Next big thing in the reptile hobby?

[Livia]

I think it will probably be a frog of some sort as they are VERY popular over here.

 

[viper69]

Cresteds already popular but the leachies are catching on. Don't think they will be huge though like lep gex or crested gex- but maybe so

 

[Stirmi]

I agree about leachies since they can be defensive,

 

[pyro fiend]

i personaly think there wont be just one thing.. now every kid wants to breed his animals off mom and dads money iv noticed... cheapest things, and what dominates shows in my area.. is boas and balls. tho 90% time the balls are babys [i have 9 myself and love this species] but what tromples them? the kenyans as well as leos... iv actually seen booths telling a kid HOW TO BREED THEM when he said it was his first reptile... with the simplicity, no need to put efort into eggs its a huge eye catcher like corns with the youngins. tho corns are out of there prime ksb and leos are just now getting more morphs.. where as balls and corns you need to put a little effort into them but have tons of colors and can get expensive [pied bp and scaless for examples] and boas take alot more money to raise.. not to mention "they will eat you" *laughs*

also something iv seen alot of kids get around here are chams... the dealers dont always tell them what they will ultimatly need they ofc want the buck.. iv seen dealers sell a cham in a kriter keeper as a "6month home".... so as far as what common animals will be the new big thing... my money would be on chams ksb or leos..

now for new species wise.. around here for example you NEVER see a ausy python.. now hybrids and mutt carpets are begining to show up slowly. and they sell quick even when marked too high [seen a costal sell for 400 as baby].. *shrug* its all location based ig. iv been to kansas city shows, springfield shows and STL shows and each had its own herp dominating[during same time of year... kc its balanced... saint louis it was leos and ksb.. springfield the 2 times iv gone they was boas mainly with some insects and few balls.. tho cresties r very common now too over last few yrs

i dont see bts's geting popular in my area. even savanahs hardly get sold around here and sellers have told me strait up they almost never can sell any type of bts at shows. [i like them but they are never around for fair prices]

 

[viper69]

I think hybrids are completely wrong esp with snakes. There are WAY TOO MANY snake "breeders" that come and go, sell animals to anyone who will pay, and don't keep records or even know what the hell they are doing.

For the past few years, people have been breeding Hog Island Boas into normal B.c.i's because they want the small size (why they don't just go with a Nic B.c.i is beyond me) and most importantly the colors of a Hog. Except as a result, when you see many of these 50/50 hybrids, you can't even tell the difference between a pure Hog and a hybrid. The sort of people I mentioned above are going to contaminate and destroy beautiful lines of snakes.

I don't want to hear about "they meet in the wild...maybe they do...", in a Hog's case, NO they DON'T meet in the wild because that locality lives on an island you stupid MORON. I had to tell someone that once.

 

[Perentie]

Because of the pressure on all species in the wild I believe captive bloodlines should remain pure. Hybrids and morphs never look as good as the original, and in some cases it gets so extreme you cant even find an animal for sale that is the true species natural size and coloration. Paintjobs are for cars.

 

[viper69]

Try finding a normal leopard gecko- or even a high yellow Lep gex that existed before it was genetically proven - virtually non existent ESP the high yellow

 

[cantthinkofone]

Try finding a normal leopard gecko- or even a high yellow Lep gex that existed before it was genetically proven - virtually non existent ESP the high yellow

Whats this "normal" you talk about?

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

Hybrids and morphs are not an issue to me. This isn't the wild nor pure conservation. A number of breeders out there do keep things pure. The hobby is large enough for those who want pure bloodlines and those who enjoy morphs/hybrids.

 

[2bears]

Is there room for the albino, and calico west african gaboon vipers ?

 

[cantthinkofone]

I LOVE gaboon vipers! they are amazing. Only thing above them for me is eyelash vipers

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

Is there room for the albino, and calico west african gaboon vipers ?

Yes. Dang, a calico gaboon would be gorgeous!

 

[Perentie]

morphs are OK to an extent, but when it gets to the point where true bloodlines are not available it is a terrible thing. The rarer species in the wild need to be kept pure. I have seen people start making hybrids with uromastyx, this needs to be stopped. If hybrids make it to the sp. I keep, they will be doomed in the wild. Even if it happens in the wild, we can't let it happen in captivity. Because if we start breeding hybrids we ruin bloodlines of animals where every individual matters. I apologize if this is not my best wording, I am sick atm

 

[Biollantefan54]

+1 On what Perentie said. What if they go extinct in the wild and all we have are hybrids?

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

morphs are OK to an extent, but when it gets to the point where true bloodlines are not available it is a terrible thing. The rarer species in the wild need to be kept pure. I have seen people start making hybrids with uromastyx, this needs to be stopped. If hybrids make it to the sp. I keep, they will be doomed in the wild. Even if it happens in the wild, we can't let it happen in captivity. Because if we start breeding hybrids we ruin bloodlines of animals where every individual matters. I apologize if this is not my best wording, I am sick atm

You are confusing pure conservation with the hobby. While conservation is a by product of the hobby, it isn't the main goal for the majority of people. Hybridization doesn't *need* to be stopped, nor does hybridization in the hobby afffect nor "doom" any wild animals. What you and others need to do is support those breeders who don't deal with hybrids and join in the efforts of pure bloodline breeding. However, those that aren't of the same opinion don't need to be stopped nor are they bad. They have their place, just as purists have theirs.

---------- Post added 01-26-2014 at 07:20 PM ----------

+1 On what Perentie said. What if they go extinct in the wild and all we have are hybrids?

Then the fault lies with humanity for habitat destruction and not those breeders that bred hybrids. These are hobbyists doing what they love and breeders making a living - they are not just conservationists and nor should they be forced to be if they choose not to be.

 

[ShredderEmp]

However being a breeder doesn't allow them to go hybridizing black rhinos either.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

However being a breeder doesn't allow them to go hybridizing black rhinos either.

Know many dealers selling black rhinos?

 

[viper69]

Whats this "normal" you talk about?

Are you joking?? I hope so, if not let me know, and I'll explain

---------- Post added 01-26-2014 at 07:31 PM ----------

Hybrids and morphs are not an issue to me. This isn't the wild nor pure conservation. A number of breeders out there do keep things pure. The hobby is large enough for those who want pure bloodlines and those who enjoy morphs/hybrids.

In my experience, there are far more people who think they are "breeders" just because they slapped 2 snakes together, that have the knowledge of a rock, and make hybrids, they are quickly in and quickly out of the hobby all the time. They typically don't know what they are doing, and worse, just lie and sell the snakes as something it isn't. These types of people far outnumber the amount of good, stable breeders IMO.

Some people would rather own the Ford Shelby AC Cobra, some would rather own a kit car that only LOOKS like the real thing but isn't anywhere near the real thing.


Color me crazy, but I like owning the REAL THING.

---------- Post added 01-26-2014 at 07:33 PM ----------

morphs are OK to an extent, but when it gets to the point where true bloodlines are not available it is a terrible thing.

This is what happened to the leopard gecko pretty much. I was going to get another one, a normal WT genetic leopard gecko with some high yellow. People started showing me leopard gecko mutants without spots, that is NOT what I asked for, it's CRAP

I never had a problem with morphs per se. Such as albinism, its variants pie bald, and leucism. Those 3 are all naturally occurring in nature but for obvious reasons the animals rarely survive.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

Great but that doesn't make you "better" nor those people who like hybrids "worse". There are plenty of people with tons of knowledge breeding hybrids. Fortunately ( and until usfw messes us all over), the reptile hobby is big enough to accommodate everyone no matter what their tastes are.

 

[ShredderEmp]

Know many dealers selling black rhinos?

I was making a point. No one one sells black rhinos, but I was saying that just because some breeders aren't conservationists, doesn't mean that they can go around breeding for morphs in endangered/vulnerable/threatened animals.