Reptile Keepers Have It Made

[Deadliestviper7]

Reptile keepers seem to have it so much easier than fishkeepers. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on huge acryclic tanks and stands strong enough to hold back tons of water, all a lizard keepers needs to make a monster tank is some two by fours, nails, some rusted up window screen, a sheet of plywood and some straightened out saran wrap or scrap glass for a viewing panel and they can have a one thousand "gallon" monster tank for $100 dollars or so. That also doesnt include the hours of water changes a week or the hundreds of dollars on enormous canister filters or water test kits. They also get to pickup and use right away any cracked aquarium on craigslist for whatever they want. Even the uv lighting or heat pads they need is cheaper than your average fluval light or tank heater. It is starting to seem like reptiles may be the more interesting way to go right now given the expenses. You also dont have to worry about tanks exploding one day and turning your living room into a swimming pool.

Get a display case from goodwill for 15 to 40 greenbacks and go wild making a multispecies terrarium (or even a paluadarium combine herps with fish!)

 

[Joshomaru]

So you think. You get a couple enclosures, a couple snakes of different sizes and you think you're set.
Then you have to feed them.
So, you buy your mice or rats from your local supplier. Maybe the snakes or lizards you bought won't eat frozen, so you have to buy live.
But then sometimes, they don't eat them. Then what do you do with the mouse or rat?
Then you set up an enclosure for them.
After a while you realize buying rats and mice is expensive. It's much cheaper to buy rat and mouse food. Aha!
Then you set up a breeding colony and you always have the size and numbers you need.
But, you know what? Breeding mice and rats sucks. Getting tired of fish tank maintenance? That's NOTHING compared to how much work rats and mice take, how much they stink, how freaking brutal mice really are.
At least fish tank maintenance is relaxing and doesn't smell like piss.
Just saying yo.

 

[esoxlucius]

My son has a snake. I don't even know what kind. All I do know is that it curls up in its little hide 99% of the time, comes out to eat a dead mouse every 2 weeks and now and again leaves a little present when it sheds its skin. That's it. Where the hell is the fun in that. Give me fish any day.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Here at least I'd say very much the opposite. Fish keepers have it FAR better. For reptiles the hardware might be cheaper. But the livestock is significantly more expensive. I can get a severum for $15-20, most any cichlid for the same kind of range, polypterus for $100.

Impots of reptiles are banned. There are only about a dozen exotic species in the country, most only kept in a few zoos. There are a handful of species available to be kept privately, bearded dragons, water dragons and a couple skink species. I did see baby chameleons for sale once for $5000. Apparently these turned out to be smuggled in so were all confiscated and destroyed. A blue tongue skink goes for $500-600. Water dragons and bearded dragons around the same.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

My son has a snake. I don't even know what kind. All I do know is that it curls up in its little hide 99% of the time, comes out to eat a dead mouse every 2 weeks and now and again leaves a little present when it sheds its skin. That's it. Where the hell is the fun in that. Give me fish any day.

Sounds like a ball python, they are shy, to shy in truth

 

[Gourami Swami]

Here at least I'd say very much the opposite. Fish keepers have it FAR better. For reptiles the hardware might be cheaper. But the livestock is significantly more expensive. I can get a severum for $15-20, most any cichlid for the same kind of range, polypterus for $100.

Impots of reptiles are banned. There are only about a dozen exotic species in the country, most only kept in a few zoos. There are a handful of species available to be kept privately, bearded dragons, water dragons and a couple skink species. I did see baby chameleons for sale once for $5000. Apparently these turned out to be smuggled in so were all confiscated and destroyed. A blue tongue skink goes for $500-600. Water dragons and bearded dragons around the same.

5-600 bearded dragons? Maybe if you buy rare designer morphs. Same could be done with fish, rare species or xanthic etc. morphs go for lots of money. The severum I would compare maybe to a common leopard gecko in rarity, and you can get a common baby leapord gecko cheap.

 

[twentyleagues]

5-600 bearded dragons? Maybe if you buy rare designer morphs. Same could be done with fish, rare species or xanthic etc. morphs go for lots of money. The severum I would compare maybe to a common leopard gecko in rarity, and you can get a common baby leapord gecko cheap.

He's in New zeeland. Here yes totally agree. Unless you are buying some rare or really uncommon fish or reptile they are fairly affordable mostly, we are lucky with the selection and cost.

 

[Gourami Swami]

He's in New zeeland. Here yes totally agree. Unless you are buying some rare or really uncommon fish or reptile they are fairly affordable mostly, we are lucky with the selection and cost.

missed that detail... so beardies are 500 bucks in NZ? jeez, remind me to smuggle some Petco beardies in next time I visit hah

 

[Seedy J]

I dunno man... every time I start getting interested in reptiles, I get scared away by some of the care requirements. Keep one side of their habitat consistently 10 degrees cooler than the other? Madness! Depending on what you keep, fish can be easy and affordable. I see 125-180 gallon tanks with stands on craigslist all the time for $300 or less. If you've got space for anything bigger than that, you're probably not too strapped for cash anyway .

 

[Matteus]

Get a display case from goodwill for 15 to 40 greenbacks and go wild making a multispecies terrarium (or even a paluadarium combine herps with fish!)

After I move I just may do this