Future Breeder - Asking for Advice from the Pros

[GhostEchoes92]

Good Afternoon!

I wanted to ask a few seasoned breeders here for general advice. I have been keeping BP's for 4 years now, and have started planning my first pairings for 2022. I currently plan to pair only one pair that first year, for hopefully one clutch. IF it goes to plan, I will pair two pairs the next year, etc..

I am currently raising up a het albino female (currently around 550 grams) and an albino male (80 grams) for my first pairing. I also have a Piebald and het piebald as well as a lesser and Mojave for 2023. All of the snakes are fantastic eaters, they're weighed weekly and gone over for general health/etc. when they are weighed. My initial goal is Albino, Piebald and BEL... however I plan to get into the clown and leopard genes along with pastel, ghost, YB and OD if things go to plan. I have not yet purchased an incubator because it will be several years before my snakes and I are ready to embark on this endeavor, however I will be purchasing one before I pair the male and female for the first time. I do have a self-contained incubator with heat controls picked out already though.

My questions are, what are some things that you would have liked to know before you started breeding? I have done hours (and by hours I mean it should be a full time job at this point) of research on care. I have researched how to care for the hatchlings in the event of an emergency (wont feed, health issues, etc.) and about the genes that I want to use for breeding.

Thanks in advance,

Bekah

[Lord Sorril]

I wish I had bred my own rodents for snake food sooner vs. purchasing bulk f/t online. For raising a large collection of snakes--the cost savings over time are substantial.

[GhostEchoes92]

That’s definitely something I’ve been thinking about! My only hang up is that I’m allergic to rats 😅. I would definitely need to wait until I have a separate room for them and my collection isn’t hanging out in my living room.

thank you so much for your advice! As a side note, is there a frozen/thawed provider that you’d suggest over others? I’ve been looking into RodentPro, but wanted to shop around.

[Lord Sorril]

An allergy to rats is problematic. You could try seeing if you have an allergy to African Soft Fur (ASF) Rats. I used them for a while-people say they have 'tame' colonies that don't bite--I had neurotic cannibals with a thirst for blood.

I'm not fond of RodentPro based on past experience--their poor quality are actually the reason I started breeding my own rodents. I'm told that Perfect Prey or Big Cheese Rodents are superior if they have the correct food sizes in stock.

[GhostEchoes92]

An allergy to rats is problematic. You could try seeing if you have an allergy to African Soft Fur (ASF) Rats. I used them for a while-people say they have 'tame' colonies that don't bite--I had neurotic cannibals with a thirst for blood.

I'm not fond of RodentPro based on past experience--their poor quality are actually the reason I started breeding my own rodents. I'm told that Perfect Prey or Big Cheese Rodents are superior if they have the correct food sizes in stock.

I've heard really mixed reviews about ASF personalities. Typically I have found that I am allergic to anything rodent... or anything with fur that has life and breath and some things that dont. That's part of why I am so fond of reptiles haha. I am even a little allergic to my dog and cats.

I will check into those other sites you mentioned; I have heard so many things about so many different services. I have a little bit of time though, as I am waiting until the majority of my kiddos are on sm Rats to start ordering. For now, I have a local mom and pop shop that I buy feeders from. I'm thinking that I am going to hit up my local reptile shows too and get f/t from vendors there. At least then I can avoid the shipping lol.

Thanks for all of your info so far!

[PghBall]

The #1 thing I believe this hobby teaches - Patience. From the time you purchase your first female with the dream of breeding you learn just how long it can take before she is mature enough and of size to breed. You learn about the 1000 gram wall. Males and females alike going off feed for months at a time. You go through the long breeding process..recording locks, trying to catch ovulations, watching for the glow, prelay shed. Then the countdown to the clutch. But then there is still the long wait in the incubator. Days 50, 51, 52, etc are agonizing as you wait for them to pip. Then to cut or not to cut...decisions. After they hatch it's getting them all feeding and thriving. Now how do you sell what you are not holding back? You set your price but you are not getting any interest...do you mark them down?...no...patience. They will sell, you just need patience and be prepared to house them sometimes into the next season. That's the advice I'll give and will say good luck and enjoy the ride

[GhostEchoes92]

The #1 thing I believe this hobby teaches - Patience. From the time you purchase your first female with the dream of breeding you learn just how long it can take before she is mature enough and of size to breed. You learn about the 1000 gram wall. Males and females alike going off feed for months at a time. You go through the long breeding process..recording locks, trying to catch ovulations, watching for the glow, prelay shed. Then the countdown to the clutch. But then there is still the long wait in the incubator. Days 50, 51, 52, etc are agonizing as you wait for them to pip. Then to cut or not to cut...decisions. After they hatch it's getting them all feeding and thriving. Now how do you sell what you are not holding back? You set your price but you are not getting any interest...do you mark them down?...no...patience. They will sell, you just need patience and be prepared to house them sometimes into the next season. That's the advice I'll give and will say good luck and enjoy the ride

Thank you so much for all of this. There are so many things that I have read about... and by far the going off feed even already drives me insane even now. I can definitely see why patience is such a big big thing. I feel like just waiting for your first babies to grow up to maturity is an exercise in patience in and of itself. I watch them, and weigh them, and talk to them and look them over. I spend time getting to know them, and knowing what is normal for them and what isnt. I just keep telling them that it will all pay off, and in turn telling myself that too. Patience is definitely a great lesson to remember. You guys are awesome! Thank you so much.

[rufretic]

The #1 thing I believe this hobby teaches - Patience. From the time you purchase your first female with the dream of breeding you learn just how long it can take before she is mature enough and of size to breed. You learn about the 1000 gram wall. Males and females alike going off feed for months at a time. You go through the long breeding process..recording locks, trying to catch ovulations, watching for the glow, prelay shed. Then the countdown to the clutch. But then there is still the long wait in the incubator. Days 50, 51, 52, etc are agonizing as you wait for them to pip. Then to cut or not to cut...decisions. After they hatch it's getting them all feeding and thriving. Now how do you sell what you are not holding back? You set your price but you are not getting any interest...do you mark them down?...no...patience. They will sell, you just need patience and be prepared to house them sometimes into the next season. That's the advice I'll give and will say good luck and enjoy the ride

This is a great post! You make some really good points.

My only advice to add, that helps slightly with the patience, have more than one female lol. The more you have the better chance each year that you'll get a girl to go. When I first got into the breeding part of the hobby, I only bred one female and got lucky she gave me a nice healthy clutch. I thought, this is so easy, pair up 10 females, get 10 clutches. LOL, not the case! Not every female is going to go for you every year. So if you have 3 females and 3 don't go, it's a super frustrating experience and it will test your patience having to wait another year. But if you pair 10 females and 3 don't go, it's still a great season imo. Of course make sure you have the means to house and feed all those babies if they do go for you, no guarantee on how quickly you will sell them. I've also noticed how much quicker time goes growing out females when you are working with others, it takes the focus off any individual female you may want to breed in the future, instead you're focused on what you're working on that year and I've had females shock me, like how the heck are you 2000g already haha.

It is definitely an extremely enjoyable hobby, I think about it all the time. Good luck with your plans.

[GhostEchoes92]

This is a great post! You make some really good points.

My only advice to add, that helps slightly with the patience, have more than one female lol. The more you have the better chance each year that you'll get a girl to go. When I first got into the breeding part of the hobby, I only bred one female and got lucky she gave me a nice healthy clutch. I thought, this is so easy, pair up 10 females, get 10 clutches. LOL, not the case! Not every female is going to go for you every year. So if you have 3 females and 3 don't go, it's a super frustrating experience and it will test your patience having to wait another year. But if you pair 10 females and 3 don't go, it's still a great season imo. Of course make sure you have the means to house and feed all those babies if they do go for you, no guarantee on how quickly you will sell them. I've also noticed how much quicker time goes growing out females when you are working with others, it takes the focus off any individual female you may want to breed in the future, instead you're focused on what you're working on that year and I've had females shock me, like how the heck are you 2000g already haha.

It is definitely an extremely enjoyable hobby, I think about it all the time. Good luck with your plans.

thats great advice too! I have 5 females currently, and do plan to get more. I only mentioned breeding the one at first just so that I get a feel for it. But I totally agree with multiple females per year. I have noticed how quickly time goes when you’re growing out multiples. When I got my normal male years ago, it was torture watching him grow up. Now I look at him and he’s 650 grams. It’s like where did my lil baby go?