Sunshine State Exotics » Reptiles

Captive Bred Ball Pythons and Red Tail Boas

Larry — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:00:17 +0000

Welcome to Sunshine State Exotics! We are located just outside Tampa, FL. and specialize in high quality Captive Bred Ball Pythons and Red Tail Boas. Please take a look around and check back often as we are continuously updating our available pages and website. If you happen to see an available animal that you are interested in, please contact us via email or by phone.

We at Sunshine State Exotics would love to assist you in placing a quality ball python or red tail boa into your collection. We can discuss a payment plan that will fit into your budget.

Whether you’re searching for a pet or investment animal, our goal is to provide you with the best quality animal on the market coupled with excellent customer service and support. We are here to assist you before, during and after your purchase. We strive for 100% Customer Satisfaction and Excellence!

Make sure to check out our News and Articles page. Here you’ll learn what’s going on with our ball python’s and red tail boa’s. We also post important reptile industry news, articles on animal husbandry, and tricks to help you with your animals. You can also find us on Facebook and see our videos on YouTube.

Thank You!

Larry Petty

No pythons captured during six-week hunt

Larry — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:39:47 +0000

More evidence that a bitter winter took a big bite out of Burmese pythons and other exotic invaders: Florida wildlife managers ended a six-week hunt on state lands bordering the Everglades without a single snake captured.

Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimate the cold snap killed about half the snakes and could cut into breeding.

Beginning Aug. 28, licensed hunters with the proper permits will have another shot at Burmese pythons and seven other reptiles of concern on state-managed lands. For more information about hunting seasons and regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Hunting.

Read Original Article

Proof Florida Burmese Not The Fault of Lazy Pet Owners!

Larry — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:10:39 +0000

Here is a post made by Harlin Wall from WALL TO WALL REPTILES explaining how the Burmese Python was introduced into the Florida Everglades. The media, extremist groups, and others put blame on irresponsible pet owners. Too bad they don’t report the facts!

The interesting thing about the Florida Problem…

There is a Burmese Python population in the Everglades…(at least there still was until before this last winter)….but we have solid evidence, based on country-of-origin import records and DNA samples, which disproves the theory of “irresponsible pet owners” releasing these snakes into the Everglades.
The feral population of Burmese Pythons was a product of hurricane Andrew. It was NOT caused by careless keepers.
Yet the media continues to chant that tired, old (false) mantra.
The general public needs to know the facts.

Another interesting study was conducted by prominent a Herpetologist and Professor at CU, Dr. David Chizar. In 1995 I listened to Dr. Chizar’s presentation of this study, while attending the International Herpetological Symposium.

This study looked at the feasibility of re-introducing captive bred “head started” Aruba Island Rattlesnakes (C. unicolor) to their NATIVE habitat, within an area set aside as a wildlife reserve.

They ran into some interesting data.
Comparing the “head started” captive bred snakes with wild snakes they found that the “head started” snakes essentially had “imprinting” problems. They would not be suited to survive in wild. These “head started” snakes lacked the skills needed to survive in their natural environment.

Wild Caught snakes reacted correctly to stimuli:
They sought refuge of heavy piles of rock or similar shelter when faced with a potential predator. (Such as a human or a dog.)

“Head Started” snakes would often associate humans with food….as they were used to receiving feedings from humans.
Inside the cage they would often witness the “head-started” c.b. snakes rubbing their faces on the glass in anticipation of feeding when these snakes saw humans…..or even when they saw Dr.Chizar’s dog!
(Chizar often had his dog in the lab during the evening feeding sessions….and the snakes would associate human or canine presence with the offering of food items.)

I have also witnessed this face-on-the-glass-rubbing in several species of snakes including Elapids, Pythons, Boas, several Colubrid species and also Crotalus species. We often refer to this activity as “begging”.

Wild snakes were able to effectively track their prey items after the bite.
C.B. head-started snakes performed very poorly at this task. They often failed altogether.

Dr. Chizar did a tongue flicks per minute study while the snakes were tracking their prey items.
The wild caught snakes scored off the chart…and rarely if ever got off course while tracking.
The “head-started” snakes scored poorly with low tongue flicks per minute and often got off track….sometimes they were unable to complete the task.

Head-Started snakes have a greater chance of being introduced to (and infected with) fatal reptilian diseases, while in captivity. This further diminishes their chances of surviving in the wild after re-introduction. It also opens more possibilities of spreading diseases to the wild populations.

One cannot help but draw similarities in the data this study revealed to a similar “Recovery Project” which was aimed at the re-introduction of Thick Billed Parrots to Arizona back in the early 80‘s.
Adult birds were selected as the best possible breeding stock… from some of the nations top bird breeders….this was also to provide genetic diversity within the new population of “recovery subjects”.
The birds were banded and tracked.
Every single bird died. The project was an epic failure.
These birds lacked the essential skills needed to thrive in the wild. They were dependent on humans for skills that they were not able to learn from their avian parents. They could not contend with natural predators of the wild.

The vast majority of Burmese Pythons in captivity… were hatched in captivity.
These Pet Burmese Pythons do not have the skills needed to survive in the wild. Escaped pet Burmese Pythons….or even Burmese Pythons “purportedly released” would be lucky to survive past the one year mark, outside of the captive environment.

The Burmese Pythons which inhabit the Everglades National Park
were introduced as hatchling imports. A group of 900 babies that were not yet imprinted to human care or captive conditions.
During Hurricane Andrew these snakes escaped because of the destruction of a wholesale facility near the Everglades National Park. It was the result of a natural disaster which introduced these snakes to the Everglades….It was not the act of irresponsible pet owners or reptile keepers.

So….lets do a little rough math here.
Statistically speaking, 1 Out of 100 hatchling snakes will survive natural predation, human interaction, disease etc. to mature as a breeding adult.
This 1/100th reduction in population leaves you with an animal that has gained a lifetime of the necessary skills for survival in the wild.

Out of 900 snakes that would leave us with 9 surviving adults.
But lets be reasonable here…give them a bonus…lets say that 12 Burmese Pythons out of that group of 900 survive to reach adult breeder age/size.
Now, figure that half of them are males and half are females.
That leaves us with 6 breeder Female Burmese Pythons to start our Everglades Feral Colony.

Above “rough math” is just hypothetical….
Want to know the facts?

Using DNA samples researchers were able to trace the Everglades population back to 5 founding females…all of them were of Vietnam origin.
Import documents reflect that the “Hurricane Andrew 900 Hatchling Burmese”….originated from…you guessed it….. Vietnam.

These introduced snakes were not the result of careless pet owners…they were introduced because of a natural disaster.

Animal Rights Extremists love to perpetuate (and encourage the Media to perpetuate) this finger pointing blame game.
They point to animal keepers as the problem… basically labeling reptile keepers as irresponsible and careless slobs.
This is both unjust and untrue.
As the Media continues to chant the Animal Extremist Mantra, irresponsible, uninformed politicians draft new bills that essentially punish a Nation of people for a relatively minor problem that only exists in the Southern TIP of ONE STATE. A problem that our natural climatic patterns almost solved this last winter! It is a problem that pet owners, business owners and hobbyists did not cause.

I encourage everyone to stand up and be counted.
Follow the USARK guidelines and submit your public comment.
Let other people know what is really happening.
Encourage others to help protect the rights we currently have.

READ ORIGINAL POST HERE

In Response to the Recent HSUS Email Campaign

Larry — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:32:03 +0000

Mike Lynch from Boa Tails makes an excellent response to the recent HSUS email campaign. It is long, but a worthwhile read. Mike does a nice job explaining and rebutting statements made by HSUS:

I haven’t made any updates to the site since the beginning of March. This is due to being tied up with work. …What time I have on the computer has been almost entirely work related. Well, the HSUS recently did something that brought me out of hiding – as it were. They started a letter/e-mail campaign regarding how large constrictors are dangerous, and should be listed as injurious. To anyone familiar with the HSUS this comes as no surprise since they are out to systematically remove all animals from the pet industry, and have already made steps with that regard by successfully banning the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores in the state of California.

Read full article here: In Response to the Recent HSUS Email Campaign

Sunshine State Exotics on YouTube

Larry — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:03:50 +0000

I would like to invite everyone to subscribe to our YouTube page. My son manages the content and has some pretty cool videos. Soon we will be loading many more. I like to post videos of our available and breeder ball pythons and red tail boas. We also post videos of our reptile collection, pets, and general fun times. So come check us out!

AvidHerpers.com – A New Reptile Forum

Larry — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:27:58 +0000

Have you been to AvidHerpers.com yet? It has a reptile forum and a nice classifieds section. I don’t know if it will change in the future, but the classifieds are free. Once more people learn about this site, I think the classifieds section will be a great way for reptile enthusiasts to buy and sell their animals.

The forums are a great place to discuss or showoff your ball pythons, boa constrictors, and other reptiles. It is still a relatively new forum, so the traffic is low. Once the word gets out, I am sure it will be hopping.

So head over and join AvidHerpers.com!

What are those numbers?

Larry — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:23:12 +0000

Have you ever visited a website and wondered why people put numbers in front of an animal name or species? Well, those numbers tell the sex of the animal.

For example:

1.0 Albino Boa = one male boa

0.2 Bearded Dragons = two female dragons

0.0.1 Ball Python = one ball python sex unknown

3.2.1 Leopard Geckos = three male, two female, one sex unknown

Sunshine State Exotics » Reptiles

Captive Bred Ball Pythons and Red Tail Boas

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No pythons captured during six-week hunt

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Proof Florida Burmese Not The Fault of Lazy Pet Owners!

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In Response to the Recent HSUS Email Campaign

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Sunshine State Exotics on YouTube

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AvidHerpers.com – A New Reptile Forum

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What are those numbers?

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