The staff and management thought that this would be a good place to share with you our experience, thoughts and opinions on the latest developments in the hobby along with the goings on in our own shop. You are welcome to leave comments and ask questions we’ll try to keep the blog ‘on topic’ and we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Captive Farmed or Captive Bred?
You may see the acronyms 'CB' or 'CF' used to describe the origins of a species offered for sale. CB means Captive Bred and CF means Captive Farmed. Captive Bred refers generally to any animal that was conceived and born in captivity. Captive Farmed to an animal born in captivity but normally conceived in the wild from wild parents. Typical examples are the numerous Royal Pythons that we see around April every year. These newborn Pythons are hatched from eggs laid in the wild. Experienced trappers in West Africa seek out the burrows used by Royal Python females to lay and incubate their eggs in. Once a burrow is found the trappers dig out the adult female snake with her eggs, keep the eggs and re-release the female. The eggs are artificially incubated and the hatchlings packaged and shipped to Europe, Asia and the US. This practice is also known as 'Ranching' and is fairly well controlled by the local and national authorities and 10% of the hatchlings are re-released back into the wild. It is thought that the Royal Pythons 'ranched' under this process are collected on cultivated land where the number of human associated rodents is comparatively high. The Pythons have thrived in this artificial environment and have become particularly numerous around the oil palm plantations of tropical West Africa when compared to the numbers in virgin forests.
The Royal Python ranching has set a trend for many more species in other countries. Green Tree Pythons from Indonesia, Red Footed Tortoises from Guyana, Iguanas from Central America and Sulcata Tortoises from Mali to name but a few. But just how many of these are truly ranched or captive hatched? Where is the evidence to prove that there is little or no impact on the wild populations? How can we be sure the hatchlings from these other operations are going to be free from disease and parasites? As always it is 'Buyer Beware'. Get as much information as you can on the animal you are going to buy. Check to see if the breeder, store or dealer will offer you a guarantee. Check to see if there are CB alternatives to CF and compare prices and quality. Captive Farmed or Ranched animals should ensure a steady supply of disease-free, healthy animals for the exotic pet trade with minimal or no impact on wild populations. If monitored and managed properly the trend is set to grow and we could see the number of species offered increase dramatically over the next few years.

As always your comments are welcomed........