Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am looking into getting some morhs. I have regular Redtails but I want to get morphs to experiment with them. I have a few questions and from the looks of your snakes you are a good person to ask. First, is it hard to sell a snake? I don't want to get stuck with a bunch of snakes that I don't want. Second what should I be looking for to start out?

"First, is it hard to sell a snake? I don't want to get stuck with a bunch of snakes that I don't want. Second what should I be looking for to start out?"

All i can say is wow...
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Mark Miller
LocoLizards
www.locolizards.com

Yes, it can be hard to breed the snakes. It's up to them really but that doesn't mean they will always produce just 'cause we want them to. And yes, it can be hard to sell the resulting offspring. If you're going to breed snakes, you have to be prepared to "get stuck with a bunch of snakes that I don't want" because you're ultimately responsible for bringing them into this world by putting the adults together. If you don't want the responsibility of caring for the offspring, don't put the parents together. It took most of a year to sell the normal offspring of my first litter back in 2000...and those were sold wholesale to a local shop. This year I produced a litter of 13 using my best friend's male. Most of the litter was genetically aberrant - just as we expected. My friend got four of the offspring as the 'stud' fee. I've kept 3 as holdbacks, traded the three normals in the litter for snakes I wanted, plus I still have three more to sell. I expect I'll have them at least until December if not longer.

"Second what should I be looking for to start out?"
You should be looking to care for the snakes to the best of your ability and not be concerned with how much money you're going to make on them. You can rarely purchase adult morphs, meaning you'll need to raise juveniles to adulthood...years of commitment before you can even look to breed them. Then you'll need to provide the correct breeding conditions before introducing the snakes...which need to be healthy & properly cared for or they won't breed. THEN you'll need to commit yourself to the resulting offspring until they sell....meaning proper cage set up for the neonates separate from the adults, and regular feeding until they sell. There's no shortcuts and no easy ways out if you want to get into breeding these beautiful animals...which is what this hobby is about - the animals - not how much money you can make.

Raven

Plus high dollar morphs & good caing can really cost ya. the better the morphs.........The better the babies. I paid $27,000 for 3 boas !
Dave, E.T.R.
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Actions Speak louder than words.
Dave @ East TN Reptiles

It came out different then what I was trying to say.Like the "wow" I got. My point was if you end up with nine babies(which I am sure any is a blessing) and you want to hold back 3 then you have 6 you HAVE to sell or give them away. And if you are not doing it for money then you don't want a bunch of ... never mind why am I explaining myself?

The point is that for most of us (at least the hobbists in the group) it's not solely to make money...as it seemed in your post you were only interested in getting offspring to sell and didn't want the 'bother' of caring for unwanted offspring. Yeah, all of us who breed our boas - from people like me who are hobbists to professional breeders - hope to make some money off of it. However, we still have a commitment to properly care for the offspring resulting from our efforts. Sometimes they sell quickly, sometimes it can take a year...or even more. Basically, if you don't potentially want the responsibility of long term care for offspring, don't breed the boas in the first place. Even with morphs, they may or may not sell immediately. Chances are you'll sell the morphs quicker than normals, but that depends on the market and who's produced what and at what price.

Raven

Thanks for clearing it up. I just didn't want to have the snakes forever. I never sold a snake so I would know if they where dmn near impossible tobuy. This is way off topic but lets you know what I am thinking. I got a Pitbull six years ago. He ate through walls,doors attacked other dogs,snapped at people, and ate three of my beds. Anyone else would put this dog to sleep or take him to the pound, but I can't because I took him when he was a puppy and it is my responiblity to make sure he has the best life he can. Even though he makes my life miserable. I don't want to put myself in this situation again. that is taking care of animals that I would rather not have. also he broke the welding on one of those steel cages and got out it. all this and at the same time he acts like a big baby to me. UGHHH,sorry for rambling

You're welcome...no problem at all. A lot can depend on the area you're in and the market in that area. Sometimes the animals will sell out completely in one show...especially if you've priced your animals below the going market value. People tend to pick up 'bargains' - nature of the beast I guess. As for the morphs, that's a 50/50 deal IMO...at least so far as shows go. Sometimes people want to spend the money, sometimes they don't. You probably have better odds selling on the internet. I personally don't because I'm not set up to ship the snakes legally and refuse to use the shortcuts that many others choose.

In regards to the pit bull, I understand completely. Bear with me while I share a somewhat long story. I used to have a female myself that was a rescue of sorts. They really are great dogs when raised correctly and bred from good stock. That said, let me give you some food for thought. Not all pits are bred equally, even if they have papers. Some lines are more prone to aggressive behaviour than others, especially ones that 'backyard breeders' often produce - with the idea to make a few bucks. Some animals become aggressive after they hit the five year mark. My girl was always aggressive towards other animals. In fact, that's why I ended up with her - she killed her original neighbor's cat. She was two years old or a bit less at that time. She got on well with my female rottie I had at the time and she was an angel with most people. Fast forward a few years, not long after she'd turned five she started acting more snappish, even growling occassionally. I'd had her checked over completely by my vet to rule out any physical problems...there were none and I chose to ride it out. I lived in an apartment with my boyfriend by then...lots of other people around, lots of kids, etc. My boyfriend was walking her and stopped to speak with a new neighbor. She saw his cat through the window and tried to go for it - my boyfriend held her back. She turned on him and attacked. Luckily he had handled dogs for years and wasn't hurt - scared the bejeezus out of the neighbor though. There was only one solution once she'd actually bitten someone and I had her put down. I'd be lying if I said it didn't nearly kill me to do so...I loved that dog like you wouldn't believe, she went everywhere with me. However it became an issue of public safety at that point. I couldn't responsibly give her to someone else who may or may not safeguard the public or worse use her in fights, and I couldn't risk the health and lives of the people around me. That doesn't even begin to cover the legal aspects of it if she'd bitten someone other than he or I. Not only would I have been subject to a lawsuit from the victim or victim's family, but I would have been in legal hot water for owning and failing to control a dangerous animal. Neither of which I could or can afford.

By the way, this isn't a lecture. Just sharing my personal experience as someone who's been there.

Raven