Why are females more expensive?

[mainbutter]

I agree, it comes down to supply and demand, and as far as $$$ goes females win.

But wouldn't you agree that at least genetically, mainly in regard to being able to pass on valuable genes more readily than females, the males are more valuable?

In pretty much the entirety of selective breeding, yes, a fantastic breeder male is genetically more important, and therefore more expensive, than a fantastic breeder female. Look at cows, horses, and probably every other farm animal as well.

In the world of cows, the average price for males is way low. That is because most males aren't intended for breeding, and are instead just raised for slaughter. But a breeder male, on the other hand, a truly superior specimen, that is where you get crazy prices.

In the world of BPs, there isn't anywhere near as much competition for selective breeding as there is in farm stock. For the most part, a mojave male is a mojave male. You can see this in how they are priced, even from breeder to breeder a mojave male will cost you about the same. On top of that, there isn't any demand for males outside of single specimen pets or for breeding. Snakes really don't occupy any market in the US except the pet market.

If I was a BP breeder, I would have no problem paying more for a truly best-in-the-world specimen of a male of some morph that I wanted to breed, than the same for a female. However like I said before, the prices for BPs all seem to say that in general, even between two different breeders, it seems a mojave is a mojave and a spider is a spider.

[mainbutter]

Continuing the same thought: I wouldn't be surprised for a super rare BP morph (<10 specimens?) to have males be more expensive than females, because that is the only way to do powerhouse breeding when your list of possible snakes with that gene is so limited.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Continuing the same thought: I wouldn't be surprised for a super rare BP morph (<10 specimens?) to have males be more expensive than females, because that is the only way to do powerhouse breeding when your list of possible snakes with that gene is so limited.

That's absolutely the way it works ... for the super rare stuff, EVERYONE wants males that they can get to breeding size in 3 months and breed to a bazillion females so that they can cash in on the mega dollars.

But, for 99.9% of the mutations that are out there, everyone wants the girls ... I wish it wasn't true, cause I'd love to keep all my girls, but sadly it's not.

-adam

[monk90222]

... when it comes to females, as a breeder, there is no number that I consider "enough".

-adam

That translates into real life also!

[FIREball]

That translates into real life also!

Minus the breeder part, that just turns into a bad Maury Povich show

[mainbutter]

But, for 99.9% of the mutations that are out there, everyone wants the girls ... I wish it wasn't true, cause I'd love to keep all my girls, but sadly it's not.

-adam

I'm more interested in female normies right now than anything else I think if in a few years I get into breeding, I'll probably get a pair of unrelated male of some morph(probably a co-dom of some sort) to breed to some female normies, simply because it's more cost efficient to get started at least getting a decent number of clutches.

[FIREball]

I'm more interested in female normies right now than anything else I think if in a few years I get into breeding, I'll probably get a pair of unrelated male of some morph(probably a co-dom of some sort) to breed to some female normies, simply because it's more cost efficient to get started at least getting a decent number of clutches.

Normals females aren't even going to be worth much soon, most poeple are replacing normals with atleast pastels now because of the price. I only have 6 normal females and I dont know want anything more than that.

[muddoc]

[QUOTE=Adam_Wysocki;890256(because you can't make albinos with normal females)
-adam[/QUOTE]

That's funny. I thought I remembered a guy that bred a Pin to a Normal and produced an Albino Pin. Maybe I was dreaming that one. LOL!!!!

[FIREball]

That's funny. I thought I remembered a guy that bred a Pin to a Normal and produced an Albino Pin. Maybe I was dreaming that one. LOL!!!!

OH NO HE DIDN'T

[Mike Schultz]

That's funny. I thought I remembered a guy that bred a Pin to a Normal and produced an Albino Pin. Maybe I was dreaming that one. LOL!!!!

If the normal was Het (and the pin was het albino as well) then its entirely possible.

Then again, a "het" isn't really normal, it just looks that way