Horrible Odds!

[rlditmars]

If you want a bad odds story to make you feel better, here you go. Out of a 9 egg clutch from a YB to normal pairing, we had 8 hatch. The one that didn't pip was a YB that died in the egg with a twisted umbilicus. Of the 8 that did hatch there was 1 YB and 7 normal. All of the normal hatchlings were female and the one YB was male of course. 5 of the 8 required assist feeding, many 6 to 8 times before they would take food on their own. They hatched on August 28th and we finally sold the last one in late February.

For all of those people who just want to try breeding to see what it is like or because they think they can make some money, let this be a cautionary tale. Putting two snakes together and getting them to lock, and having a female lay eggs is easy. The rest requires a lot of patience, time, and money. It can be frustrating, heartbreaking, and there is no guarantee of even a modest return. Today, most two gene animals can be purchased for far less than it would cost to buy two single gene animals, raise them up, and breed them. Hope that helps.