Captive hatched vs. captive bred?

[jkobylka]

The babies don't know if they were hatched in Africa or in an incubator here

Well put Robin!

Personally I do not make a distinction quality wise between ch and cb. In a way I like to have ch's because they represent fresh genetics and who knows what cool traits they MIGHT be hiding!

Justin

[West Coast Jungle]

I purchased a CH(they told me CB) from a store once that was dehydrated, had mites and ticks. That snake was returned.

I have nothing against CH(I have several in my collection) but I only get them from reputable people/breeders/dealers not stores.

Most in stores have never fed and are housed in large groups. I prefer an animal that is established, eating and has been kept in correct husbandry conditions.

[Sonya610]

Just to clarify when I said he seems healthy, they are precious sentient beings and once the committment is made health problems are not an issue when it comes to devotion (I have a diabetic cat, and love him more as a result).

And actually after watching some popping videos, if it is a he (the guy at the store said it looked like a he) then well...it is not all that obvious. A vet visit will be in order, for parasites and gender.

Thank god for the internet! It is such a blessing, to ask questions and get the advice of knowledgable people in minutes is truly wonderful.

[Spaniard]

Uhhh...I don't know about that. Ghana for example is a VERY poor country, they face chronic food shortages in a lot of areas. Those people do not think about "the future" they think about today.

Ghana is not the only country bps are found in. Granted the reason they release adults back into the wild probably has more to do with the CITES regulations; every generation thinks about the future. If they didn't there would be no progress and no reason to live.

[rabernet]

Just to clarify when I said he seems healthy, they are precious sentient beings and once the committment is made health problems are not an issue when it comes to devotion (I have a diabetic cat, and love him more as a result).

And actually after watching some popping videos, if it is a he (the guy at the store said it looked like a he) then well...it is not all that obvious. A vet visit will be in order, for parasites and gender.

Thank god for the internet! It is such a blessing, to ask questions and get the advice of knowledgable people in minutes is truly wonderful.

Sonya - I've got the name of a great herp vet in Marietta if you find that you don't feel your vet is as knowledgeable with herps as you'd like.

I can also sex for you as well. I have one vet that I use for fecal tests and just general wellness, but he can't sex a snake to save his life. I have another vet who's more of a specialist for anything beyond general wellness.

I also had a diabetic cat who I lost last year (to old age).

[Sonya610]

Sonya - I've got the name of a great herp vet in Marietta if you find that you don't feel your vet is as knowledgeable with herps as you'd like.

Well I am actually in Stone Mountain, not Atlanta (but for some reason Atlanta sounds better...haha). I have been referred (by Petsmart and by my regular vets office, and they are quite good) to Avalon Animal Hospital in Lawrenceville. Do you know if they are good? If a vet specializing in exotic animals could not reliably identify the gender I would be very annoyed indeed.

Oh...and sorry to hear about the loss of your cat. Diabetes in cats creates such a tight bond, I know it must be very difficult to lose one.

[rabernet]

Well I am actually in Stone Mountain, not Atlanta (but for some reason Atlanta sounds better...haha). I have been referred (by Petsmart and by my regular vets office, and they are quite good) to Avalon Animal Hospital in Lawrenceville. Do you know if they are good? If a vet specializing in exotic animals could not reliably identify the gender I would be very annoyed indeed.

I got a referral to the specialist by calling the Atlanta Zoo's reptile department and also contacting the GA Herp Society. I had three different people recommend Dr. Brad Wilson in Marietta.

I don't know the vets in your area, you might try the same strategy to see who they would recommend in your area.

Have you checked these links?

Oftentimes, a clinic that primarily sees dogs and cats will have a vet on staff that also sees the exotics, but they don't see them as frequently as a vet who is a specialist. So, it gets tricky finding one.

http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlist

[Sonya610]

Well my regular animal hospital, Gwinnett Animal Hospital, does not work with exotics. The owner/head vet there is quite good, and I suspect he does not allow his staff to work on exotics because they do not specialize in them.

Right now I need to get a fecal done, and they said it must be fresh so that rules out consulting with one of their best docs due to the time constraints. I will drop off the sample and get the results and hopefully he/she will be parasite free. If the fecal comes back positive i will have to take him in for an exam in order to get medicine, and then I will try to schedule with their best doc (whomever that might be).

Are parasites in reptiles similar to canine parasites such as roundworm? Passed from mother to offspring? And if you are offering to identify gender I may want to take you up on that!

[rabernet]

No - parasites are not transported from mother to baby. However, if they were allowed to drink any African water before being shipped over - they "could" have internal parasites, and they are generally easily treated. My first ball python tested positive for strongile (sp?) parasites. We treated him with two doses of Panacur - two weeks apart. Fairly inexpensive to treat.

I may be going to Gainesville to see another member here and pick up some rat food and rat bedding from her in a few weeks, maybe we can meet somewhere then. I'll be happy to sex your new baby and also teach you how to do so - because I promise you - you're going to want to get more! Don't fight the feeling!

[snakelady]

There aren't many natural predators for bps in the wild anymore as a result they have no problem reproducing in ample numbers. While a large number get exported for the food and pet industry, the people in Africa make sure there are enough adults left in the population to produce for next year. If they wiped out everything their means of producing and making a living in the future would be over.

You don't know that.
Most people don't think of the future when they need food or even just want a new radio.