WC vs CB

[Stefan-A]

Stephan, I respectfully disagree with your statement that WC will be mistreated because it's a "cheap pet". I do not think price has anything do do with neglect. People will pay $1500 for a chiwiniepoodoodle (whatever) designer breed dog, then dump it in a shelter once they get tired of it. People will spend hundreds of dollars on an exotic reptile and a complete set up, and then their "pet" will slowly starve to death because they only remember to feed it once a month. When it eventually dies, they will shrug and say "Oh well, it was just a lizard, I can replace it." At any rate, a typical garter only runs $10-$20, and compared to other reptiles their set up is pretty low-cost and low-maintenance. It's a cheap pet weather you buy it or catch it. It's all down to the owners belief/attitude about pet care.

Hate to disappoint those who speculated that I meant the collectors. Those were covered by the first two points, but not the third. I do mean the people who end up keeping them as pets.

Yes, people who invest large amounts of money in an animal may well neglect or dump it. They're not the rule, though. Yes, people who catch wild snakes may take outstanding care of them, we have people here on the forum who do exactly that. They are not the average owner of a WC animal, they're the absolute cream of the crop. The average owner is the kind who found an animal crawling across the driveway and decided to toss it in a bucket with some grass and twigs and keep it until it's dead he's bored. If it's lucky, someone will toss in something completely inappropriate "to eat". The average owner of a WC is the kind of guy who picks up a "northern garter" from a tub of 10 (out of 100 originally caught) at the local pet store, brings it home and tosses it into an aquarium with some sand in it and some crickets to eat, from which it either escapes on day 1 and dies, or it just dies. Sometimes, the parents just let it go when the kid gets bored with it. Did I mention that the typical owner of a WC animal is just a kid? It does not occur to most people to find out how to properly care for an animal before buying it, or to question what pet stores tell them about the animals that are sold, or to look up more detailed information about their care online. Yes, these are things that may happen with CBB animals as well, but when you have nothing invested in something that can be easily replaced at virtually no cost, people don't bother taking care of it. It doesn't matter if it's an animal or something else; cheap stuff is treated as if it's disposable.

[infernalis]

It does not occur to most people to find out how to properly care for an animal before buying it, or to question what pet stores tell them about the animals that are sold, or to look up more detailed information about their care online. Yes, these are things that may happen with CBB animals as well, but when you have nothing invested in something that can be easily replaced at virtually no cost, people don't bother taking care of it. It doesn't matter if it's an animal or something else; cheap stuff is treated as if it's disposable.

this statement right here, so true it hurts, and with many different species of animals.

Not so long ago, Iguanas were given away as prizes at carnivals, Free lizards that NEED highly specialized care.

Savannah & Nile Monitors are sold for as little as $10 up front, yet they require very large, expensive caging that they never get.

Smooth Green and Rough green snakes commonly sold for $10 or less never last very long at all once sold.

To me, it's ALL legalized poaching and nothing more.