Are your Balls for breeding?

I voted "other." My females are or will all be bred. My Spider and Pastel males too. But LaVey, my normal male, is strictly a pet snake.. maybe a backup breeder for next year if the others don't do the job..
My BCI male is strictly a pet also..

My pets will breed!!!! :)

I should add; though they are bred/will be, I do look at them as pets. I name them all, and notice their little funny quirks that make them individuals.. the day that they became merely breeding stock and held no special meaning for me, would be the day they got sold (not happening, hehe.)

This is pretty interesting! Thanks for your responses :rockon:

I know what you mean about the 'life process' argument. Coming from the Cichlid Fish world, I learned over time how different and active the fish's behavior was when both sexes were present. Many people keep all-male tanks (the males are the pretty ones) but I have often argued that the fish have much more fulfilling and natural lives when allowed to court and spawn.

However, I also saw first hand the flip side where I would sell fish that I had produced and later find out that they had all died due to a mistake by their keeper. I never sold to pets stores because I feared the poor treatment that often results (in my opinion) but even when I sold direct to other people who had the right setup, it still often resulted in death for the fish. This is why I stopped breeding fish completely unless I intended to keep the young.

I would fear that with snakes selling them will also run a high risk for the animal. I am learning that reptile keeping is very misunderstood and many mistakes are made by keepers - especially the keepers that usually buy from pet stores. I know this is a gross generalization but I am speaking from the gut my own feelings :)

Anyway, so I see both sides of the breeding issue. I think they are both good and risky.

good discussion!

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Originally Posted by fishmommy

This is pretty interesting! Thanks for your responses :rockon:

I know what you mean about the 'life process' argument. Coming from the Cichlid Fish world, I learned over time how different and active the fish's behavior was when both sexes were present. Many people keep all-male tanks (the males are the pretty ones) but I have often argued that the fish have much more fulfilling and natural lives when allowed to court and spawn.

However, I also saw first hand the flip side where I would sell fish that I had produced and later find out that they had all died due to a mistake by their keeper. I never sold to pets stores because I feared the poor treatment that often results (in my opinion) but even when I sold direct to other people who had the right setup, it still often resulted in death for the fish. This is why I stopped breeding fish completely unless I intended to keep the young.

I would fear that with snakes selling them will also run a high risk for the animal. I am learning that reptile keeping is very misunderstood and many mistakes are made by keepers - especially the keepers that usually buy from pet stores. I know this is a gross generalization but I am speaking from the gut my own feelings :)

Anyway, so I see both sides of the breeding issue. I think they are both good and risky.

good discussion!

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Only breed high end so the average joe doesn't throw down $2000 for a snake.:)

Mine are pets first.


Breeding only allows for the procurement of other animals.:D

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

Only breed high end so the average joe doesn't throw down $2000 for a snake.:)

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you'd be surprised!
Many people can afford that kind of purchase without the experience to back it up. I almost spent that kind of money on my first snake, and I am strictly a pet keeper not a breeder.

As for fish, I sold quite a few that were hundreds of dollars each! What I found was that the people who wanted the expensive ones were often the ones with the least good intentions! Those guys would ususally be seeing dollar signs and the chance to make a quick buck. I found that the mid range tended to bring in the serious hobbyists who wanted something to love and care for - those were the best customers in my mind :)

My interest in reptiles is first and foremost as pets. I don't really have any desire to breed - mostly because I don't really want two of the same species of snake. When getting another snake, I wanna get a new species I don't have yet. =)

Having said that, the only snake I think it might be cool to breed maybe several years down the road would be my boa...but then again, would need a boy snake and I dunno if I want two of one type. Just not a driving force for me.

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Originally Posted by JLC

While I don't really agree with most of your reasoning, this particular point begs a question: What about green iguanas and burmese pythons and other reptiles that are filling reptile-rescues because they are easy to get and hard to keep?

While I think there is a place for captive breeding of many reptiles...I think such things should be done by people with the passion and the temperment to properly see such a commitment through to the end with the best possible care for all the animals involved....not just anyone who happens to have a pair of something.

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Of course breeding should be done by responsible keepers...I was considering my audience to be responsible since I think that the majority of people here are great a keeping their animals...in fact I can't think of one offhand that is not ;)

What I was saying that if the demand for offspring is there...why not breed?

The issue with iguanas and burms is not that they are being produced.....it is that the producers have NO REGARD in terms of who they sell to. Again, a responsible keeper knows when they should and shouldn't breed, etc..... ;)

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Originally Posted by SPJ

Mine are pets first.


Breeding only allows for the procurement of other animals.:D

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x's 2 here