Atomic Geckos
New member
basicaly i cant see buying the same gecko for 80 bucks when i can get WC for 20 each what is your opions ?
wild vs captive normals
- Thread starter Atomic Geckos
- Start date
Generally you get what you pay for. In my opinion:
Pros:
they can be cheaper
there could be some interesting mutations that crop up in WC
new bloodlines
Cons:
more likely that they are not as healthy and mortality rate probably greater
probably more chance of having regenerated tails (if you care)
ethical issues of taking animals from the wild when there are plenty available CB
Aliza
Pros:
they can be cheaper
there could be some interesting mutations that crop up in WC
new bloodlines
Cons:
more likely that they are not as healthy and mortality rate probably greater
probably more chance of having regenerated tails (if you care)
ethical issues of taking animals from the wild when there are plenty available CB
Aliza
How would you feel if you were to be plucked from your home, sent to a completely different continent, and then sold on as cheaply as a case of beer and a packet of cigarettes? Im not criticising I just dont believe that we should support wc collectors when they can be obtainable fairly easily cb in our own countries.
Atomic Geckos
New member
Ok but we're did them cbb come from ? All captive came from wild so basically if there was no ex we would be Australia
librarychick
New member
Yes, the parents had to (at some point) be wild geckos...but there are more than enough fatties in captivity now to cover the need. Why would you support someone who (most likely illegally, knowing what that trade is like) captured geckos from the wild - who may have goodness only know WHAT diseases - and bring them into your collection because of a $40 difference?!
And in any case, if that $40 is such a huge financial burden then you shouldn't purchase a gecko which will need an immediate vet check and likely treatment for parasites at a minimum.
I can, sorta kinda, see a large scale breeder choosing to support a legal business that captures the odd mutation that's found in the wild. But TBH I would have serious qualms about buying a gecko from anyone I know thought a measly $40 was worth more than having a healthy happy gecko that wasn't forcibly taken from it's natural habitat.
Just my opinion.
And in any case, if that $40 is such a huge financial burden then you shouldn't purchase a gecko which will need an immediate vet check and likely treatment for parasites at a minimum.
I can, sorta kinda, see a large scale breeder choosing to support a legal business that captures the odd mutation that's found in the wild. But TBH I would have serious qualms about buying a gecko from anyone I know thought a measly $40 was worth more than having a healthy happy gecko that wasn't forcibly taken from it's natural habitat.
Just my opinion.
Saskia
New member
I must agree, I would never buy a WC animal from a species that is SO widely bred in captivity, I understand that all species come from the wild, but to continue stealing wild anmals eventually hits the wild population´s numbers, while breeding them in captivity means healthier, happier, calmer animals, and is totally true that all WC animals need deworming and larger quarantines and vet appointments, IF you choose to be a responsible owner, so, so much for the bucks saved buying a cheaper animal
Olimpia
New member
You may be saving $40, but you'll quickly spend that on fecal exams, a vet visit, and a dewormer. So you'll end up spending more on WC animals in the span of a month or two than you would have by just purchasing a CB animal. Also, with how WC animals are treated there's no guarantee that they will come in healthy or in good shape and acclimating them can be tricky sometimes.
Olimpia
New member
Just for reference I looked through my records to get you the exact cost of treating a WC animal for parasites. (My vet's prices are fairly reasonable, other vets charge $50-60+ for an exotic exam fee)
Exotic fecal - $22
Exotic exam - $44
Panacur suspension - $8.60
Exotic fecal - $22
Panacur suspension - $8.60
Exotic fecal - $22
Total cost for one $40 WC gecko: $167.20
I'm not suggesting that a CB gecko will never have parasites, because they probably will at some point of their lives, but because they're generally healthy when you get them from a good breeder a parasite load isn't going to be an immediate threat to their health. A WC, on the other hand, may just have spent weeks in cramped conditions, with high stress, little food and water, poor proper heating/humidity, and this means that parasites have ample opportunity to over-power the immune system and potentially cause death. And parasites aside, just the experience of importation can cause death for all the reasons I mentioned.
So it's worth spending the extra cash and buying a healthy, hardy CB gecko when you can for lots of reasons
Exotic fecal - $22
Exotic exam - $44
Panacur suspension - $8.60
Exotic fecal - $22
Panacur suspension - $8.60
Exotic fecal - $22
Total cost for one $40 WC gecko: $167.20
I'm not suggesting that a CB gecko will never have parasites, because they probably will at some point of their lives, but because they're generally healthy when you get them from a good breeder a parasite load isn't going to be an immediate threat to their health. A WC, on the other hand, may just have spent weeks in cramped conditions, with high stress, little food and water, poor proper heating/humidity, and this means that parasites have ample opportunity to over-power the immune system and potentially cause death. And parasites aside, just the experience of importation can cause death for all the reasons I mentioned.
So it's worth spending the extra cash and buying a healthy, hardy CB gecko when you can for lots of reasons
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