Quality of breeding stock

[Royal Hijinx]

So, this whole Pewter/Sterling debacle in the other thread has got me on a path of thought.

Let us talk about future breeding stock.

Ever wonder why you cannot find a nice Enchi or Pastel (or whatever)? IMO the simple answer is a lot of folks just breed whatever quality of stock together and then sell off the numerous sub par examples.

IMO your breeding stock should consist of the highest quality examples you can FIND. You notice I did not say AFFORD. Meaning, that if all you can afford is a poor example, you need to save up and keep looking. You are better off starting with super high quality, but less expensive morphs (ex. Spider), than trying to get the cheapest of the next level for breeding. Or just exercise patience and keep looking.

Furthermore if you EVER question if the snake is even the morph is it purported to be, then DO NOT BUY IT for breeding. All snakes make great pets and we need to as a group come to grips that some are pet quality and some are breeder quality. A nicer example SHOULD cost you more. Luckily it does not always, and that is great.

(I understand there are a handful of "ugly" snakes that throw great babies, these are not the rule)

I will take the last thought a step further and say that if you have to come on a message board and ask if something is a good example, then probably should not buy it either. I say this for two reasons:

1. Probably not a stunner if you have ask us if it is one.
2. You may need to do more research on the morph so you can formulate your own opinion.

That may sound harsh, but lack of research into a project causes a lot of issues IMO.

I bring this up because not every breeder can afford to get in on the latest hot shot project, but EVERY breeder can think in a line breeding mentality and always strive for the best end product. Whether that be the cleanest Enchi, or the busiest Clown, there are a lot a accepted variations within a morph and many have their own specific audience.

A lot of folks try to hide behind the idea that we cannot decide what is the best example of a morph because of natural variation. I disagree with that and I think the market often times makes the decision for us. There is a reason there are more HC Albino now than dull ones. The market dictated that folks wanted HC and it was bred for. For a newer morph YOU could be the one to help dictating that by breeding the best examples of whatever trait floats your boat.

Anyway, I know this is a long ramble that may not make a ton of sense, but here it is. My manifesto for today.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to spirited discussion on the matter.