Troubles Breeding and Selling?

I would very much like to try breeding this coming season if possible. My husband however is very, hmm.. I shouldn't say apprehensive, but cautious maybe. He has concerns about selling hatchlings not only because of the local market, but also he is worried that I ,personally, will have a hard time giving any of them up.

I understand his concern, as I am not wanting to breed in order to sell, I want to breed because I love my snakes and would love to see what they can produce, and to see those little heads poking out of their shells!:D I do wonder if I am going to be able to discern between an animal to sell and a pet. Thus my husband's concern. We currently have four ball pythons, one that we just got last night, and I already can't imagine selling any of them. I just feel that once an animal is in this home, it is family.

Does or did anyone else have this problem? Or am I just way too sensitive?

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Originally Posted by Meletee

he is worried that I ,personally, will have a hard time giving any of them up.

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This will be the hardest part ;) ... I am very protective of my collection... I don't even let my friends in the snake room... it is kind of like my personal bubble.

Breeding teaches you a lot of things. Most of us have learned through trial and error, but as long as you do your homework and have everything set up prior to, and learn from the mistakes that others have made and shared, you will be perfectly fine. As far as selling them, well, you won't have any problems as long as you can convince yourself to sell them! lol... have fun!

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Originally Posted by Meletee

I would very much like to try breeding this coming season if possible. My husband however is very, hmm.. I shouldn't say apprehensive, but cautious maybe. He has concerns about selling hatchlings not only because of the local market, but also he is worried that I ,personally, will have a hard time giving any of them up.

I understand his concern, as I am not wanting to breed in order to sell, I want to breed because I love my snakes and would love to see what they can produce, and to see those little heads poking out of their shells!:D I do wonder if I am going to be able to discern between an animal to sell and a pet. Thus my husband's concern. We currently have four ball pythons, one that we just got last night, and I already can't imagine selling any of them. I just feel that once an animal is in this home, it is family.

Does or did anyone else have this problem? Or am I just way too sensitive?

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For me, it was pretty easy. I'm very attached to my breeders and I do have my favorites. However, the eggs I get from my breeders I've already told myself will be sold. That helps me to keep pretty detached (but not in a bad way). I'm still able to care for ALL my babies but when it comes time to sell them, it'll be easier for me the sell the ones I've already told myself I'm selling.

I understand how you feel about having to let go of your snakes. I have had to sell a couple of snakes that i had no plans on breeding or was going trough some tough times where i decided to sell them. it is always hard on me because i feel like each snake had their own personality that i was already used to. but at least i know they went to another snake lover that is going to care for them like i did and that's just something you have to learn when breeding.

Thanks for everyone's perspective! I guess for me it will be more of an issue of emotional attachment, I get attached to things very quickly, especially anything I deem cute and or dependent. Like JaGv said, it may help knowing that any hatchling I sell is going to someone who will, if not love, appreciate it. I guess I will find out in 1-2 years if I have what it takes to be a breeder. My husband already told me I'm not allowed to keep every hatchling:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Meletee

I guess I will find out in 1-2 years if I have what it takes to be a breeder. My husband already told me I'm not allowed to keep every hatchling:rolleyes:

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wait till he sees what comes out from pairing your lesser pastel to your bee and yellowbelly then he will probably want to keep some hatchlings.

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Originally Posted by JaGv

wait till he sees what comes out from pairing your lesser pastel to your bee and yellowbelly then he will probably want to keep some hatchlings.

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Oh, I'm not saying he won't want to keep some hatchlings, I'm saying that I will want to keep all hatchlings! That is the problem.

oh ok I misread.

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Originally Posted by JaGv

oh ok I misread.

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No, I think you are right. He will be impressed with what comes from our future pairing (if we are lucky). I am more just concerned with the ones that will not fit into our future breeding projects. I am worried about having a hard time letting any snake go and am wondering if anyone else has had the same experience.

You can always give it a try and if you can't pull yourself to sell them, make the decision not to breed anymore. If you can't sell your hatchlings and breed every year...that becomes A LOT of mouths to feed over the years :D

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Originally Posted by BHReptiles

You can always give it a try and if you can't pull yourself to sell them, make the decision not to breed anymore. If you can't sell your hatchlings and breed every year...that becomes A LOT of mouths to feed over the years :D

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You're right. We will try one clutch and see how that goes, I imagine I will be able to give up some hatchlings but not without the usual remorse. I was just wondering if anyone else felt the same way and how they dealt with it.

Whatever you do, don't name the babies you're going to let go! ;) Plan ahead of time what you want to hold back if you hit the combo, and try to stick to the plan. I produced a bumblebee female a couple of weeks ago that I don't want to let go - but I have equally hot holdbacks from last year, so I'm not even allowing myself to think about hanging onto her. Of course, it helps that she's going to go live with one of our fellow forum members! :gj:

Yeah, I know the feeling. I have a few extra males that I know I should rehome by next season, but I'm not sure I will be able to bring myself to do it since they were some of my first snakes. :( I just really won't have a use for a spider male in future pairings.

Suck!!!

Just don't name the babies, give them all numbers!

It sounds like your husband may know you better than you know yourself. This isn't necessarily a bad thing (at least, that's what I tell myself when my husband makes this kind of comment), and since any breedings are still a few months away, you have time to figure out how to make it easier to let go of any babies.

I have friends who are small/hobby breeders of other animals (poodles and ponies) and I ask them how they manage, because puppies and foals are some of the cutest animals in this world. Here are some ideas based on what they do:

- Don't name the babies. Just... don't. Once you name it, it's yours.

- Keep your quality high and your quantity low. It costs just as much to feed and breed a normal or single-gene morph as a two+ gene morph. Most animals that end up "thrown away", neglected, or needing rescue come from the low end. I have only four normals (3 BP's and one BCI) and every one came from that kind of situation.

- If you limit yourself to local sales, then buyers can put eyes and hands on the baby and parents before they make any decisions. This helps reassure them that you're legit and not a scammer, and lets you screen them as well. Also, you can deliver the animal and see where it will be kept. You can also check that everyone in the house is ok with a snake being there; my normal BCI's former owner was a teenage boy who purchased her from a big box store and hid the snake in his closet for four months. Mommy hit the roof when she found it...

- Advertise by word of mouth, or on Facebook specialty groups for local herpers and enthusiasts, or snake/reptile-specific forums like this one, Fauna, etc. Don't sell on CraigsList, too many scammers and flippers.

- Screen buyers carefully. If something seems off you can always say no.

- This idea came from the horse breeder as she doesn't want any of "her" babies ending up on a slaughter truck: the buyer must sign a contract giving her first right of refusal if the buyer wishes to sell the animal in the future. It doesn't mean she must buy the animal, just that she has the opportunity to pay market price for it first. She understands that horses are expensive to maintain and people's lives can change overnight. So far she's never had to use it, but she only produces 1-2 foals a year.

A larger commercial breeder has to make a profit, and basically the first buyer with the cash gets the snake. If you're in this as a hobby you can be much pickier about your buyers, which should help alleviate any emotional issues you have.

Here's how I look at it...you know how happy you are about your new addition, and how much you care about your snakes, right? If you do what you can to make sure they are going to a good home, the new owner will be just as happy to have them as you are. It really is cool to hear how happy someone is to have a snake that you produced. I've sold quite a few, but one that sticks in my mind is a sweet little spider male I sold to the parents of an Autistic boy. The Dr. suggested that a pet might be good for their son, and recommended a snake because he thought a dog or cat might be too much stimulation. They wanted a Spider because of the wobble...they thought their son might identify more if his new pet had a "disability" too. Things like that make me think, I'm glad I produced that snake...I was able to make someone else really happy.

When I bred pet birds for 20 years, every time a baby left I'd go into my room, throw myself on the bed and cry. I am a very emotional person who forms deep connections to my animals.

I worried when I first decided to breed that I would face the same problem. When I had my first successful clutch of 5, I was elated. I knew each and every baby by sight, something my husband could never understand. I knew what each one liked and did not like, their little personality quirks, all of it. When the time came for my first show, I was a wreck. What if someone wanted to buy a baby, and I suddenly panicked and couldn't do it? But when so many people came by my table and admired my babies, I was so proud. I felt I had really accomplished something. And when someone finally did ask about holding one, I was very eager to have them see what a terrific baby I had raised. They fell in love immediately, and why wouldn't they? I had bred some of the best baby snakes in the state after all. And you know what? It wasn't hard to sell them at all.

I was so thrilled by people showing so much love for my babies, so much pleasure in something I did, I was proud and happy to share that love and joy. Sure I missed their little faces peeking at me. And yes those empty tubs were hard to look at. But instead of focusing on what I had let go, I began to plan what other beautiful things I could fill those tubs with. How many more people could I introduce to this wonderful addiction of mine?

So yes, it was hard at first. taking that first giant step scared me to death. But once I took it, once I saw the fascination others had for my babies, then it got a lot easier.

Gale

Thanks for the advice! I will not be naming any babies! Also thanks for sharing the personal experiences. Looking at it in the light that I might be making other people happy with my beautiful babies, and that they may care for them as much as I do, really helped ease my mind. Thanks!