Why I don't trust the majority of reptile and amphibian breeders
Okay so i will probably be crying into the void with this one but for all reptile owners for the love of god do not trust most of the breeders in this community.
Reptiles (and amphibians) like all other animals need sunlight in the form of UVB and calcium supplements since you cannot 100% mimic their natural diet.
This is coming from someone who was told that pacman frogs do not need UVB by breeders in the community as I thought I could trust their word and I was unfortunately wrong. And anybody who is breeding these animals, please let people know that they will need supplements in their diet and UVB lighting. I understand that I need to do my own research (and I did for all my animals), but here's the thing, when a breeder (someone who raises these animals) tells you you don't need it, you can understand why the buyer will trust them, especially when they are first starting out.
Do not brush off your buyers and assume they know everything; tell them about your animal, what they need, and what your regular routine was with this animal. I don't care if you think "reptiles and amphibians are dumb" they are not. Every creature on this planet has some level of thought process.
Any animal who will see the sun, regardless if that is under a leaf or a log, needs UVB. Do not listen to anyone who says that corn snakes or ball pythons do not need UVB. It will save you from the chance of getting metabolic bone disease in your pets.
Not only that, rack systems have done a detriment to the mental development of these animals. I bought a female hognose about 2-3 years old who's about 2 feet in length. She was rack raised up until being sold. She is terrified of people to such a degree she refuses to be tong fed or have her food out on a plate like how some other owners do it, and refuses to eat in tanks larger than a 10 gallon because she probably thinks she has a lack of control over her environment. No joke, she would rather live in a shoebox.
I took her to the vet and nothing was wrong with her or my husbandry. The only way I can get her to eat is live as long as I am not present for the feeding. I am trying to rectify this issue with regular handling in hopes that she won't be scared of me anymore and I can frozen/thawed feed her.
That being said, any animal should have a diverse diet with the world they live in mimicking their natural life to the best of their ability.
There are other reasons as to why I don't trust most breeders in this community. I am reluctant to go to large reptile expos anymore since the breeders there appear to overbreed their ball pythons, crowd their animals (especially invertebrates), or are literally just there to make a buck. Most breeders keep these animals in racks where they have no concept of the sun, soil, plants, etc. Most animals I have gotten from expos or from breeders turn out to later have health or behavioral issues. Meanwhile, all the animals I adopted seem to be fine in both regards, but do have lingering issues from their original breeders.
ex. I adopted my ball python from a family who couldn't have him anymore. He had no UVA or UVB and a single hide with nothing else in the tank besides a water dish. His breeder raised him on live food. According to his original owner, he never came out, even during the night. Fortunately, I was able to get him to eat frozen thawed, and I see him come out frequently during the night or at least once a night.
But yeah, you can see why I do not trust expo vendors or people who breed these animals. They do not tell you the whole deal or raise these animals in horrible conditions that affect them later down the line. Not only do your research about the animal, but do your research about the breeder.
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