What makes a good breeder?

[moonlightgdess]

I hope this is the right forum, but my question is, after reading some BOIs and such, what makes a good breeder? I am going to be breeding my bps next year and aside from quality animals and good service, is there anything that you like to see in a breeder?

[The Serpent Merchant]

I like to see a breeder who goes out of their way to make sure that the customer gets exactly what they want. A good breeder responds to emails and calls within 48 hours (not always possible, but should be what happens most of the time) a good breeder is willing to answer husbandry related questions as well as questions about the snake and it's lineage.

Less important, but I like to see breeders who are active in the reptile community, who take the time to share some of their knowledge.

[West Coast Jungle]

Someone who takes good care of their animals is first and foremost in my book, then good honest service, returning emails, sending pics, giving truthful or accurate info and of course quality animals.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Quality animals, honesty, ethics, customer service (treating people the way you want to be treated).

[satomi325]

I agree with everyone who posted. I also like breeders who respect and treat their animals as living beings and not money makers. I've met one breeder who was so obsessed with his profit, that he failed to properly care for his snakes or customers. That is quite upsetting to me.

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[Slim]

I like to see breeders who are active in the reptile community, who take the time to share some of their knowledge.

This is very important to me personally. I know a breeder or three who used to be very active in the community, but the bigger they got, the less you saw of them. Not necessarily because they got too busy, but because they felt they no longer needed to interact with the little people.

Happily, most breeders don’t feel that way. We have several outstanding breeders both large and small who are active members of both BP.net and the community at large.

When considering a new addition to my collection, I keep in mind who got too big to play in the sandbox and who still takes turns pushing the swings....

[Mike41793]

Sorta in this order is how it goes for me:
1. Animals are nice lookin, good examples of the morph. Also animals look healthy and are kept properly.
2. Customer Service- They answer all Q's. Dont get an attitude. Stay in contact. Are flexible for a payment plan if i need one. Make sure im happy with purchase.
3. Are friendly and helpful even post-purchase. If i get a snake then 6 months later i have a Q about feeding or breeding or whatever i expect them to help me just the same since i chose to purchase a snake from them.
4. Refund/Exchange- Ive never had this problem but... If the snake arrives DOA or isnt healthy or whatever then if i wanna get a refund or exchange for a credit towards another snake then thats what i would expect.

This probably doesnt cover quite everything but at least most of my opinion. Also down the road once i start breeding and selling this is how i plan on conducting business with my potential customers. I will do my best to mimic how Rich from RBI treats his customers lol.

[Skittles1101]

I agree with what everyone said, I also try to stay away from the people who have the social skills of a walnut...I guess that goes along with customer service though. I really like the friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, honest ones. I also agree that swift response is huge. If I contact someone and it takes them a week + to get back to me, it's such a turn off.

+1 to RBI also, Rich is awesome.

[KatStoverReptiles]

I think communication is key for me. I want someone who responds to my emails. I've emailed a few people off of fauna and never got a response! I even sent a follow up email in case the first one got lost. Well then! Won't be buying from you!

I also want someone who provides a tracking # (obviously).

I am the type of person that, when looking to buy a new snake, will check out the inventory of people I've bought from previously before going to general fauna or kingsnake. I haven't had the chance to repeat buy from someone yet, but I'm sure it'll happen.

I agree with Mike, if I email you 6 months later with a question I expect (at least) a response. I don't expect everyone to remember me and every detail about our transaction, but take a few moments, look back in your records (I'll usually provide the type of snake I bought (species, morph, gender, etc. and when) and answer my question.

Also, I think the quality of a seller is tested when something goes wrong. If a snake arrives DOA, unhealthy, not what the customer was expecting, or gets lost in transit, then how the seller deals with that situation is a true test of their character. I always feel uneasy when people post complaints on here before they've even contacted the seller. I think that isn't giving the seller the chance to rectify the situation. Stuff happens and not giving the seller the chance to fix things or whatever needs to be done before getting on here and complaining (even if they don't post the seller's name--somehow it always gets out) isn't right.

[Gloryhound]

A Good Breeder:

1. Knows how to care for the animals they are breeding.
2. Puts the animals before profits
3. Does not consider the breeding process an assembly line
4. Has a statistically high percentage rate of Females that were bred that end up laying.
5. Has a statistically high hatch rate.
6. Strives to produce better quality animals every year.

A Good Sales man:

1. Knowlegable about the product.
2. Able to articulate and share his knowledge well.
3. Is personable
4. Responds to questions in a reasonable amount of time
5. Stays current and involved in the industry
6. Honest about the product
7. Customer service before, during, and after the purchase

Yes, the breeder and the sales man can be all in one package, but they are not always in the same package. Sometimes it takes a team, husband and wife teams are not uncommon and actually I think they are the most common teams you will see at shows. I would rather purchase from a team that has one that is awesome with the animals and another that takes customer service to the extreme, than one guy that might be OK with his animals and OK with his customer service