Big time breeders vs. Small time Breeders

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

All in all, I think it evens out. :)

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Then why are there ZERO votes for big time breeders. It seems people either prefer small time or don't care at all. No one seems to really prefer the big time breeders (so far)

Because there are 35 votes for Doesn't Matter and 17 votes for Small Time. Most people don't care, others like smaller breeders.

Just an example: A breeder such as Tim Bailey may be considered "small time" compared to someone such as Ralph Davis. I consider both breeders "big time" compared to me. For me, it all depends on who has the Ball Python I want. Example: If Tim has a Het Hypo female for sale, and Ralph Davis does too, but being that I'm personal friends with Tim and Monica, I can usually see that snake in person if they go to a show. That's a big plus for me to see the snake and be able to handle it(I don't like big bitey things in my collection, LOL). I would never hesitate to buy from Ralph, but if I can see the snake I want in person, then that will usually seal the deal(if the snake is Blah looking, then it's a big NO, and I'll go with the other breeder).

Another example: Say you're at a show and are comparing the quality of the same morph of Ball Python that different breeders have at the show. The last show I was looking for a larger Spider male and an Enchi male. I found my Spider male after being at the show maybe 2 hours? He was high quality and good sized, reduced pattern too, which I wanted. I was looking for a nice facial pattern and high gold as well.

I then went to look for Enchis. Very few breeders had them, and when they did, some looked like normals with a bit of orange on their sides(no facial markings), and they still wanted $1000 for them, and others were gorgeous, bright, reduced-patterned, nice facial markings, light eyes(and were the same price). Needless to say, Rusty's Balls introduced me to Chad Fuchs, and he sure got my money.

Again, recently I found a 66% Poss Het Hypo adult female on Kingsnake from a guy in NJ. I found one whole post on him on Fauna, so obviously that wasn't enough for me to have confidence. I then asked Kara @ NERD if she knew of him, or knew of someone that had a good deal with him, and she said yes, she had a very good experience doing business with him. I thought that was good enough for me, and went ahead and purchased her. The seller has kept open contact with me and is shipping her out this evening. We'll see what she looks like tomorrow(as well as the Enchi and the Het Stripe)! :D

To me, quality is everything. You can't make quality with crap, or you have a very low chance. I'd rather start out with the highest quality animals I can, so I can produce quality. Then I won't be struggling with poor quality animals, and trying to make them sell.

I like seeing pictures, even if it's only one. I like for the breeder to stay in contact with me, even if it's a short email once a week or every other week, until the ship date.

I think that this question is hard to define in a simple answer. There are many factors to consider. I believe that it ultimately boils down to what breeder you resonate with and, of course, if they have a particular snake that you feel drawn to. From there it is a matter of personal preference.

When searching for my first BP I did a lot of research online. I found several ‘big breeders’ in my province who were going to be at the same reptile expo. I emailed them, asked questions, got a feel for who I liked more, and then visited the expo with some specific questions to ask each of them. I checked out all the breeders and their animals, but in the end I came back to the same smaller-breeder who had really struck me as being friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about the care of his snakes. I was impressed with the level of attention he devoted to me, and how he pre-emptively answered many questions (and answered questions I had not even thought to ask) without prompting.

I still keep in contact with him from time to time. He has always been very patient and informative. I’m glad I went with a smaller breeder, because I feel that I have gained the type of highly personalized after-care that some larger breeders may simply not be able to devote to each of their clients.

So my advice for anybody contemplating the ‘big breeder’ vs. ‘small breeder’ would be to check them both out. I can’t say that one is ‘better’ than the other, but you will definitely develop your own preference through experience.

If you can, wait until an expo in/near your area and go to check them all out in person. You may go there with the name of a ‘big breeder’ in mind based on their reputation/advertising alone, only to find the perfect snake and a fabulous breeder at a booth in the back corner of the expo. Uh... just make sure to get a written receipt and a way of contacting them. ;) It also helps to look up their rep online at a place like Fauna first. Most expos will list the vendors online prior to the event.

I thank all of our customers, without you, there would be no ball python projects, no ball python book, no time spent fighting legislative issues! The hardest part is that exactly doing those things that everyone benefits from, book, articles, legislative action, takes time away that we could be 100% devoted to you our customers! Trust me when I say it is painful to me that anyone feels I have not done my best during any transaction. There are many projects that I have worked on for literally 5 years plus to get the snakes that everyone wants! To think that the week doing a transaction for the animal is the determining factor of my efforts, that can be pretty daunting! Having said that I will continue to do my best and improve!

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Originally Posted by mikedahitman87

NOTE:
When I started this thread I did not make any generalizations. I only talked about my one-time experience, but that doesn't mean I will never turn to a large breeder like NERD in the future. I have no experiences, good or bad, with him. Especially I am spending a lot of money. If the price is already over $1200 why not spend the extra $200 for something from a big name breeder.

I would like to say though that people make generalizations on one-time experiences all the time. For example, if I were to go to my local Home Depot and no one offered to help me and when I did find someone to answer my questions, they couldn't, I wouldn't go back there again. I would look for a Lowe's.

But there are generalizations that are pretty safe to make about large and small breeders.
1. Larger breeders are more likely to have a bigger stock of what you are looking for.
2. They are also more insulated from the hazards of the business, such as death on arrival.
3. Probably have enough space to hold on to snakes that don't sell as fast.

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I think there is also something to be said for the experience level of someone like Kevin at NERD who basically made the ball python we know and love today. I know that when I went there on Saturday I was able to get about 10 minutes of one-on-one time with Kevin to just talk and he showed me some of his absolutely beautiful snakes and morphs and answered so many of my questions and in the nicest and most genuine way possible, he didn't treat me like an idiot when I called a morph by the wrong name etc... He also told me that when I'm ready to buy my next BP (I want a spider from them) that I could let him know a few months in advance and he would pick out the perfect snake from one of his clutches and hold it just for me! I don't know of many other people that would do that and for that he has my guaranteed business for life. I truly believe it is worth the extra money just for the peace of mind that comes with having an animal that is as well taken care of from birth as they are. I'm not knocking anyone else I know there are a ton of other great breeders out there but I've found mine :). Just my .02 (total noob so maybe my .002? lol ::oops:)

There are very few pople in this industry that have struck em the way Kevin and Kara have..your right on with NERD, or VPI tracy has alway returned my emails and I always enjoy hearing from NERD.

i have emailed kevin a couple of times but he wasnt able to reply, cos i know he is a very busy person so i understand. i then sent a message to kara and she made sure that kevin was able to read my mail..and after a couple of hours, he did reply to my mail. thanks kara.

i also voted it doesnt matter whether big breeder or small breeder..although most of the small breeders dont ship internationally. so its a different story with me i guess?