Collection Focus / Strategy

So I've been thinking a lot about adding new genes, focusing down the ones I have, etc. and trying to create more direction to my collection and breeding efforts. I think there are 2 types of breeders / collectors:

-There are some breeders out there that are kind of Pokemon style 'gotta catch em all' and every time there's a new gene they pick it up. Their collection is basically a mash up of lots of different kinds of genes and each year they just pick and choose which ones to pair up to mix up the results they get and make a wide range of combos.

-There are others who have a collection very focused around a few particular morphs. They have certain combos in mind to hold back and buy and don't travel outside of those bounds. Even when new genes come out they don't worry about picking them up and just continue doing their thing and selectively breeding and holding back for the best possible example of the few genes they do work with.

So my question here is this: What kind of breeder / collector are you? Do you have lots of mixed genes, different colors, light and dark, pattern, etc. or do you have multiple animals with the same small set of genes mixed together differently or constantly looking to hold back better examples of the morphs you do have? If you have a more 'focused' collection, what are the genes you choose to keep focused around?

I am still very early in my breeding plans (as in my breeder female is still a baby), but here is my intent:

Pairing my 0.1 Pastel with a 1.0 Cinnamon (preferably Cinnapin, if I'm honest) To make Pewters and Pewter Blasts
Getting Axanthic into the bloodline and basically trying for the most silver snakes I can manage. (This will hopefully include Super Pewters down the line.)

Since I don't anticipate going large scale with my breeding plans, these are the genes I intend to focus on until I'm basically done with the project and another gene/genes catch my eye.

(Edit: I would also like to mix Champagnes into it somewhere, to smooth out coloring and breed the bubble pattern in.)

We definitely have mixed genes but we strive to keep our numbers (animals) down as low as possible during this startup phase. A $100k snake requires the same care as a $100 one but the profit return for your work is much greater. I think a lot of people get in this to make money but then buy a ton of lower end animals only to be overwhelmed by the work involved, they then get discouraged when that work isnt bringing in much money. This would be a signal from the market to stop breeding these animals.

We have pastel, spider, enchi, lesser, clown, spotnose, OD, yellowbelly, calico, and pinstripe in our collection but all are multigenes with the exception of one. I dont want every morph out there but I do think that there is a place for every morph. Desires are infinite and resources are finite. So you have to choose what you want to work with and if your wanting to make money you need to choose what your customers are going to be interested in, sometimes you guess right, othertimes you dont.

My main breeding focus is to create a breeding pair of Pastave Pieds and create a Super Pastel Pied and Super Mojave Pied. Besides that, I want play around with the Bee pairings and prove out my normal girl for possible het Albino.

For some reason I'm attracted to the recessive gene. Later down the line I might pick up an Anxanthic to create a beautiful Anxanthic Pied.

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So far, I am only working with a few genes in my future breeding plans. There are specific morphs I am striving to get out of these pairings, and have strategically purchased animals to be able to mix and match the few genes I do work with to get several of the multi-gene animals I would really like to have in my collection. I intend to holdback only the morphs I am going to breed to obtain. However, I may also keep some really stunning babies of other morphs produced. Ergo, I am a small time breeder/collector with specific goals centering on specific morphs. While I find many other morphs appealing, I am sticking mainly to morphs that I have always really wanted that happen to produce other morphs I REALLY want. lol. i.e.: BELs, Queen Bees, Savannahs....etc.

I sat and looked at the genetics in my collection a while back and realized every single one of my animals is either a visual recessive or het for a recessive gene (except one single lesser, and she's the hubby's), even my hoggie is recessive. So I figure I'm just going to keep going on that track and start on doubles which is why I'm doing pied x axanthic this year, but overall there's a big focus on axanthics.

I think a great strategy is to pick a recessive and blend in select dom/codoms into it. Right now I'm figuring out if I want to hop on the pied wagon late in the game or get into clown which I feel will be around for a long time. In either scenario I really need to sit down with dom/codom and figure out which are the genes I would like to keep around and which are the genes I would like to get rid of.

So far I'm thinking about phasing out spider and pastel and phasing in fire, enchi, lesser as the 3 core genes to work with. I got into hypo before fire was a big thing and looking forward I see a lot of reasons fire can be a direct replacement for hypo in combos.

Interesting feedback so far - I would love to hear others chime in if they have specific themes they go for OR if you have a more diverse collection, what are your reasons and motivations for that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MrLang

I think a great strategy is to pick a recessive and blend in select dom/codoms into it. Right now I'm figuring out if I want to hop on the pied wagon late in the game or get into clown which I feel will be around for a long time. In either scenario I really need to sit down with dom/codom and figure out which are the genes I would like to keep around and which are the genes I would like to get rid of.

So far I'm thinking about phasing out spider and pastel and phasing in fire, enchi, lesser as the 3 core genes to work with. I got into hypo before fire was a big thing and looking forward I see a lot of reasons fire can be a direct replacement for hypo in combos.

Interesting feedback so far - I would love to hear others chime in if they have specific themes they go for OR if you have a more diverse collection, what are your reasons and motivations for that.

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Interesting, you and I are thinking very similarly on the co-dom aspect. Depending on what happens with my killerbee het axanthic x pastel axanthic pairing this year, I may be done with spider and looking to add fire and enchi as well. The axanthic killerbee was my original goal animal, so I want to produce one kind of on principle, but I'll probably shift directions after that.

Ever since I bought a fire honeybee purely for looks, I've become obsessed with ghost combos and making tons of patterns in purple and orange, and watching them change colors so dramatically as they age. That kinda molded the state of my current small collection. I want to make some hypo super black pastels and hypo black pins.

Currently I'm both types.
I have genes that are being used for specific projects and some random genes that I have no concrete plans for.

My ultimate long term project is double recessive clown hypo combos. I currently feel like I have a good mix and base of those genes with my clown, pastel lesser PDH hypo clown, pastel het clown, and pastel hypo, and black pewter het hypo. I'm going to pair the clown to pastel hypo later this year for some pastel double hets.
I want to integrate my fire yellowbelly into that project as well. She's not a het, but an excellent example of her morph.

I also have pet only ball pythons of whatever random genes that I have no intention to ever breed.
Then I have a few other single gened animals that I was originally going to breed together but I'm not certain I want to pursue that any more since I want to concentrate on my double het project.
Eventually, I might consider putting them to the clown or pastel hypo or a future double recessive animal to continue the theme of the project.