Dart breeders and frog farms

I have a question.

Why can't some of the larger more experienced dart breeders (not reptile wholesalers/disrtibuters etc.) get together and purchase a group of darts, like Pumilio, from a frog farm at wholesale prices? They could then divide the frogs up between them, properly care for them from the start and set up breeding programs. The benefits are obvious.

just curious

[dpotter1]

They could by the whole shipment and divide them up easily. BUT they would have to put alot of money on the line, with no guarantee of the animals ever making it into the country alive. Any good businessman would have to have ALOT of capital and other things to try something like that. There is a great opportunity to make money but a larger opportunity to lose money.

Doug

Their are a lot of variables, but it seems to me it could be just as or less expensive than buying them from a place like Seaside after they have marked them up. It's a risk sure, but no more risky than buying X amount of farm raised darts from a U.S. distributer after the mark-up.
Buy directly from the the source, bypass the middle man and save some cash one way or the other. And it would be better for the dart's to be placed directly into the hands of experienced breeders.

Just a thought and I'm probably way off base. But I have seen co-op purchases in the past and I thought it could apply here....

[chuckpowell]

There are tons of problems. First finding someone to sell the frogs at a good price. With the popularity of Dendrobatid frogs even the wholesale price has gone out of sight. Then you have to arrange for CITES and export permits - not easily done and nearly impossible from the US. You have to have someone who wants to waste at least a week and alot of money running around trying to get the permits. Then packing and export. Face it our frogs are not a big deal to most exporters. Much easier to work with large snakes that catch the occasional rat and can be mistreated for a month and is still worth selling. All the "ranches/farms" that exist and have exported to this point are little more than holding stations for wc frogs. Then importantion - stress the crap out of the frogs and how many survive in the base of circumstances? Much less with low paid shippers, inspectors, etc., etc., etc. Then you finally get them into the hands of someone who can do something with them - no, to many people out there with more money than experience. It might happen, but the odds are against it. And even if they do come in how many will make it into the hands of someone who has the experience to do something with them?

Chuck