My personal opinion is that breeders who mill out morphs are unethical. Often snakes are kept in poor conditions and inbred over and over to get the desired morphs. Not only that but less desirable offspring or more common looking ones are often "discarded". I've unfortunately had to do several clear-outs of unlicensed breeders and I've seen people who make hundreds of thousands of dollars but don't keep their snakes in humane conditions. Now there are many ethical breeders who do not fit this bill, they aren't hard to find but unfortunately they tend to be less vocal than the shady type.
I've also seen how the market has been flooded with morphs that often have defects. The other side is of course that the more morphs are popularized the less people are willing to settle for anything other than the "prettiest" designer snake. To me this is wrong. Yes, morphs are gorgeous but if you're getting the snake only for aesthetics that's a problem.
At the very least those looking for morphs need to make sure the breeders they work with are humane, reputable, and completely transparent. Don't buy from a breeder who has the same images of the same "available hatchlings" all the time. Likely they're churning out inbred snakes and passing them off as the ones listed on their site. If possible don't purchase online at all, go in person to the breeder and ask to see the conditions in which their animals are kept. Observe, examine, and possibly handle any that you may be interested in taking home and don't pay until you're leaving WITH your snake. If possible don't go to the breeder unless you are prepared to bring your new scale baby home that very day. You're better off getting a baby at petco than with a shady breeder.
I see on these and many other forums people who only have the designer snakes and I won't lie, it makes me sick to my stomach a little. Did you want the snake because you connected with it and wanted to give it a good home like any other pet or just because it was "Pretty".
I also see amateurs breeding for their own morphs and that's even worse. No one should be breeding snakes unless they know exactly what they are doing.
On the other hand, I do understand how the genetics can be exciting and how morphs are gorgeous. I just don't know if manipulating a living creature like that is worth it.
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