about snakes for sale

this is more of a comment then anything but any feed back might answer it and help me understand ..i been looking on kingsnake classifieds and others including this one here ,,and i find it disturbing that a person will put in there ad ..."don't need it anymore" why would someone say that OK i understand someone getting rid of a snake but to say that..to me sounds like they think snakes are like shoes or a belt only good till they get a new pair or it is out dated.When ever i purchase a snake i do it with the sole intension to take care of it for the rest of its life or mine ..but so many people trade them in, give them up ,or sell them ..then on top of it all go and ask a price that is or very close to what they paid of it if not more,boggles my mind ,someone doesn't need it any more and now wants to recoup its money well i went on about this enough just had to say something .In my opinion isn't it the same thing as i see most people tell others all the time ..are you sure you ready for a snake ? do you know the responsibility it takes to care for it ? so many are quick to warn others mainly new snake owners about the whole care and everything but isn't it just the same when one buys a snake then "doesn't need it any more "?by doing this isn't it in one way or another creating a snake that could have had a good permanent home now homeless ? well any comments that can shed some light on this get a snake get rid of it thing would really help ..thanks

Most of the "don't need it anymore" sales are breeders that have upgraded their stock, and are selling off males; or they are shifting focus. Sometimes, people use cheaper options (hets) or lower grade morphs in order to build the capitol to purchase something they desire. An example of this is when somebody is using DH sunglows, then purchases a sunglow. Or replaces a salmon with a super salmon.

I'm not a fan of that statement, but it isn't as though you don't see the same thing with other animals. Some breeders (esp when they deal with large numbers of animals) view see their stock as part of the business. I consider most of my animals pets...the ones I don't, will likely be sold off before the year's end.

thanks for the reply Harold ,i kind of figured it was breeders and such but i still don't agree with it i put alot of myself into my snakes wether one cost 60 dollars or 600 dollars and to just see a snake as dollars signs isn't right in my mind but i guess everyone needs to make a living some how .just sucks its at the expense of snakes .when one says "dint need anymore " or" doesn't fit in to my project" i automatically think the poor snake is just sitting in a dark corner being neglected because it isn't bringing in money .

I'm not sure what you mean by neglected...if you mean that its basic needs (clean cage, food, water) are being ignored, I doubt that. If you mean that there is not a lot of interaction & handling...then there are probably a lot of people on this very forum that "neglect" their animals. I'd have to include myself in that list, as a matter of fact...I mean, I handle some of them pretty regularly, even if it is just playing with them for a while when I clean their cages. Others, I rarely handle, and they don't suffer any ill effects. I recently gave away a pair of my breeders...I just wanted them gone for personal reasons, though if I was willing to wait a few days to a week I could definitely have sold them for a good price. Tired of them? No, I liked them alot. Don't fit my projects? Not that either...in fact, I'm already on the lookout for replacements. But it had to be (though I doubt most of the ads you see have anything to do with my rationale)

As for your previous comment about the asking price for these animals, keep in mind that just because the person is now using a more expensive, more desirable morph for breeding, it doesn't detract from the value of the animal he is selling. Sure, it is priced much higher than comparable quality hatchlings; but consider how much it cost several years ago when it was purchased, and how much income it can generate to the next would be breeder that purchases it. (I don't agree with adding in feeding/maintenance costs, or subtracting any profit that may have come from past breedings...though I have seen people argue both of those things)

I'm also finding myself in a somewhat similar position - I have found a gorgeous '05 coral albino boa (female) for a pretty good price, and I really want to buy her. The problem is that I already have 3 female albinos (2-04s, and an 05) and a poss dominant hypo female that is poss het albino. While I could justify the purchase based on "upgrading", I realize that I don't particularly want/need/have room for 4 female albinos (5 female boas). That would leave me in the position of selling one of the ones I have in another 2 years. But even now, I have a hard time with the idea. I like them all, and my wife has adopted the 05 as "her" snake.

Of course, I could make it work...but it would mean cutting back on something else, and there isn't that much slop in my collection (meaning things that I would consider getting rid of).

first off Harold wife calls it her pet looks like your stuck keeping that one at least ...lol."making it work "thats what I'm talking about not sure if everyone thinks that way but i m glad I'm not the only one ...you can always put one up for sale and use ...selling to make room ..... had to add that one just saw that today how can one be trying to make room i see it this way if you have snakes you bought for what ever reason ..hopefully not for the pure thought of profit ...but if you have the snakes why sell to make room i see it if you have no more room logic says you cant add snakes ..When i started in snakes which was to long ago i had only a limited space for them which at the time was 3 corns .i wanted more but not at the expense of getting rid of one so i waited and bought a house that can accommodate what i want so i converted 3 rooms which is around 800 or so square feet for snakes and when that fills i wont sell any not even corns there here forever when i get to that point ill just stop buying and be happy and enjoy the snakes i was able to get .Or just take over the guest bedroom lol ..good luck with the decision I'm sure you will make it work one way or another