American common pet reptile prices?

Kneedles

Songster
7 Years
Jul 22, 2014
256
111
206
Wellington, New Zealand
I was wondering if anyone here could tell me what the prices of Red-eared Sliders and Leopard Geckos are in North America, due to the fact that they are apparently common as pets there. Where I live, Red-eared Sliders usually cost $62-$70 USD, and the Leopard Gecko that I own cost $195 USD (which is apparently the standard price for them here). Do they cost less over there? Any information would be appreciated.
 
Leopard geckos are a pretty inexpensive pet here and I think last time I was in the pet store they were maybe $30-$40 a piece. Red eared sliders are fairly inexpensive as well, as they are super common and not a ton of people want to keep them as pets (or at least they keep them while they are small and cute and then get rid of them when they are older)
 
You're generic leopard gecko is rather inexpensive. But some of the more exotic morphs from a breeder will set you back quite a bit. Same with ball pythons, crested geckos, etc. the basic animal is usually less than $50. Red Eared Sliders are very common and cheap, which is bad for them, because people are stupid and put them in fish bowls and other inappropriate living spaces.

The expense isn't usually in the animal itself, either. Proper husbandry is not always cheap. But if people buy an animal for very little, they're often not motivated to care for the animal well. Too small of habitats, improper diet, etc. is a problem for a lot of reptiles. Just the shell problems alone from turtles not given UVB lighting *shudder*

And yea, a lot of American dump them when they get too big or too hard to take care of. A red eared slider that fits in a ten gallon tank is fine. A red eared slider that is 10 inches and needs a huge enclosure to be healthy is inconvenient. Iguanas are cute as babies, not so cute when they're huge, need a big home, and have some pretty wicked claws. Big snakes are also pretty cute when they're tiny, but most people cannot handle a Burmese when it gets large.
 
I can get a red eared slider for 15 bucks, and a leopard gecko for 30. I own both, and i agree with Stacykins, it is really bad for the red eared sliders. I have a pond and enclosure for mine, and rescue them from irresponsible people who think they can keep them in little tanks. there are about 7 happy red eared sliders on the pond right now :)
 

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