New to Indigos - Best way to start?

Hi, y'all,

I had been mostly involved with land turtles, tortoises, exotic lizards and Morelia pythons in the past, always thinking Indigos were not available to the hobby. Now, I am getting back into it, and have a huge jungle carpet male and a couple of baby Bredl's, but I am looking to do something more meaningful and "interesting"...and not venomous (unless it is Gilas, which I am thinking about!). However, I am really leaning towards doing a pair or trio of Indigos or Cribos, but I wanted to get some input on the best...and most cost effective...way to get into this aspect of the hobby.

Is there a better time of year to try to acquire CBB? At what age can they be sexed? Am I better off getting my feet wet with Cribos, since a mistake won't be so expensive? For that matter, is the care of Cribos the same for Easterns? Are all of the "Drys" okay for older children/young teens to work with?

Finally, where should I look to find some youngsters?
Any suggestinos would really be appreciated.

Ernie In Nashville

I have loved indigos since the first time I saw them. There used to be a guy here in Memphis that had a pair (that was the first time I saw an indigo), but I have lost touch with him. I don't know of anyone in Tennessee working with them, but that does not mean much. There is no herp society that I am aware of in Memphis. Herpers are rather disjointed and do not have many ties around here... Best of luck!

All Drymarchon are a joy to work with, but I have to admit that D. couperi (eastern indigos) are my absolute favorites, closely followed by D. m rubidus (Mexican west coast indigos).
The most cost effective way to enter the ranks of those maintaing Drys in captivity would be to acquire a pair of captive produced D. m melanurus (black-tail cribos). You can expect to pay between 100.00 - 150.00 for CB babies and you will not have the hassels of dealing with internal parasite loads harbored by WC specimens. For a list of individuals working with BT cribos, you may wish to visit www.indigosnakes.com and contact someone from teh breeders list who is indicated as working with the species. D. m unicolor (unicolor cribos) also make excellent starter Drys, but are not as available as the BT's and their price reflects such, as you can expect to pay 150.00 - 200.00 for CB babies.
If your heart is set on the acquisition of D. couperi, there should be quite a few babies to go around this year, but I would not delay getting your name placed upon multiple breeder's lists, as the supply of available babies often dries up quickly. You can also expect to pay between 900.00 - 1,200.00 for baby eastern indigos.
Now, if you truly want something different, you may wish to look into the acquisition of D. m erebennus (Texas indigos) or D. m rubidus (Mexican west coast indigos), but such are produced in very limited numbers and, most often, you will have to be placed on a waiting list for the acqusition of such, which often means 2-3 years of waiting to acquire the desired specimens, but they are worth every minute of the wait.
D. corais (yellow-tail cribos) are starting to show up in good numbers, as both WC and CB, but such have the reputation of being a bit more "high strung" and defensive than the other members of the Dry clan. I have 2.4 adults, from both WC and CB origins, and all are as docile as any of my eastern indigos and I believe the behavior of such cannot be generalized, as these snakes are individuals and their individual behaviors are demonstrative of their own unique identities.
Keep in mind, should you have any questions or simply wish to chat up Drys, you have come to the right place..

Welcome aboard,

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff, for all the great information. Just what I was asking for! Of course, I would love to start with Easterns, but I will be happy with what I can get to start with.

I am sure to have a lot of questions as I get further along, so it is very reassuring to know that the expertise I may need is right here in one place.

Thanks again.

Thanks, too, StarWarsDad, for your input. I decided to follow up with the trusty TWRA to make sure I would not go to the pokey for owning Indigos, so I called up Walter Cook here in Nashville...I had chatted with him before about the need to get an Import Permit to bring in Kingsnakes from Georgia (apparently, no distinction is made for subspecies, so to TWRA a kingsnake is a kingsnake...whether it is an Eastern, Florida, California or Mexican flavor!) Walter has been a great guy to work with in my limited dealings with him, and he offered to review any paperwork I get on any D. corais before I plunk down money. He did say that the last guy in Tennessee that brought in an Indigo was picked up, with his snake, at the airport by USFWS, so I appreciate his offer. Apparently, as in the case of Lampropeltis getula ssp., all subspecies of D. Corais are treated the same here, regardless of their native origin.

I will let y'all know how things go with Drymarchons in Tennessee as I have th opportunity to acquire some....I guess I shouldn't have trouble with different species in the genus...?

Ernie in Nashville

I am going to guess, the individual indicated as being picked up at the airport, with his D. couperi, did not have a USF&W interstate commerce permit in hand, as teh state and federal enforcement agencies are two entirely different entities. The USF&W would not arrest anyone for a state level transgression and states rarely arrest for federal level transgressions. I would like to know if any action were taken against the individual by the state of TN and what exactly was the nature of the USF&W’s actions.
If D. corais are the only Drymarchon spp. regulated by the state, you are in luck, as D. couperi is not a sub-species of D. corais, but now recognized as a full species itself. Also, D. corais is now a full species, with most all of the other’s now being recognized as sub-species of D. melanurus. It’s funny how taxonomy can throw local ordinances for a loop, but I would still acquire any state level permits regarding the acqusition of such specimens, as to prevent any legal squabble down the road.
I was unaware that Tennessee required permits for any non-native genus, such as Drymarchon spp., but it’s nice to hear that one of the state’s biologist is willing to work with you to that regard…

Best of luck to you,

Jeff

i live in florida at the moment and am looking to relocate to tennessee, the chattanooga area specifically. i have ball pythons, woma pythons, redtails, rainbows, and some asian rats. how harsh are the laws governing reptiles, and how hard is it to get the correct permits? if there is someone i can contact to get info, or any other info regarding this that would be a great help. i dont want to move up there and have my animals taken from me.
thanks, greg

Earnie,
I live right accross the border in Missouri. This year I have some unicolor hatchlings, some couperi eggs about to hatch, and I have a sibling pair of yearling black tails, nearly 4 ft, and VERY WELL ESTABLISHED. Eating me out of house and home! One of those BTs would probably be your best bet for a first dry. I'm offering them for the cheepest. I'd like them to go to seperate homes since they are siblings, they should not be bred. Being so close to each other, we can each drive half way and save the worry of shipping. For the couperi, I just need to see the Federal Interstate Commerce permit, which costs $100, and a lengthy application, and a couple months wait. If drys are what you want to get into, I can sure hook you up. You already have my e-mail I think, but here it is again,...thesnakeman@centurytel.net
Talkatcha later,
T.