Hi James, it sounds like you have a lot of questions...make sure that you're fully informed & that you've really thought it through before making the decision & commitment to bring an expensive & time-consuming exotic into your home.

In the question of whether to choose a male or female, it's a personal choice but in my experiences...I definitely prefer females. In my opinion they make better companions because they seem to be more docile, gentle, sweet-natured, affectionate & more easygoing. I've also witnessed a lot less territorial & aggression issues in the females than the males. However I've met plenty of male kinks that were great pets.

Several additional things to consider when deciding on gender preference is (1) females tend to command a higher price & can often times be more difficult to locate from a breeder, as they are generally in higher demand than males. And (2) if you are lucky enough to find a breeder & a breeder that has babies, or has a cub or cubs on the way than your first issue will be to determine whether or not they will sell you one (a good breeder will be very picky about who they will sell their cubs to)...but if you do find that breeder than there is a good chance that you won't even have a choice in gender & will have to take whatever they have. This is usually because of kink breeders being so uncommon in the US & with kinks being far from prolific breeders in captivity & only giving birth to 1 cub or possibly 2 (but this rather uncommon)...it's quite tough to find a breeder that has a handful of babies to choose from.

Now concerning price & subspecies variances...there are 14 different subspecies ranging from eastern Mexico to southern Brasil. The nominate species or the smaller variety hail from South America, while the larger subspecies our found in Central America. Most commonly available in the US are the smaller South Americn subspecies...which in my opinion make better pets, even though I love the look of the larger subspecies. Chances are that many breeders have interbred various subspecies without even realizing it, thus creating hybrid subspecies that just continue to further dilute their subspecies-specific DNA, as each new generation is born & bred with new bloodlines being added into existing breeding programs. The most noted differences between various subspecies is fur, coloring, gender, size, etc. Prices can greatly vary due to location of breeder, their breeding stock being used, cub gender, size, coloration, size & scale of the breeder's operation, references & past customer testamonials, health guarantee & policies offered, diet, as well as quality of babies being produced & the reputation or lackthereof of the individual breeder. Always research the breeder, ask questions, inquire about their knowledge & experience. Never hesitate to ask for pictures of the cub or it's parents & don't be afraid to ask for references from their exotics vet & past customer experiences. The know you more the better off you'll be in the longrun & always remember that a good, honest breeder will not be offended by these kinds of requests...they should be glad that you, as the potential buyer are very serious are committed to making the correct decision. It they're put out by you asking for this kind of information or are not helpful or forthcoming with any of these requests than forget about that particular breeder & find one that is breeding their kinks because of their love of these creatures not because they are a hot commodity where a buck is to be made.


As far as differences in various subspecies & their price differences...factors

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