Economic Analysis
Business Benefits
Increased customer satisfaction.
Fewer financial losses due to sick animals.
Increased revenues due to higher market value of certified healthy animals.
Reduced expenses with health checks if sourcing animals from other HTI businesses.
Reduced likelihood of accidental spillover of harmful pathogens from captivity to the environment, thereby helping conserve biodiversity.
Annual Membership
Healthy Trade Supplies
Diagnostic Lab Processing Costs
Possible Additional Costs
Annual Membership
Tiered based on total revenues from amphibian sales (see table). When the program expands to reptiles in 2025, membership fees will be calculated from annual amphibian + reptile sales (in the previous year).
Healthy Trade Supplies
- Swabs for pathogen testing = $15 per 100 swabs
- Plastic bags for shipping swabs = $20 per 100 habitats
- Disposable nitrile gloves = $7 per box of 100
- Disinfectant = Chlorohexidine gluconate (2%, 1 gal) = $15
- Shipping cost of swabs (envelope or box + postage) to diagnostic lab = $20
Diagnostic Lab Processing Costs
- Initial testing to become member = 50% of habitats
- Members (2X per year) = 20% of habitats
- Shipments (new acquisitions) = 50% of animals per shipment up to 120 animals (or 60 swabs). For testing, pools of 3 swabs is permitted, thus the maximum number of test required per shipment is 20 pooled swabs for shipments with 120 or more animals.
Possible Additional Costs
- Establishing quarantine area
- Treatment or euthanasia of sick animals
- Some additional personnel time