Question about breeding desert females!

[Jam Reptiles]

You really have a lot of reading to do before you start spending any cash. Even with a male, you will need an outlet for the females you produce, so keep that in mind. Many folks do not want to feed a non-breedable female.

I have done alot of the reading especially in these forums and the way I see it is if I end up with females I will keep them or give them to my nephews nieces cousins I have alot of family members that would love a nice snake.

[h00blah]

Remember folks, desert females will still cost more than a normal. Female desert combos will cost more than single gene female deserts. You still have an animal that can sell for more than the cost of a normal male.


One thing to really consider if your reason for not getting into the project is "I can tell them that the snake is PET only but I can't guarantee they won't try...": You can't guarantee that the person who buys your desert won't try and breed her, only to fail and possibly kill the baby you produced... You ALSO can't guarantee that the person buying your other snakes will feed them regularly.. Or clean them.. Or give them fresh water like you do.. You can't stop your customers from housing snakes together, or giving your snake a huge heat lamp, leaving them dry with layers of stuck eye caps..

I don't consider this common excuse to be really reasonable..

The main reason I won't get into the desert project is because there's a 50% chance that you'll hatch out an animal that you can't hold back and breed. I know people pair their snakes hoping for a special male or female, then get a little disappointed when they don't get the gender they were hoping for, but there's another person out there who is dying to have that gender snake in their breeding group! I'd be happy to supply them with that morph . Not many people who want to BREED will say "man I really hope someone produces a female super pastel spider tiger next year so I can show her off! Part of the allure of the ball python hobby is the breeding potential your snakes have! That's why I'm not really into the pied project much, or white snakes, black snakes, and various other patternless . I like snakes that would be enhanced with other genes! A BEL is crazy! A pastel BEL is a BEL.. A bumblebee BEL is a BEL... A clown BEL is a BEL ..

I need to go to sleep . Desert discussions are always fun to participate in . i like hearing other people's opinions on the project since we all have varying points of views. Especially on value. That's what keeps the "ball game" rolling .

[adamfritzsche]

The way I see it is there are two facts:
Deserts make awesome combos &
Females have reproduction issues

My thought is this should keep the desert gene going, as it is much harder to produce combos. Therefore, prices should not drop as drastically. While on the other side of this, if you want an awesome looking snake, with no interest in the breeding, you can also pick up the same combo at about 1/3 of the price.

To me, sounds like a win win for both breeders and those looking for an awesome pet.

That is what made me to decide to buy my breeder male this weekend. I will also be on the side of the fence where until there is conrete proof that they at no point will ever produce viable clutches, I'll be holding a few of my females back. I will definately not give anyone looking to buy one the impression that they will breed, however. Full disclosure here.

Just my opinion of many. Feel free to agree or disagree.

[hype1108]

Where is the info on lowering temps for a desert female to produce a clutch that is good. I am interested I would like to read it and look further into it. I have a desert male and should have some hatching in the next couple days. I would like a female to see what the possibility of her laying is.

[snakesRkewl]

hype1108
Where is the info on lowering temps for a desert female to produce a clutch that is good.

There is no info that it works because it probably doesn't. It has been tried by multiple people with the same results.

If wonder if the desert gene was worth what a pastel is worth would all this fuss be going on?

With many hundreds of base mutations it seems people forget that occasionally one might not work genetically for whatever reason.
Spider champs, super HGW and more combo's are lethal, why is it such a stretch that we have found another mutation that won't work?

The reason has probably been found as to why they can't provide us with good eggs but being human we want to "fix" everything that's wrong.
Sometimes it just isn't possible

[adam_c]

if you want to get into desert [type] stuff, get into the desert ghost gene. its the recessive. females aren't infertile and the combos are rad.

[TJ_Burton]

if you want to get into desert [type] stuff, get into the desert ghost gene. its the recessive. females aren't infertile and the combos are rad.

They don't look anything alike... lol

[satomi325]

They don't look anything alike... lol

No. But both are a clean up morph with similar effects.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[RoseyReps]

I don't think it's fair to say they don't look anything alike, or are not similar. They are non related morphs yes, but I believe I read (my memory is crap, so please correct me if I'm wrong) the reason behind the "Desert" name was that when it was imported, they actually thought it was another line of Desert Ghost, and were expecting it to be recessive etc? I think they are similar in what they do in combos.

http://www.worldofballpythons.com/mo...ert-pinstripe/
http://www.worldofballpythons.com/mo...ost-pinstripe/

Now, I'm not saying those look exactly alike, but I think there are a good bit of similarities, enough to use DG as a suggestion for people looking to work with Deserts anyway.

*shrug* my opinion anyways

- - - Updated - - -

Found where I read it, it was on Albey's site.

The excerpt:

Around 2001 Stan Chiras purchased his original Desert male as a 350 gram import. At the time of purchase it was assumed to be a Desert Ghost. When it got up to size to breed it was bred to a Normal Female and the offspring were expected to be Normal looking Het Desert Ghost. Much to his surprise two of the babies looked just like the Father. Around this same time Peter Kahl imported a like animal that he also thought was a Desert Ghost. His Desert did the same thing as Stan’s. Stan and Peter compared their animals and determined that they were the same thing. Instead of being a Simple Recessive trait it appears to be Co-Dom.


From this page http://www.albeysreptiles.com/desert07_1.htm
So saying that the Desert, is not connected in any way, is a bit of a stretch. The original ones were thought to be DGs, so suggestion of the use in replacement is not so much an oddity as people like to claim

[snakesRkewl]

I think there are a good bit of similarities, enough to use DG as a suggestion for people looking to work with Deserts anyway.

Maybe not exactly the same but an excellent trait none the less