Has desert female breeding got anywhere?

In the wild the line probably would have eventually died out due to the lower production from only the males. Just luck that someone found/hatched it into captivity where the selection pressure is different.

I really haven't been keeping up with all the morphs now days. There is another thread here where someone was picking from two higher end morph/combo females and it occurred to me that I have no idea if either is proven to reproduce. At this point I would assume any new morph could have reproductive issues in one or both sexes until proven otherwise.

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Originally Posted by JLC

Really? Does a ball python HAVE to breed and reproduce in order to have value? Or does every loved pet ball python (including my own, as I am no breeder) have no more value than a paper weight?

Interesting...

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Lighten up Francis...it was a joke...

I do not think they will sell as low as a normal, but I could see them in the $100-200 range for a female.

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Originally Posted by Lair of Dragons

Just thought I would let you all know...John Woolards Desert died trying to pass the last two eggs...2008 female at 2000g. :tears:
Travis

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Man that's salt on the wounds :(... My sincere condolences to John.. I don't know him, but I know losing a pet is painful...

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Originally Posted by JLC

:confuzd: I spent $1000 for my doberman...and another couple hundred to get her spayed so she couldn't/wouldn't breed.

That's not to say that I don't understand MOST people's reluctance to spend a grand on a snake just because it's pretty. But my point was to question the statement that the animals have NO value for no other reason than that they can't breed.

I just find the whole discussion very...eye opening.

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Sure, I did the same with my $500 German Shorthair. Sometimes I regret it and wish he could breed, because he's so sweet, and I feel strongly that most dog breeds would benefit from breeding for sweetness. But the world is already full of sweet dogs looking for homes...

Did I buy my first piebald FOR her breeding value? Nah, I bought her because I was over the moon about ball pythons, and pieds especially. And I thought she was gorgeous. But I was only willing to pay as much as I did because I knew there was a pretty good chance I could get some of it back eventually.

And I can definitely only justify having MULTIPLE pieds because I want to do projects with them.

So, no, I don't think my snakes' value is solely in their ability to breed? But I really DO want to make pied combos. So do lots of other people. I'd argue that the ability to produce similarly cool offspring adds to my ball pythons' value in a very real way.

My ancestors have been farming for thousands of years. It's in my blood. I started breeding hamsters in the 3rd grade, lol. I understand the concept of pet only but I see a nice looking animal and I want to make more/better.

I hope no one got the impression from my statement that I have anything against breeding, or even valuing animals based on their breeding potential. Nothing could be further from the truth. I was just put off by the back-handed, casual implication that because they couldn't breed they had NO value.

no one ever revered to no value but each person has their threshold for return on investment.

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Originally Posted by Lair of Dragons

Just thought I would let you all know...John Woolards Desert died trying to pass the last two eggs...2008 female at 2000g. :tears:
Travis

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That's a HORRIBLE shame, I'm very sorry to hear that she didn't make it. :( Clearly, something is wrong with the structure of these animals' reproductive tract, or they wouldn't be dying the way they are.

We must always remember that a color or pattern morph is a mutation, and most mutations in nature are detrimental. Only rarely are they beneficial, or neutral. Desert is due to a single mutated gene, and that gene must also control something that is involved with the female reproductive system. (Or, even more likely, the Desert appearance is a side-effect of whatever this gene is actually affecting).

Anyone else get a PM from someone with 0 posts trying to sell desert females?