Culling Healthy Animals

[MsPrada]

I'm not a breeder, but I am an avid fan of animal welfare so I'll chime in and share my feelings. I won't argue, but debate is never unwelcome.

As far as feeding snakes to other animals, I don't have a problem. I feel like breeding rats for consumption of animals is the same as breeding cows for us to eat. Theoretically, breeding snakes to feed animals isn't that much different. I feel, however, if its an animal that eats snake in the wild or as a natural food source, thats fine. I do disagree if you are breeding snakes to feed animals that like meat but do not eat snake meat. My only feeling is that you should feed the animal its normal food source and if you can not, then do not keep it as a captive animal.

Now, moving on to ugly snakes. I am an avid believer that the aesthetics of animals, or the beauty of them, is absolutely NO reason to cull a snake, or any animal for that purpose. In my opinion you can not be 100% sure that the animal will have a bad life if someone buys it. For example, pretend there is a breeder that breeds for designer animals, BPS for example, and ends up with a bunch of normals. I, as a buyer, would buy this animal and give a good life. Just because it is 'ugly' to you does not mean it is indicative that any potential buyer, me included, would not care for it. This is almost the same logic that people that don't pay for expensive bedding will not care for their snakes the same way that someone who pays $11 for a bag of bedding will. If you are taking the initiative to breed, period, then you need to be prepared for the consequences. Every clutch is not going to be 5 designer snakes. Thus, I feel that if you are breeding you need to be prepared BEFORE you begin with a plan for the "non-designer" animals. Just like you should if you are a breeder for dogs or cats or anything. These are lives that are being made because you want to make them, hobby or for money or what. You did it, not the animal. You took the creation into your own hands because these are your animals and you had to put them together to breed. So you need to know what to do with the "unwanteds" as you call them. I just don't think there is a real 100% opportunity for you to know that "...you'd be dead wrong." for selling these snakes. I don't see how it isn't good for the hobby to find a home for an unwanted. How does this jeopardize the hobby? Isn't the hobby breeding? Isn't there many a person that says breeding should be done for the betterment of the animal? In this case producing healthy morphs that may not have existed before? So, again, I don't understand how getting rid of this normal, passing it on to someone who may or may not care for it (again, you don't know) is going to harm the breeding and passing on of the designer morphs.

Now, I understand this is a hobby for you, not a pet, but you must still understand these are lives, rather its a pretty snake or an ugly snake. It may not be your dog for you but the ones you cull that aren't pretty may be a dog to someone else.

Thats just my opinion. I must say, I am mainly utilitarian as far as animals go (I do believe in relationships, however, with animals) so I get that these animals do something for you. I just have to weigh the pros and the cons, and in my opinion as far as ugly animals go, the cons don't weigh out.