Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just a thought, say I hatch out a clutch of het piebalds and I dont want to sell them as hatchling but rather hold them back for a year. On one hand the price for hets is going to drop over the next year and on the other the closer an animal is to a breeding age the more valuable it is. Which do you think is the stronger force?

I think if you have the patience you would be able to sell your yearlings much more quickly then babies. Point being, there are alot of het piebalds produced every year, and most are put for sale as babies, and most are sold. Very few are left the following year, so someone looking for a jump start in the breeding project will be more likely to spend a little more to get a yearling. The buyer saves a year, and a years feeding, so it is more attractive to buy the yearlings. Just my two cents.
Jason

Hmmm. I still have all of mine for sale or trade. Of course, I'm a nobody - small breeder. But I have been out to several big breeders sites, such as RDR, and there are several for sale that are from previous years. These could have been holdbacks but I think some are left-overs. Here is another angle:

Sell them now for $175/ea 100% het male albino. Or if you are a small breeder trying to make a name for yourself, perhaps $125.

or

Keep them for a year and fatten them up. There are pros and cons to this as well. It might be easier to sell a snake that is closer to breeding age rather than a hatchling. For example, I just picked up a het that is 700 grams. He is ready to breed. I can find out next season if he's really 100% het. If I get a hatchling, I might have to wait 2 - 3 years to prove him out. You have to also consider cost to feed and house the animal. Will you recoup your costs?

Better still, look for some trustworthy trading partners and expand your collection.
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Jay A. Martin

Good point some are "left over" from last year. I guess one smart way to go may be sell all your males as babies and save the females to sell as yearlings. I do not believe anyone has many 100% het female yearlings that are "left overs". And if they did, think about how much eaiser it would be to sell a nice 700 gram yearling female het. Should be an EASY sell. Just an idea.
Jason

My last clutch had 5 males and 2 females. I'm keeping the females for myself for future projects. I don't need 100% het males as I have an adult homo male. I wished the numbers were reversed.
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Jay A. Martin