Re: Whats your dream snake
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Snagrio
I've never seen blue racers for sale anywhere, and even if I did I'd have to be wary that they aren't wild-caught because they happen to be native in my state (i.e. potential trouble with the law if I got one that wasn't captive bred). Indeed, I've never seen one in the wild either nor, ironically, the state snake itself, the closely related black racer.
Another option would be the gorgeous Puget Sound locality garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii). I mean, just look at this.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...e3b6deffb0.jpg
It has a similar problem though in that I don't know of any breeders. Have come across one guy who works with them but he's in the Netherlands, and I'd rather not deal with the expense and hassle of international shipping (if that would even be possible in the first place). Not to mention I'd like to have a second snake be big enough to take any of my BP's potential refusals down the road, which I don't think a BR and certainly no garter would be able to handle.
All in all, the VBB fits everything in my criteria perfectly. Blue, different personality/behavior from the species I already have, more of a challenge in size and temperament without going overboard and eventually gets big enough as an adult to handle garbage disposal duties if needed with an appetite to match. And not only are they not too difficult to find, but there's a renowned breeder of several beauty snake species including blues right in my general area that attends a monthly reptile show in said area.
I take your points- better to avoid confusion with local species & their regulations, & I don't think they're easy to find "c/b" either- not many people are that into racers, for one thing. I can remember seeing a blue racer when I was a kid though, in the wild, & it was amazing! Not to mention, FAST.
That garter snake is amazing- too bad they're hard to come by too. Importing one from the Netherlands is probably not do-able either. I guess you've narrowed it down pretty well to the VBB- & there's nothing wrong with that choice anyway. :gj:
