What do you guys do with your normals?

I've always wondered about this, everyone always comes on here to ask what combos to breed but nobody ever brings up the normal hatchings. Do you throw in a recessive so they're worth a little more, do you drop them off at a pet store or reseller? Do you sell them same as your other animals, or just avoid breeding combos that can produce normals entirely?

Wholesale...... Some went to petstores and some went as feeders.

Haven't decided yet... not sure if I will have enough to wholesale... will probably sell them locally for below pet smart prices, I've done that with a few tail less cresties and it worked out well, even met some herp friends that way.

Wholesale or sold $15 unsexed at shows, I rarely produce normals anymore to be honest so usually it's really poss hets (males and females) and het males sold as normals when I have them.

I can usually move them as pets locally to first-time owners. I also help the owners with selecting proper equipment and setting it all up correctly.

Sell them in bulk to guys who own cobras......

I've seen pet stores sell a Normal for as much as $100 (actually $110 with tax). Here in Colorado at the shows they usually group them by sex and put them in multiples in show cases and sell them for $20 or $25, even more in other states. Wholesalers will give you $15 each and pay for the shipping but you have to have at least 10 of them. Using adult size normal females is a great way to expand your breeding operation at a low cost, they are cheap and if you spend more money on a good male they can be very productive. I actually have three Normal females and two normal het Caramel Albino breeders.

If you use a 'dull looking' five or six gene male you'll get a rainbow of different combos from those Normals. In fact I know that most big breeders tend to hang on to their Normal females, not only can you get some neat snakes from them you can also prove out unknown males. Even a large Normal male can sell for up to $100 and would make a fantastic pet. I have one Normal female that I think may be a brand new morph and I'm hoping to prove her out. If you have a keen eye you can pick up something brand new for next to nothing.

If I had some normal babies, I would try very hard to find them homes with enthusiastic new keepers. I would offer a complete setup, caresheet and everything needed at cost (or below). But it is unrealistic to assume breeders can do this. And without the breeders that bred larger scale, we wouldn't have the availability of quality and healthy snakes we do have.

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

Sell them as food? Wtf! That is just not right! That makes me so angry on so many levels. We breed snakes because we love them and to sell them off so king cobras can eat them? I can't...I just cant! I am appalled!

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It is not that hard to find homes for normals in this part of the world, so I would try to sell them wholesale. Sold as feeders would be fine too, but a last resort.

I sell locally but awhile back when I produced more normals I would occasionally wholesale them. Kinked or deformed (to the point of not having a quality life) are fed to my kingsnakes.