Expensive garters

[ConcinusMan]

... the local ones here (California) are legally out of the question for me...

Not necessarily. It's not at all against state law for you to collect and keep several native garter snake species (there is of course, a bag limit). You just can't breed, buy, sell, or import them from elsewhere. The only exception to that is certain counties or cities may prohibit it (collecting and keeping native garter snakes) even though state law allows it. For example, San Diego county does not allow keeping or collecting native reptiles at all.

I asked them directly, asked the right questions, and got the correct and updated info on that just recently: Reptile Regulations by State - Caresheets

[RedSidedSPR]

I was shocked by the price of an albino scott has. $500. Plus shipping. Ouch. But I guess it's different when it's albino? Since they're "special?"

[RedSidedSPR]

I just saw a lavender albino python for $45,000 friggin' dollars. I know that's not a garter, but WOW!!

[ConcinusMan]

I was shocked by the price of an albino scott has. $500. Plus shipping. Ouch. But I guess it's different when it's albino? Since they're "special?"

No, they are somehow magically worth more because of where they come from. Before everyone gets upset, I'm only joking. Kind of.

I don't really even know what $500 snake you're talking about.

[Stefan-A]

Supply and demand. That's still what determines the price.

[ConcinusMan]

You would think so, but I've seen prices not follow that rule before. Do you think for one minute if Scott dropped the price of say, iowa albinos to $50 regardless of supply, that everyone wouldn't do so as well? Personally, I'm struggling with trying to figure out why they are still "up there" in price but then I go to his website and there's my answer.

Now don't go all mad on me and think I'm bashing Scott, I'm not dangit.

[RedSidedSPR]

I don't really even know what $500 snake you're talking about.

Here's a couple of $400-500+ (i get the feeling you don't believe me...)
Scott Felzer's Garter Snakes, specializing in aberrant garters
Scott Felzer's Garter Snakes, specializing in aberrant garters
Scott Felzer's Garter Snakes, specializing in aberrant garters

And here's the $45,000 ball python, just for the heck of it.
Most Expensive Snakes

[RicMartin]

The way to make them more affordable is to buy them (if you care enough about the project) and produce more of them.
As long as they're rare they will remain expensive. As long as they are expensive most people won't have them, and they'll remain rare.

I have no interest in "investment pythons", but compared to the trash bankers are peddling these days, those guys may (just almost may) not be all that crazy. Breeding numbers of any animals do compound geometrically (& devaluate likewise, so it's a wax on, wax off, silly wabbit thing, IMHO)
If four or five of us started breeding paradox garters we'd see them soon come down to around $100 which I think is a good price for a common cb snake of any kind. I've never felt I was overpaying for a garter or milk morph, it takes work to find them & breed them, I feel work should be compensated.

[ConcinusMan]

Here's a couple of $400-500+ (i get the feeling you don't believe me...)
Scott Felzer's Garter Snakes, specializing in aberrant garters
Scott Felzer's Garter Snakes, specializing in aberrant garters
Scott Felzer's Garter Snakes, specializing in aberrant garters

And here's the $45,000 ball python, just for the heck of it.
Most Expensive Snakes

Oh, I believed you, I just didn't know what albinos you were talking about. And $45,000 for a ball python isn't even close to high end. I've seen some for $250,000 before. Don't even get me started on retics.

The albinos that Scott is charging those prices for, aren't all that easy to produce. It's not just as simple as producing more. Erythristic albinos for example are combo morphs. You can breed two snakes with the right genes, but to get them to come together just right in any one snake in the litter, the odds are very slim. And as far as albino flames go, it's a similar situation. Even when you do beat the odds and get an albino flame, their color always varies. To get very intense colored flames that are also albino... again, low odds even if you breed the right snakes, very few will be "high end". It's not like other albinos such as iowas or nebraskas. Your litter either has them, or it doesn't, and they are easy to produce. Not so with the expensive albinos you listed there.

[snakeman]

Oh, I believed you, I just didn't know what albinos you were talking about. And $45,000 for a ball python isn't even close to high end. I've seen some for $250,000 before. Don't even get me started on retics.

The albinos that Scott is charging those prices for, aren't all that easy to produce. It's not just as simple as producing more. Erythristic albinos for example are combo morphs. You can breed two snakes with the right genes, but to get them to come together just right in any one snake in the litter, the odds are very slim. And as far as albino flames go, it's a similar situation. Even when you do beat the odds and get an albino flame, their color always varies. To get very intense colored flames that are also albino... again, low odds even if you breed the right snakes, very few will be "high end". It's not like other albinos such as iowas or nebraskas. Your litter either has them, or it doesn't, and they are easy to produce. Not so with the expensive albinos you listed there.

Out of about 50 babies I got I got 5 really nice albino flames.Yes, They are hard to produce.Albino erythristics are even harder.