Hello All,
Let me first say before you flame my post do keep in mind that I am a newbie and my thoughts expressed in this post are just thoughts I have had since I have started in this hobby. I might not have all the facts or even have them correctly and if I don’t please feel free to fill me in as I would really like to learn about this hobby and for some industry.

What I am having trouble understanding is why everything out there is a quality breeder. I have seen post after post on different classified sites and it seems every animal on there is of breeder quality. This I do not understand.

I breed and show dogs and have done so for many years and I can assure you that not every puppy in a litter is breeder quality. So why is that the case in the ball python hobby? I am sure many breeders keep their holdbacks for the most part and then there might out of a litter of 5 be 3 or so on average that have the color and markings to be truly called breeder quality.

I understand when you are dealing with the new morphs you breed whatever you can. But take for example albino shouldn’t there be some standard of coloration and markings as to what is or isn’t breeder quality in this well established morph?

After all the genes passed on and expressed are not always the same in a litter and with a breeding program wouldn’t one want to start with the best quality animal they could find?

Here is the other thing I do not understand just because a bigger breeder has something for sale doesn’t always make it better. I mean isn’t it more likely that will keep the best for themselves to improve their stock?

Shouldn’t one be more selective when starting a breeding program or is this how it is just pair two snakes together and see how it goes? This concept is hard for me to follow since I firmly believe all genes are not created equal.

Your thoughts are of course welcome,

Jeremiah L Stennett