Korea's Pet Alley!

[@twoturtletom]

Watch my video of the Cleveland Reptile Show here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnKak4aJpsiMrqc

[@rad_reptiles]

That felt overwhelming!

[@twoturtletom]

And I only showed 5% of what was actually there.......it was intense!

[@rad_reptiles]

@@twoturtletom wow

[@turtleinfestedwaters]

I may be speaking from ignorance, but these shops are a lot nice than I had expected them to be. Overcrowded , but seems overall clean

[@twoturtletom]

So the reptiles and fish were great- I didn't even go in the bird shops because of my health concerns over avian influenza. Most of the places were fish shops and were impeccable - much better than what we would see in the U.S. Korea is the world's 14th largest economy and they're a completely developed country. Much, much different from places like Indonesian, Thailand, Malaysia, etc.

[@michaelrajkumar2346]

Loved it, thanks for the trip Tom :)

[@twoturtletom]

Thanks Michael!

[@bathyphila]

The big newts you saw with the iridescent gold flecks were Cynops ensicauda popei, native to the Ryuku Islands. There are actually people breeding them in the US these days, along with the nominal subspecies C. ensicauda ensicauda.

[@twoturtletom]

Excellent, thank you so much. The numbers and diversity of the newts in this shop left a lasting impression on me! But alas, one can keep only so many animals…

[@jenniferatkinsreptileart]

Wow! The birds make me sad, but I wonder what it is about their economy, or taxes or culture or who knows what, that allow these shops to keep so much inventory, and so much outside! Quite a feast for the eyes.

[@twoturtletom]

I’m not sure exactly- for whatever reason, they haven’t consolidated their economy like we have in the US. And you know what? That competition makes them better for it. The upcoming fish market video will show the same things- hundreds of vendors selling the same foods underneath the same building. What sets them apart? Hard to say, but the more completion, the more variety and the better quality, is what I learned from this experience, excepting the birds.

[@brianselvik]

I lived in Seoul a few years ago and there is definitely less regulation in terms of husbandry and what is allowed to be sold. One particular shop had budgies and cockatiels outside in the winter, it gets below freezing. They even had a small falcon housed in a tiny cage with a frozen goldfish for its "meal" for about $400 usd. I contemplated buying it, just to donate it to a raptor or rescue center, but couldn't find any such organizations and didn't want to encourage bad business. I'm not trying to paint every store or person in Korea/Seoul as neglectful or practicing irresponsible husbandry, but it was sad to see and I hope it gets better for the animals sake.

[@twoturtletom]

The fish and reptiles were housed equivalently to what we see in the US, but the birds were a entirely different story. What part of Seoul did you see the falcon?

[@andrewgalano8164]

Hi! May I know where In s. Korea is this exactly? Nearest train station? Street name? Thanks!

[@twoturtletom]

It’s in the Dongdaedum market area- 403-16 Changsin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

[@andrewgalano8164]

@@twoturtletomThank uou!

[@ReptileShowReporter]

Awesome video

[@twoturtletom]

Thanks Sean!

[@hoosier_turtles_and_tortoises]

Finally caught the end… hatchling Russian tortoises!! Nice

[@twoturtletom]

They looked great.

[@tonymonahan1185]

Love the Asian marketplaces

[@twoturtletom]

The Seoul seafood market will be the next video! It was so much less sketchy than this place…

[@hoosier_turtles_and_tortoises]

WC Stinkpot in Korea….😢

[@twoturtletom]

Exactly- many - and that is why our mud and musk turtles are now CITES species. Many were being exported out of this country to Asia as pets because they are on the smallish side.

[@thesnapperkeeper]

Awesome selection of animals but they way they treat the animals ie overcrowding leaves much to be desired

[@twoturtletom]

The birds in particular.

[@Laura-vx6mr]

poor birds...

[@twoturtletom]

It was tough to see the birds crammed in together!