Adult breeders??

[OhClueless1]

I was wondering... do you guys buy your breeders as adults? Or do you grow up them up yourself? Half and half?? I don't see many adult snakes for sale around here (on the www) so I was just wondering.

[rabernet]

With the exception of one pet store surrender, I have raised every one of my breeders from babies.

[wolfy-hound]

I got a few adults. One thing you must remember is that when buying an adult, there is most likely a reason it's for sale. Some irresponsible folks will get gravid imports, let them lay eggs, then sell them as breeding size females. Fresh imports many times will refuse to breed for you for a season or two, thus negating the reason behind buying an adult female in the first place.
Even buying a CB adult will not always help, as not every female will make a good breeder. It might be that each time it's been bred it did not take, or threw only slugs. A problem breeder isn't apparent in the snake, and until you bred it yourself a couple seasons, you won't know you've been duped into thinking it was a great bargain.
Getting your own small ones and raising them is a great thing. But you might luck onto a adult breeding size female that is a CB and is not a problem. Just don't count on it as a matter of course, especially not if they aren't from someone with a good reputation.
Eventually I will replace my normal females with morph or hets, but most likely I will have plenty of folks I know, that want those normal females, so I doubt I'd have to advertise them.
Adult het males are more common, as people get a visable morph male to replace him with, they then can let go of the het male.
Good luck, and I hope this helped!

[syearout]

All but one of the 9 I have now I bought as yearlings. Most between 400-500 grams.

[Alice]

I have purchased adult breeder size females, but only from people I know and I know why they are selling them. Right now, as Wolfy said, many breeders are replacing their normal breeder females with morphs (pastels, bees, etc.) so it is easier to pick up a good breeder than it has been in the past. I do know that picky eating females and ones who haven't dropped eggs after a couple of breedings are usually sold off so let the buyer beware . . . .