What should I buy?

[smd58]

I also agree with getting what you are attracted to. Females first. And spend wisely.

[Zach]

Here's another vote for a female. You're going to pay a LOT more for a breeder sized female than for a male - even a male of breeding size. Trust those here with more experience - the cheaper and more efficient way to go is to start with a girl. For $300 or so you could potentially get a female a little older than a hatchling so she might be ready in just a year or two. And you can find a good male at 1-2 years old that won't break your budget and he could be ready that same season. So getting the female first does not necessarily mean you'd have a longer wait to breed.

As far as what to get, I'd also go with what you like. Here's a thought though - from your siggy it looks like you already have a female pastel (correct me if I'm wrong) and if that's the case, I would consider getting a female mojave now and then a male lesser later on. That way you can breed lesser x mojave for your BELs and also do lesser x pastel. Pastel lessers are COOL! Just a thought.....

yes i have a female pastel and thats a pretty good idea i might do that but i still dont understand the whole female first thing but thanku

[shorty54]

The whole female first is so that you can raise it and know how healthy it really is. Plus if you buy a hatchling Lesser you're going to spend around $400. If you buy that same female as a mature ready to breed female. You're going to spend around $1,600. Just food for thought...also, if you raise them both then you have the satisfaction of knowing you have been there since day ONE with both snakes. Breeding is going to take time. It's not something you can rush into. I just got the idea of breeding BP's and Crested Gecko's. I picked up 7 cresties and am going to have to wait a couple of years before I get eggs. Same with BP's, I got a Black Pastel female and am getting a Lesser female before X-mas. I'm going to feed them and get them up and ready so in two years they will be ready to breed. I'll pick me up a male next summer. So, they'll be ready around the same time to breed. Just my ! Trust me, I understand wanting to have babies RIGHT NOW! But, it will come with time!!!! I've spoke with a few breeders before I finally realized they're ALL giving me the same advice!

[BoaFreak]

The whole female first is so that you can raise it and know how healthy it really is. Plus if you buy a hatchling Lesser you're going to spend around $400. If you buy that same female as a mature ready to breed female. You're going to spend around $1,600. Just food for thought...also, if you raise them both then you have the satisfaction of knowing you have been there since day ONE with both snakes. Breeding is going to take time. It's not something you can rush into. I just got the idea of breeding BP's and Crested Gecko's. I picked up 7 cresties and am going to have to wait a couple of years before I get eggs. Same with BP's, I got a Black Pastel female and am getting a Lesser female before X-mas. I'm going to feed them and get them up and ready so in two years they will be ready to breed. I'll pick me up a male next summer. So, they'll be ready around the same time to breed. Just my ! Trust me, I understand wanting to have babies RIGHT NOW! But, it will come with time!!!! I've spoke with a few breeders before I finally realized they're ALL giving me the same advice!

Well said. Shorty pretty much said it . The older the female the steeper the price. It would cost you a pretty penny for a breeder female. It is also very rewarding to breed adults that you raised. Keep us posted on what you decide and goodluck

[Evenstar]

The whole female first is so that you can raise it and know how healthy it really is. Plus if you buy a hatchling Lesser you're going to spend around $400. If you buy that same female as a mature ready to breed female. You're going to spend around $1,600. Just food for thought...also, if you raise them both then you have the satisfaction of knowing you have been there since day ONE with both snakes. Breeding is going to take time. It's not something you can rush into. I just got the idea of breeding BP's and Crested Gecko's. I picked up 7 cresties and am going to have to wait a couple of years before I get eggs. Same with BP's, I got a Black Pastel female and am getting a Lesser female before X-mas. I'm going to feed them and get them up and ready so in two years they will be ready to breed. I'll pick me up a male next summer. So, they'll be ready around the same time to breed. Just my ! Trust me, I understand wanting to have babies RIGHT NOW! But, it will come with time!!!! I've spoke with a few breeders before I finally realized they're ALL giving me the same advice!

Exactly. One should never rush into breeding. There are hundreds of bp breeders out there. What if you can't "get rid of" all the babies you produce? Are you prepared to keep them? There's lots to consider and I for one am not going to turn this thread into should you or shouldn't you breed - I'm interested in doing so myself sometime in the future - but these things DO take time. And if you want to be respected in this hobby, you do need to take your time to do it correctly and ethically. There are some stickies under the breeding forum you should look through.

There are reasons you need to start with females. Do you really want to pay 4 times as much for a female once it's reached breeding weight??? Why not look for a yearling now and save ooodles??? Yearling males are not much more $$ than hatchlings and may be able to breed that same season. But the ladies go up and up and up in price.

Again, this is just food for thought. But you are being given advice from some really experienced people who've been there done that. We are here to help you and we're trying to do that by recommending the best course of action for you - one that will best further your breeding aspirations. Take that for what it is and do what you feel is best and good luck to you!

[Zach]

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