Can this be true?

[reptilefan95]

I cant believe that reptiles over seas are so cheap. I was browsing on another overseas forum and came across a few adds, Ball pythons were 25.00 USD, Bearded Dragons 15.00 USD, Corn Snakes (different colour morphs) were 12 bucks!! Also a very nice panther chameleon that was a 100 pounds!! ehhehehe what are your thoughts on this?
I also saw a carpet python for 60 US? Why are they more expensive here?

 

[ryanharvey1993]

reason for them being cheap, I always thought it was because they are more established then us with reptile keeping, and also because they dont have a licencing system over there or strict rules. I could be wrong, am curious, will be good and bad if they get that cheap over here, bad thing being of course they will be disposable and people will kill there pets and just go buy a new one not caring.

 

[Khagan]

I think it's due to the numbers bred over there, hence having to have a lower price to move them on *shrug*.

 

[blakehose]

at a guess I would say that there supply far outweighs the demand, meaning they are breeding massive amounts of animals, that aren't really all that sought after so they just flog them off cheap. And there dollar does convert to be a bit more valuable than ours remember...

 

[wranga]

everything is cheaper in the states. have alook at the price of cars and petrol over there. also their dollar is worth more than ours

 

[Jakee]

Maybe they are well established in this hobby with massive numbers of reptiles... Even if you were to convert their dollar to ours.. You will be paying a few more dollars then what they would be paying over there.

 

[Serpentes]

The was a guy called Adam Smith who came up with this idea called "the market forces of supply and demand". It explains the price of snakes in America. The exchange rate is not responsible, although it too obeys the market forces of supply and demand for the most part.

 

[beatlloydy]

I believe it is definitely the laws of supply and demand...you see those huge reptile breeders like Snakebytes, Prehistoric Pets etc in the states and you can understand how many thousands of reptiles are being pumped out.

From my viewing of this site (and I reckon I will get flamed for this) there are many established breeders here who are worried that a similar thing will happen in Australia. They are determined to keep a market share/price and seem to be somewhat against any new breeders coming into the market...I believe there is even a term for it... NBS (new breeders syndrome).

Personally I think that a lot of the morphs, albinos etc are still a fad in Australia and prices will come down but dont expect them to be dirt cheap..perhaps $1500 for an albino in a year or 2 would be acceptable..dont forget a lot of people invested a lot of money so if it starts coming down too much they may do hold backs etc

We still have a relatively small population base in Australia and of these there is a high percentage of Australians who have an intense dislike of reptiles particularly snakes.

Of perhaps 100 friends/aquaintances I know, only about 3 of these have any like for snakes....We seem to have a phobia about them in Australia built up about how we have the most deadly elapids etc. I dont think this will change anytime soon...so demand will still be high for the pythons but supply should match that. Probably the hardest time of the year is late winter/early spring when all the hatchings have been sold but there will be times of the year when prices may be cheaper than at other times.

I would expect the boutique market to halve in price but I think the general prices for the Anteresias etc to only come down about 20% and the basic python prices perhaps similar....RBB got a coastal for $75 the other day...that sounds pretty cheap!

(I have no evidence for any of the above....it is merely anecdotal..and acquired from reading various articles/forums etc...and everything above could just be total BS! )

 

[Chris1]

i think its awful how cheap they are in the states,..it makes it more expensive to take them to the vet than to get a replacement, making them disposable to a certain portion of the population

i think the price of snakes here is more than fair.

 

[jinin]

I know they are soo cheap! for a Kimberly Rock Monitor in the UK its: £300 i know that equals like $600AUD but if i saw one advertised for $600 i would take it straight away and im sure others would too. they sell for like $1200 over here, so abotu half price over in the UK.

 

[solar 17]

Cheap herps

I believe a fair percentage of their cheap reptiles is also due to their very liberal import laws from dare l say it third world countries where there are heaps of exotics of most species and countries like Australia where the dollar takes over from any export laws.....thats life....cheers solar 17 [Baden]

 

[redbellybite]

"RBB got a coastal for $75 the other day...that sounds pretty cheap! "...I got her a while ago ..just didnt put up any pics till she settled in well ..but the price was a total bargin ...I just watched the APS for sale sections...and if they are dropping in price as some do ..I stay watching to see ...and take that gamble wether I get in fast enough when an opportunity rises..I got very lucky ..as not only was she cheap ..looks like she is a cracker too ...not just in looks but her cruisy laid back personality...So there are some bargins if you look

But ..in saying so ..I can understand the concerns of being to 'cheap' ...as was said ...why would you get vet help ..if you could replace it for a 1/10 th of the price(not all think like that I know) ....We have seen very similair situations on here with some younger members ,who's parents obviously thinking they were doing the right thing in replacing or giving into the whiny whinge..without taking into account that maybe their kid was not quite ready to take on the responsibiliy of owning a reptile and providing all the needs ,not just some of the needs..

 

[Australis]

If people didn't have this dream of every yellow hatchling coastal being a hypo these days, all of them would be selling
for $75 each.

I believe a fair percentage of their cheap reptiles is also due to their very liberal import laws from dare l say it third world countries where there are heaps of exotics of most species and countries like Australia where the dollar takes over from any export laws.....thats life....cheers solar 17 [Baden]

I tend to agree with you baden.

 

[kidsheart]

you can get a green tree python in the states for $250. bit of a kick in the teeth when theyre native here and we pay 10 x the price.

 

[junglemac]

. also their dollar is worth more than ours

Not by far, at this time the dollar value are almost the same mate

 

[FAY]

Not by far, at this time the dollar value are almost the same mate

I could be wrong, but even though the dollar may be the same value as ours at times, I think you take into account wages as well.
Everything may seem a bit cheaper, but the wages aren't as good either.

 

[webcol]

I actually like paying heaps for them.
If you could get them that cheap all the time, well it would not be as appealing.
I think if everyone has collections of 50 reptiles then, nothing would be unique. Plus there would be so many people buying them without thinking.
And this way i get to buy one or 2 a year as a treat

 

[naledge]

I'd love to move overseas for the reptiles, not only the prices, even if I had to pay ten times as much to have an orange-eyed crocodile skink it would still be awesome.

 

[tonesanlainie]

I have heard stories ball pythons going for only a few dollars in the US. Go to some markets and there can be a tub of them going for as little as $3 each. This is here say, but not inconceivable for some outlets to be similar to selling goldfish. The bottom line is naturally supply and demand. I can see a sort of good thing out of all of this and that is (well in the US anyway) that it lessens the drive for the black market. As long as prices are high then illegal activity is profitable. Just another view point.

Cheers

 

[Bec137]

i also think its BS the kinda of reptiles they can keep as pets. i dont think there are any rules over breeds or quantity. they can see an iguana on the beach n go 'oh yeah that will look good in a tank' grab it n take it home! what the hell! not only is that stupid, but its cruel! have a look thru youtube for a guy calling himself crashartskills, he got a croc monitor - i think he got it for like 200 bucks! they are massive and vicious n he keeps it in a box shorter than its length! all his snakes he keeps in tiny plastic tubs with no room to move. and he buys lizards (eg nile monitors) that grow to massive lengths in bulk just coz they were going cheap. then chucks them in a tiny fishtank to live. its so cruel. there are lots of american videos on youtube that are similar.

if the high price of reptiles in australia can stop this sort of BS happening here, keep it high! there are many stupid keepers here that dont take anywhere near good enough care of their reptile here aswell. but when you can buy a 10ft lizard for $200, thats when the real trouble will start.

i think a lot of americans also but them when they are little and cute n when they get massive they dont want to or dont have the $ to accommodate them anymore, they let them loose or keep them confined in tiny enclosures.

i think the US needs laws more like we have here, well in SA at least, we can have one reptile without a permit, then any subsequent ones u need a permit and to have each one registered on it. and were no allowed to pull stuff out of the wild either, for good reason. its damn cruel!

i found a interesting article on this kind of stuff, ill see if i can find it.