Healthy commerce is intimately tied into community size. The bigger the community the more money flows and the more we are catered to. But that is community size. For this last pillar, I want to focus on healthy commerce within our specialty or umbrella reptile community. These are the reptile breeders, the specialty accessory makers, the feeder insect breeders, and yes, the chameleon cage makers. When you spend money within our community it bounces around inside our community. I can tell you that when you buy a Dragon Strand cage, that money then goes to panther chameleon breeders for the subjects of my panther chameleon educational project. It goes to feeder companies supporting our community. It comes right back around and lets me do this podcast and video channel and the educational resources on the Chameleon Academy website. If you purchase what you need from someone in the reptile community then money stays within our community and strengthens numerous others in our community.  Because where do reptile people spend their money? With other reptile people and reptile focused companies! 

Healthy commerce is also an important component to keeping experienced people in our community. Money is a sensitive subject. But it is highly relevant to the conversation of how we keep experienced people in the community long term. Money is why you have a roof over your head and internet to listen to this podcast. It is why you can create a slice of Madagascar in your living room. And one way to make sure people stay in the reptile community is to encourage money to be made within the community. If someone loves reptiles enough to put 10, 20, 30+ years into keeping and breeding then how much more do you think they will be dedicated to staying an active part of the community if that passion for reptiles helps to put that roof over their heads?

Here is where we shoot ourselves in the foot. We self-righteously bristle whenever someone is making money off chameleons. Have you ever heard the phrase, “well, they are only in it for the money” whenever someone doesn’t get their way? Have a seat for what I am about to say next. Making money, meaning profit, is what makes a viable business. If you are giving away panther chameleons or charging less than it takes to run a breeding operation you are running a charity and your payment is in the community patting you on the back and saying you are such a great person for you giving up of your money so they can keep theirs. Because, in reality, people say “this breeder is only in it because of the money” usually because they themselves what to hold on to money because, you guessed it, they only care about money. It is amazing how many self-righteous statements are simply mirrors. I am harping on this because successful business is a community builder. It is what encourages people to stay in a community long term. How many of those people you know of that are still active in the community after ten years are breeders or have some other thing they sell? Quit a few. Obviously, not all, but I suspect you will find that a large number of 10+ year people who are active on a day to day basis adding to the community have a business tie. Can you guess why this is? It is because the reptile community, like any other animal, or craft, or other community that is composed of human beings, is a rough place to be. Fighting, drama, and back stabbing, oh my. People who stick around need a reason to stick around.

And I am not saying everyone gets out of reptiles if they don’t make money! What I am saying is that they fade away from active community involvement and stick to their own quiet, non-drama friends. So why does it matter? Why am I taking you down this winding path? It is because we need to have a healthy concept of money as to how it relates to building a healthy community. People who make money from a community stay in the community because they can justify the time they spend to learn and gain experience. So, maybe an example is in order. And we can make this a personal example. I will talk about me. Why do I do what I do?

I am involved in chameleon education because I love it. I have a passion researching all aspects of chameleon husbandry. And I have a special passion in taking those concepts and finding ways to present them so they are understandable. I love teaching. But there is a financial cost to writing and producing these podcasts, videos, and maintaining care summaries, hand outs, and a website with 259 pages and posts filled with the latest in chameleon information. And, yes, I have to update it on a regular basis to keep it current. That is an enormous amount of work. There is a direct financial outlay and there is a very real opportunity cost. That means there is a cost I pay by choosing to do this with my time instead of something that makes more money. And we make these decisions all the time. A breeder that houses veiled chameleons instead of higher priced panther chameleons is paying an opportunity cost of several hundred dollars per baby. A person spending 8 hours a day breeding chameleons and finds out they are making less than minimum wage per hour is paying an opportunity cost by choosing what they enjoy instead of what makes more money. A person working with chameleons when they have the option to work at a more lucrative job is paying an opportunity cost.

So fine, we got the basic business concept. But why does everything have to be a business and make money? Can’t I do something for fun? Of course. There is no reason for turning everything into a business. In fact, that is the fastest way for it to no longer be enjoyable! What I am getting at, though, is that the majority of people who stick around do have at least some profit from the community. And that, in a way is both an incentive and a trap. If you have a community business then you leaving the community is leaving your business. And if that business truly contributes to the bottom line then you are getting enough benefit to weather a substantial level of social media chaos and craziness. People that have nothing going to the bottom line from the chameleon community tend to take long breaks on a regular occasion the more experienced they become. The point of all of this is not to say you need to develop a chameleon related business, but I am encouraging you to actively support business by chameleon community members. Supporting businesses founded and run by active members of the reptile community is the single best way to make sure we have the right products and technology moves ahead

And, for goodness sake, don’t sabotage community member businesses because of petty social media fights.

This doesn’t mean that you have to pay more because someone in the community sells a more expensive product. Find the right product and right price. But one thing you can do to strengthen our community is to 1) actively support community businesses or, 2) if you just can’t stand the person, simply do not actively sabotage community members. I get it. Not everyone gets along. I have my handful of people I want to have nothing to do with. I don’t think there is anyone that doesn’t have a list of people they just avoid. But if they have a business within the reptile community I will support them, even if that support means I will keep silent when I could hurt their business with a snide comment on social media. A small side business is a very real way that experienced community members have a justification for being actively involved in community building. And that is a good and positive dynamic for us all.

And consider our responsibility surrounding where we spend our money. We literally create the community we pay for. Our disgust for inhumane treatment of herps and invertebrates is mere background noise until we speak with our wallet. We must encourage and enthusiastically support companies that are vocal about quality reptile care. We must acknowledge that our community’s past, and, unfortunately, present has reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates treated as throw away toys. It is our responsibility and mission to educate the buying community that this is not acceptable.

…we need to have a healthy concept of money as to how it relates to building a healthy community…

It costs money to properly take care of and breed reptiles. Do you want a community that has four to six month old captive born Jackson’s Chameleons available for $150 – $200 where they are well started and healthy? Or are the 3 week old babies born in the wild caught holding cell for $50 good enough for you? Do you know how much time me and my team spend on the Jackson’s Chameleon Community Facebook group with people who got a cheap Jackson’s chameleon baby and are asking how to save its life? Most of the time, you can’t. What a tragedy for both the chameleon and the keeper. Now imagine a community where businesses like that couldn’t sell enough chameleons to continue stocking them because too many customers demanded to see the breeding set up and get assurances that the mother had been properly cared for. We can create a community where the responsible breeder has a wait list while the meat market can’t sell. Is that optimistic? Yes, it is. Cheap things will always sell. And so there will always be a market for cheap reptiles. But we can shift things towards responsible breeding if we spend our money in the right places. Patronize breeders that demonstrate quality care for their animals. Be willing to pay for top care given all the way back to the mother when she was a baby. In fact, refuse anything less than a breeder that demonstrates top husbandry practices. It is critical that we see our money as a tool for creating the community we desire. Reptile keeping is a luxury and a privilege that is threatened by both politics and environmental crisis’. Financially supporting community member businesses, political efforts, and environmental healing is a part of taking care of our community in a holistic way.