Sweet Deals on Other People's Problems

I appreciate this post and thread. I am slowly beginning to amass a small collection of Balls to breed in the next 3 years. As tempting as it is to "cut corners" and try to buy proven adults and hope for the best, I simply have decided that buying good, healthy babies and raising them from the beginning simply works best for me.
I have also found that I enjoy watching these little creatures grow and mature over time and I learn something new with each of the babies I have. I am looking forward to the day I hatch my first clutch and I really hope I succeed at becoming a quality breeder. I do not plan on making a living out of breeding these pets, but it's an added bonus knowing I'll have the animals to do so when the time is right.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and tips. They will be taken to heart on this end, that's for sure.

Thanks for the insightful post.

It made ´me feel better in someway because I started my collection with only small females (1 exception though (sub-adult)) but at least they're feeding great and seems to have a good time at my place. There's also the fun of thinking back to time where my little babies ate their first big rats or how the colors went from dark to light/bright. :*-)

All the double,- triple- and quad-hets that will come next season - oh mama!

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Originally Posted by ColinWeaver

2. It prefers gerbils or African soft-furred mice. Just what you need; a snake on a special diet. Not only do gerbils and ASF mice tend to be quite a bit more expensive they are both notoriously more aggressive than typical lab rats (and mice). There is a stronger need to chaperone the feeding event when the predator is at increased risk of becoming the prey.

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Good read. This is the only part I disagree with. (as far as the ASF's)

1.) ASF's are much less aggressive to the snake then normal rats or mice. This is true regardless of the ASF line.

2.) It is cheaper to produce an ASF then it is a Rat or a Mouse. (granted you are right, it is more expensive to buy ASF's though)

3.) 99% of the time a snake feeding regularly on ASF's can be switched to normal rats on the very first try without issue.

Other then that, good write up.

Mike,

Thanks for your input. You're the 2nd person who has had a vastly different experience with ASF's than me and since you're hanging out with 500.500 I'll give you the nod on overall experience with them.

I avoid ASF's because of their general lack of availability where I am, their price tag and, in my experience, their attitude. The person from which I consistently got them always gave me nasty little things. And when I started breeding them in small quantity (prolific little things) I found the ones I produced to be quite 'bitey' as well. My breeding stock came from my original supplier so I'm now wondering if their tendency toward aggression was hereditary. What does your experience show?

When we were breeding ASF's, I'd have to say that they are nasty too. Alot more agressive than rats. We don't use lab rats either. We feel that the albino lab rats are inferior to normals.

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The moral of the story is that there is no substitute for starting with babies, investing the time and earning good results with quality animals.

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I agree completely. From my experience there really is no substitute, especially in starting with babies.... the shortcuts rarely pay off the way you hope.

Good read. :)

Justin

I have a female which was sold to me knowing that she had never accepted any other rodent aside from ASF. She is 2 years old. I was feeding her ASF but offered her a small rat and she ate one three weeks in a row before going back to ASF. I too believe they can be switched with time. I also have noticed the ASF just sit there and wait to be eaten. I have never had one try to bite a snake. They try to bite me sometimes but they freeze and just sit there when they are put in with a snake. I breed 2 different colors from 3 different bloodlines now..

That aside. I believe some snakes advertised on sites such as CL may be "someone elses problem" but no matter how small or unorganized a "breeder" may be, a good one will tell you all about the snake you are looking to purchase. All of its feeding habits and health etc etc.. I agree with Colins post but I also agree that it is on per situation basis. There are many reasons a person may be thinning out their collection. Personal reasons aside as they are just that, personal. An honest person will let you know if there is anything you need to know about the animal in question.

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Originally Posted by ColinWeaver

Mike,

Thanks for your input. You're the 2nd person who has had a vastly different experience with ASF's than me and since you're hanging out with 500.500 I'll give you the nod on overall experience with them.

I avoid ASF's because of their general lack of availability where I am, their price tag and, in my experience, their attitude. The person from which I consistently got them always gave me nasty little things. And when I started breeding them in small quantity (prolific little things) I found the ones I produced to be quite 'bitey' as well. My breeding stock came from my original supplier so I'm now wondering if their tendency toward aggression was hereditary. What does your experience show?

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Didn't want to hijack your thread. Summary: Most ASF's like to bite humans. Some lines may do this more then others, but they ALL do to some degree. Snakes though... they are much more afraid of. A normal rat or mouse FIGHTS for their life for a few seconds before and after getting grabbed. ASF's literally freeze.

Anyways, point is 99% of the time an established ASF eating snake will readily take a normal rat if done correctly. ASF's are NOT more dangerous to feed to your snakes. Your OP was well written, and in my opinion VERY accurate. I just wanted to clarify this.

Back to the original post... I was a little surprised that you didn't take a more negative stance on the flippers... In fact you listed them in the legitimate section. While some have good intentions and are legitimate, I assure you there are many more that are not. They will buy an animal and then immediately resell it with total disregard for the history of the snake and or any issues with the snake. All this flipper knows is he bought a snake from some kid earlier in the day for $50, and can resell it later that day for $350. In many cases there was good reason the kid was selling the snake so cheap.

sick post very informative for a newbie like me.;););)

Well said, thanks for sharing your insights. :gj::gj:

A lot of money is spent feeding hatchlings. Even if a person breeds their own prey items - that takes time and money also. In the end a person might spend the same amount of money on buying and raising a hatchling as would be spent on an adult with equally unknown potential.

I just love puppies, kitties, foals, and the like. Who doesn't melt at the sight of a baby animal? As such, raising my own BPs and having the initial investment on the lower end of the scale, is pretty darn cool. And I'm glad I'm thinking down the line and what would be the smartest animals to get for what I want.

I wish you and everyone else the best with their herp breeding endeavors!