ignored, & not living a real life. They deserve better than the herp-version of a puppy-mill. And DON'T tell me it's too much work any other way...even when I had 85 snakes I never did that!

Cutting eggs: if they cannot make it out of the egg, there is a reason & you are weakening all future generations of snakes that stem from those you helped out of their eggs, IMO.