M
MrBredli
Guest
It's a pretty unfortunate situation in NSW where species such as Yellow-faced Whipsnakes, Golden-crowned Snakes, Swamp Snakes etc are extremely rare in captivity. In fact if you want to keep a venomous snake, it is quite likely you're first is going to be the dangerously venomous Reb-bellied Black Snake due to lack of alternatives. I personally feel that the herp community, and in particular persons interested in acquiring venomous species, would benefit greatly if a number of these snakes were taken from the wild and a captive breeding program was setup to supply those wanting to get into vens. All 3 species mentioned are extremely common. Perhaps taking 5-6 pairs of each would be all that is needed to give the numbers in captivity the much needed boost. This would have no impact whatsoever on numbers in the wild, especially if the person collecting puts a little thought into where he collects from. The only con i see is problems associated with feeding these species. Does anyone agree that this would be a good idea? It really seems common sense to me. Why are we forcing inexperienced keepers to take on Red-bellied Black's & Collett's as their first venomous elapid (even though they are quite easy to manage; they are both dangerously venomous)?