So I have decieded not to breed. Food for thought.

[zina10]

So after doing much research and looking at numerous animals across several species a few things comes to mind.

1) All my animals are pets. This means that I take them out and spend time with them almost daily. If I start breeding then the time I have to care for each animal is shortened.

2) Housing quality and cost. The more animals I have, the less room and money I have to put towards making larger, quality enclosures for my animals. I have plans to build much larger more natural enclosures for Rainbow and Monty (housed separately). They need room to exercise and roam about to stay healthy and happy. I want to create more natural enclosures for my Ball pythons and RTB as well. I want to provide a quality of life for them.

3) Need for breeding? With all that is available and being breed, I can find almost anything that I desire morph wise. So many people are already doing it. I don't need to sell them to pay for the ones I already have. What if they don't sell (unintentional collection growth)?

4) Cost of feeding. Can I afford it? Yes but it does go up.

So Here is the question. For those who don't breed, why did you choose not to?

The future is not written and I might one day change my mind.

Its not all black and white, either
There is or could be a lot in between..

All my animals are pets, yet, I have bred them (once) and plan on breeding again. It didn't change a thing about "quality time" since I only keep a small number of animals. There is a difference between breeding large scale for profit, or small scale as a hobby/passion. EITHER one can be done right, or wrong. So can pet ownership without breeding.


Housing and other costs are once again not a consideration. I keep my animals the same way, either way. I have kept Ball Pythons in all kinds of enclosures over the years, closely observed and very much loved. I find Ball Pythons doing exceptionally well in a good rack system and prefer to keep this species that way. I have and still would keep them this way even if not breeding. I DO have the room for big cages and I DO have the finances. I leave them in their rack system because I feel they benefit from it. The "anthropomorphism thread" in the general herp forum is a good read. I do have one display cage for a large male, but that setup is more for "MY" benefit, as I enjoy looking at it. I have no problem with people keeping BP in large elaborate setups as long as the basic needs are met. Long story short, housing is not what would keep me from breeding, as I keep a small collection.

There is no need for breeding. We say this now, but without the breeding that has been done, we would not have the animals we do. And most certainly not at those prices. I still remember when all you could get pretty much were WC BP or, if lucky, Captive born in Africa and then imported. Keeping BP's was a lot more challenging. Will the market suffer without the smaller breeders? Probably not, not at this point. Lots of people are fly-by's, they get into it for "profit" and quickly find out there is no quick or big money to be made easily.

Cost of feeding is a consideration. Again, if you want to go large, the cost goes up. That is why most large scale breeders breed their own rodents. More mess, more work, but again, if you do it right, they pay for themselves. Like with everything else, it can be done right, or wrong. Small scale breeders, hobbyist or people doing this out of a passion usually do not have a much larger cost. You usually find a good feeder source or buy frozen in bulk.


You wanted views from different sources, so here is mine, from a (very) small hobbyist breeder.

While there was some additional work and cost (one time cost of incubator, etc) the payback was immense. I'm not talking about money. All my babies were placed either free or low price. I was able to be picky about where they went. But the best part ??? To this day, months after placing the last one, I still hear from the former owners. I didn't require that from them, they do it on their own. I have had 4 of the new owners ask me within the last 2 weeks if I have more/new babies. They are THRILLED with their babies, love them, want more. I had a couple people inquire because they know the person owning my babies and they love those snakes.

I get pictures of them growing, and I can see the happiness they bring their new owners.

That is a great feeling.


The reason you go into breeding makes a big difference. Is it "just a job" ? Profit ?
Is it a passion?
Are the animals priority #1 ?

Even though I'm very small time, there are some that have been breeding on a larger scale and for years and still the animals are the priority, the people do it out of passion. Just look at Deborah or others in this forum.

What they do is provide happiness for so many people.

Breeding doesn't always equal less care or attention, esp. if you breed animals that would PREFER to be left alone rather than handled frequently or for large amount of times.

Whether I will breed again, or not, I love my animals and I will take care of them the same way.

For anyone thinking about breeding, take your time, do it right. Most of all, do it out of the love for this hobby and the animals. Breed what you LIKE. What you want to see in your house and hands. Don't think about market, profit and what will sell or not.

I love Desert Ghosts, so that is what I have and possibly will breed. I don't care if they loose "hype" or how much they will sell for. It is what I love.