Curiosity question for for-profit breeders

[heatherhead42]

Purely out of curiosity... Do you have one or two snakes that you get especially attached to, as pets? Do you have one or two that you handle more often than the others and treat as pets?

If so, do you also breed that one or two?

If not, do you miss that attachment? Or is there some other quality associated with the snakes that keeps you interested without having to have that companion-animal attachment?

I'm wondering in part because my personal experience has been that whenever I turn something I love into a money-making venture, I usually end up enjoying it considerably less than when it was just a hobby.

I'm wondering whether that has happened to any of you, and if so, what you do to make sure you keep on enjoying it. Or do you just see it as a business venture, pure and simple, and not really worry about whether you're enjoying it?

Thanks in advance for humoring me.

Heather

[JASBALLS]

Purely out of curiosity... Do you have one or two snakes that you get especially attached to, as pets? Do you have one or two that you handle more often than the others and treat as pets?

If so, do you also breed that one or two?

If not, do you miss that attachment? Or is there some other quality associated with the snakes that keeps you interested without having to have that companion-animal attachment?

I'm wondering in part because my personal experience has been that whenever I turn something I love into a money-making venture, I usually end up enjoying it considerably less than when it was just a hobby.

I'm wondering whether that has happened to any of you, and if so, what you do to make sure you keep on enjoying it. Or do you just see it as a business venture, pure and simple, and not really worry about whether you're enjoying it?

Thanks in advance for humoring me.

Heather

Good question... I love my Normal males as much as my 2200g gravid (I hope) female hypo.. Money sucks! But everyone needs it... I personally could care less if I sold anything..

[Adam_Wysocki]

Every single one of my animals is special to me ... some because they are the first XXX morph that I produced, some because they have a spunky attitude, some because they are just AMAZING to look at, and most because each one reminds me of a specific point in time in my life ... maybe the snake that bit me the morning of the day my son was born, or the snake that I got the same year that I started my 5th successful company, or the snake that bred for me for the first time the same year I bought my truck. Every animal I own has a story, and they're all awesome!

This never started as a money making venture for me ... every year, I struggle with what I "should" sell and what I want to keep ... I'll keep cool normal males in the rack just because I like them ... other breeders come over and call me crazy for "wasting" rack space on normal males, but I am just a nut for these animals.

The money is the easy part, letting MY animals go out into the world is the struggle ... I want to keep them all!



-adam

[West Coast Jungle]

I am by no means a profit breeder, just a hobbyist who breeds his favorite reptiles for the joy and too support this ever growing hobby. But i would think anyone who is gonna put all the time and dedication to these fascinating animals(cleaning poop, raising rats) has to do it for personal satisfaction/joy and not just for $. Those who are just in it for the money will eventually get discouraged and disapointed but those who truly love them will always appreciate them no matter what the financial climate is like. It's great to make a few bucks off an animal you produced but i think I get more joy from watching someone fall in love with his new reptile and knowing what that feels like. I see alot of people locally and I like knowing when one of my babies is going to a good home! We all get attcahed to certain animals but the reality is you can't keep'em all. Not Yet LOL

[Alice]

I am by no means a profit breeder, just a hobbyist who breeds his favorite reptiles for the joy and too support this ever growing hobby. But i would think anyone who is gonna put all the time and dedication to these fascinating animals(cleaning poop, raising rats) has to do it for personal satisfaction/joy and not just for $. Those who are just in it for the money will eventually get discouraged and disapointed but those who truly love them will always appreciate them no matter what the financial climate is like. It's great to make a few bucks off an animal you produced but i think I get more joy from watching someone fall in love with his new reptile and knowing what that feels like. I see alot of people locally and I like knowing when one of my babies is going to a good home! We all get attcahed to certain animals but the reality is you can't keep'em all. Not Yet LOL

Very well said!

[LadyOhh]

It is very difficult to me to sell ANY of my animals. I have an attachment to them as soon as they become "mine".


I love each and everyone in a different way. From the tiny pissy babies to my big 20+ year old girls.

I have my favorite girl that I had since the beginning. She is the reason why I got involved in this, so she has a special place in my heart.

I agree with Adam. It's hard to let go. And if its not and you are pushing them out of the door for profit, then... you are in it for the wrong reasons.

[djansen]

i have not bred ball pythons yet but when i hatched my crested geckos and raised them i found they each had different quirks and it is very hard to let the ones that i waited 68 days to hatch go. i think when i breed balls it will be the same.

[CeraDigital]

For me, I will always have a place in my heart for Ball Pythons, but Giants are where my true passion lies. I bought into Ball Pythons, going into some morphs that I thought looked amazing. I originally got into the Ball Python market, because I loved Pythons in general; yet seen the money Ball Pythons made and went for it thinking I could hopefully start a buissiness. Soon after getting into them, and hatching a couple clutches I lost interest big time. I don't know why, but for some reason the small species aren't for me. I have a passion, interest, devotion, and respect for the giants, Rock Pythons especially.

The money shouldn't be a factor in keeping or breeding reptiles, and I learned this fast. Work with what you love to keep. Work with what truly interests you, and don't let the money be a deciding factor in what you keep. I did find out that turning my hobby into a money making venture simply made me lose interest in them. I think that for true success in this hobby, work with what you love. It'll not only ensure your success in the hobby, but it'll allow you to get the fulfillment and enjoyment out of it.

[Ginevive]

Breeding any animals to sell is a trying experience. We bred our 2 horses last year and sold their babies; so though I have not hatched out any BPs yet, I can relate. We never intended to make money off of it; if anything, we lost money. But the experience and knowledge gained by breeding any type of animal, is priceless.
Now in our BP breeding for this year, we are not doing it for the money. Most profits that we may glean from this will actually go back into investing in more snakes; so I can see where even those who breed on a large scale are not doing it as a moneymaking scheme, since it seems like you have to invest in new morphs often to remain on the cutting edge, or at least as close to it that you can get.

[heatherhead42]

Wow, thanks for all the terrific replies! It's so nice to hear the breeders saying how special each snake is to them.

And I totally understand about it not being *about* the money. Any breeding endeavor that is all about the money is usually a bad operation. It's just not fair to the animals. But, of course, it *is* possible to make money at something you love, and I just wondered whether those who do make money at it still enjoy it. Obviously you do, and that's nice to hear.

My parents raised exotic animals (llamas) for profit when I was growing up (and when they were far less well known in the US, and more valuable). They did make money at it, but they also loved it. And, sometimes, they lost money. And sometimes it was heartbreaking. Sometimes you spent a bunch of money and the little one still didn't make it through. But you loved them all and it was worth it in the end. And they did make enough money for it to be a worthwhile financial endeavor as well as a really fun thing to do.

And they did have favorites and animals that spoke to them. So did I.

So, anyway, nice to hear it's the same in the reptile trade, at least among responsible breeders.

Heather