You name the snake.....someone somewhere is keeping it. There are many different reasons that some are not as common as others in the 'pet trade'.Originally Posted by BaLLPAddICT
I know people that keep a wide variety of animals that are not common in captivity....why? Because they enjoy working with the animals....money and 'the trade' has nothing to do with it. I know of local people that keep locally caught animals and breed them...only to release the offspring back into the wild. You would be surprised about the stuff that happens outside of the 'online' reptile community.
Coachwhips and racers are a good example of wicked cool snakes that not many people keep. Sure most animals tend to be a bit nippy and will 'relieve' themselves on you without hesitation....but that is mainly because most available 'uncommon' native species are wild caught. Also, some states require certain permits to breed and sell. If I wanted to keep, breed, and sell the freakin' awesome Buttermilk Racer(http://www.fototime.com/%7B8862C7F6-...7D/picture.JPG) that is native to Louisiana....I would have to have a few different licenses.
If you look at the 'reptile market', you will see that the largest amount of owners keep animals that are 'easy' to some extent. Specialist such as lizard, egg, and frog feeders are not commonly kept because their food sources are harder to come by than mice or rats. Eastern hognose snakes, asian whip snakes, and Egg eatting snakes are all perfect examples of specialist feeders. Other snakes are not easily breed (Boelen's pythons).....some require very specific husbandry that only an advanced keeper can provide(redbellied water snakes http://www.dgif.state.va.us/wildlife...s/030036-1.jpg)...somecome from environments that make them unlikely captives (like worm snakes or any other "in the ground" type species)...some are not as visually appealing as others but still very cool animals if you are into 'function' instead of looks (do a search on wart snakes).....some are just rarer in captivity(check out some of the red mountain racer family of snakes).....some are prohibited by law (Alameda Whipsnakes are one of the most beautiful snakes on this planet...native to California....but an very endangered species...)http://www.californiaherps.com/snake...xanthusmt2.jpg).....I could go on and on about snakes that are not kept in captivity as frequently as others.....simply because something about them is 'special'...
....the thing about this industry is that alot of people want pretty, interesting, easy to keep reptiles.....pet stores can' barely keep ball pythons alive, so why would they venture into Emerald tree boas?...I have heard of new keepers buying rainbow boas and accidentally killing them because they were not prepared for an 'intermediate' reptiles, so how would some take on keeping water dwelling species that feeds on fish....
This hobby has a lot of 'beginners'.....and people just beginning their interest in the world of reptiles can only handle so much. Talk to some 'old schoolers' and you will hear of all kinda different animals that they once kept just because they 'felt like it'. This hobby is growing by leaps and bounds everyday.....give everyone a bit of time, and you will start to see a bunch of 'odd' or 'rare' snakes being kept with a little more frequency...some might eventually make it to the 'pet trade'
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