Ok, I want to preface this by saying this is not an attack in any way, merely a critique. Furthermore, I know that I have been attacked and judged several times and I love to defend myself because for the most part I don't care what other people say anyway. By your comments I would assume that you have a solid opinion of what you are doing and would defend your choices - so I would respect you for that. That being said, let me say my piece.



While these amel hybrids that you have posted are definitely interesting looking and unique, I don't believe that they are something remarkably different. I agree with the other poster who said that they are VERY similar to burmese, and apparently the difference in pattern is due not to the hybrid, but rather to the labyrinth influence. While I applaud you for your price, I feel it is inflated, but I will be the first to compliment you if you are actually getting that for these animals. I read a lot of the information on your website, and I love a lot of the things you have had to say. As a matter of fact, your thoughts on the whole Ball Python market are SPOT ON! The crash has been building up for a long time, and it is almost like trying to identify the antichrist and the second coming, because it is due any day now. The bulk of the 'morphs' are simply aberrent animals that people have sifted from HUGE shipments, immediately giving them some goofy name and capitalizing on them fast. Honestly, have you looked at a pastel? It is just a light phase for gosh sakes! But, I digress (my blood pressure rises when I talk about ball pythons).



Anyway, I think that your breeding program is a little off with the way that you produce 75% hybrids of either parent and then breed them back to the opposite 75% hybrid to just produce 50/50s again. You are doubling the time it takes to produce 50% hybrids for not much real gain. Add to that the fact that I think it is irresponsible to produce 75% hybrids (which are really just backcrosses and have a lot of throwbacks to the 75% bloodlines to the point of being nearly indistinguishable often) because this just muddies the waters and opens up the possiblilities for fraud down the line - I have seen a lot of people do this, particularly because they get to a point where they themselves as breeders can't keep track of what they are producing. I think the only time you would want to produce 75% or more hybrids is if you are trying to produce an amel that will mimic an amel of a species where the amel doesn't yet exist, ala the blair's amels.

I see why you work your breeding program the way you do, so that you don't have probable hets, but if you don't agree in probable hets, just sell them as normals! Once you get an amel 50/50 just breed it back to hets and you won't have probables anymore. Not to mention you have just cut your breeding time in half AND more importantly, you haven't put a lot of 75% hybrids out on the market.



Hopefully you won't really take offense here. I think you have a good business practice and wish you all of the best. Again, kudos for your Ball Python rant!!!

Glenn

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