The concern that this raises for me is that if the poster hasn't got/isn't prepared to spend the money on getting an animal, how are they going to feed/house/heat the thing? Too many people seem to be trying to keep herps and exotics "on the cheap" I was in a shop a couple of days ago when a young woman came in and enquired about a corn snake. She was told what was required for the animal and th total cost and she replied with "Does it have to have all that?"
If you've invested a (sometimes substantial) sum of money in an animal, theres is an attached value which encourages you to look after its welfare. Free animals may not have this and there is an associated risk of them being dumped when the novelty wears off or a problem is encountered. How many people would consider spending again, sometimes large amounts of money on vets bills for an animal that didn't cost anything in the first place?
You can't do exotics on the cheap, something has to suffer and it's usually the animal.
Stuff the cheapskate cadgers!!!!!
