To breed or not to breed

[sho220]

I've seen some killer looking plain 'ol normals that make most yellowbellys look quite shabby

for me, yellowbellys are het for awesome. they really dont do much on their own. on its own, fire is sooooo much better. even most pastels do not do anything for me on their own.

Different strokes for different folks...nothing wrong with hatching out some of these...

[weston1]

Of course quarantine is a must even though the female has come from a good friend of mine.
I was caught out when I went to a reptile show and came back with a corn snake that had mites I had to treat my whole collection as a preventative measure. (Lesson learned)
I wouldn't want anything serious to happen to my collection just because I got impatient

[Badgemash]

I'm sure there are people who will disagree with what I'm about to write, and that's totally fine and reasonable.

I would be less worried about strict qt measures if this animal came from a trusted friend who's husbandry you have witnessed first hand. Frankly if you've been around this guy's collection regularly and then gone home, any pathogens present at his place likely traveled home on your clothes and shoes and your animals have already been exposed. And unless you've been qt'ing the female in a separate building and changing your clothing and showering every time you've handled her, anything she's carrying has probably made it's way to your collection. I'm not saying she has something, or that your snakes are all going to get sick, just that the risk in this case (assuming your friend has high standards) is likely low.

There is a sliding scale IMO as to what constitutes the appropriate procedure with a new animal, and it largely depends on the previous owner. I'm going to be a LOT more cautious with an animal I get online or at a show, than from a local friend who's collection (and how he maintains it) I've seen personally and who rarely brings in new animals themselves.

As far as your breeding question goes, as long as you are prepared to incubate, house, and feed hatchlings, and you do all the research you can into potential problems there's no reason not to try it. No it's not the most amazing pairing in a genetic sense, but there is a market for normals and yb's. Not everyone is looking for a 5 gene uber morph, and normals happen to be equally as good at sitting in a tank and being someone's pet as anything else.

[JMinILM]

As long as you have everything prepared and you have done all your research then go for it. As far as a yellowbelly to a normal as a first pairing, I think that makes sense. You have to start somewhere and your more likely to loss your first clutch than a clutch later on after you have more experience. My first year the only female I had ready was the normal. I wanted to get some experience before the morph girls were ready, but I didn't want to buy a "powerful" male a year early, so I picked up a proven breeder pastel. What I learned that year has helped me with more desirable pairings in later years.

[Emilio]

yellowbelly to normal is not an attractive breeding. you would only get yellowbellys and normals. and thats exactly the kind of stuff the market is over-saturated with. prices for single-gene basic morphs that do not look impressive on their own have tanked and are getting closer and closer to the price of normals, and yellowbelly is one of these genes that shines in combos (ivory, superstripe, highway, puma) but on its own its not impressive at all.

that being said, of course you could try. age and weight for both are totally fine for breeding. chances that it works out are good. you just need an incubator and a hatchling rack, and the baby BPs you hatch wont be of much help to recoup that investment.

I disagree, I and others have some amazing YB's, mine are Bling like high orange that on their own are super cool, we should never lose sight of how amazing these single gene animals are because of value.

To the OP go ahead with your breeding make some female YB's for yourself, then down the road you produce an Ivory which by the way is an outstanding Bp.

[JMinILM]

i disagree, i and others have some amazing yb's, mine are bling like high orange that on their own are super cool, we should never lose sight of how amazing these single gene animals are because of value.

To the op go ahead with your breeding make some female yb's for yourself, then down the road you produce an ivory which by the way is an outstanding bp.

x2

[brock lesser]

First of all, the pair you are thinking about is fine.
What I disagree with is the idea that you might lose some eggs so do a less valuable pairing.
You set everything up and make sure you are ready, temperature is right, racks are set for babies
and breeders up to size and mature enough. then breed your power male whatever that is.
Anything can happen no matter how many clutches you've hatched.

[brock lesser]

Different strokes for different folks...nothing wrong with hatching out some of these...

That plain old yb can sit in my racks anytime! Smokin!

[theNotoriousDUD]

Just to add to the conversation about single gene morphs. I have seen some pretty washed out looking multi-gene combos over the 2 yrs I have been keeping BP's. IMO there aren't that many 3-4 r even 5 gene morphs that are more attractive than the 1-2 gene stuff. I have a Cinnamon male in my racks that I pull out and show friends more than any multi-gene I own. It is a shame that the less genetically complex stuff is so undervalued.

[weston1]

we'll I've put my male yellow belly to my normal female and as you can see they seem to be getting on fine.
I think this will give me confidence with future breedings and the experience I feel I need to enjoy this hobby even more than I do already( which I didn't think was possible!).


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