Reptile & Amphibian Forums

At what point is a breeder a big breeder? Is it a certain number of animals produced? Is it how many animals one keeps? I would like to hear what you all think.

Thanks,
James W. Arnold

I would think many factors would apply in saying someoen is a "big breeder". I would look at the ammount of animals he/she has in their collection, along with how many of those are his breeders (is he/she constantly producing year after year) and their Reputation....

>>At what point is a breeder a big breeder? Is it a certain number of animals produced? Is it how many animals one keeps? I would like to hear what you all think.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>James W. Arnold
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Genaroleon A. Guerrero

My opinion is this. When I got into this hobby many many years ago we didnt have the internet all we had were a hand full of shows and reptiles mags. Prior to every attending my first show or buying my first mag I knew who people like Bob Clark, barkers, sharp, besset, walsh, hamper and kahl were. These were the people you heard of through word of mouth who were half a world away. They had contributed so much as far as knowledge, reprodcing rare localities or traits that today are common. Locating and bringing in the differant rare animals, getting acuarate info out there etc. These guys as far as the big breeders IMO were truely the ones that sacrificed. They got the animals that no one had and fine tuned the care for them. took the losses because neither them nor no one else knew the right way to handle and care for the animals. Once they figured it out the shared alot of what we all know today. Had it not been for the efforts of the list above we wouldnt have alot of what we do. IMO those are the true "big names" of the biz, everyone else is just riding the wave that they created. The crew of guys I came up with in the late 80's early 90's we all knew who those guys were without every attending a show or buying a reptile mag or logging on to kingsnake(there was no kingnsake then). I dont consider these morphs guys who so commonly get called big names to be big names. I am not knocking them at all so dont take it that way their doing what they love and thats great. But it was the list above and a couple other names I have forgotten, that put the acuarate info out there so these morphs guys could regually bred their hypos or motleys etc. Prior to their being hypos or motleys they were just colombians or suris etc. Someone had to work out the kinks in captive husbandry and get acurate info so these animals thrived and could be reproduced. Once that happened in came the morphs.

Same thing goes for GTP's, Various Pythons even Dumerils boas. Alot of the way I keep my animals is based on the work some of the people in the list above done. Hamper has seen them in the wild, I havnt, I base alot of my info and care from what him and the hand full of other I have spoken to have told me from their experiances in Madagascar. Of course I have found some other tricks that work well for me but had it not been for them and the info they shared I wouldnt have gotten as far as I have. Same thing goes for alot of these so called big names that are out there today. There working off a foundation that was alreay created by those above and a few others.

Back in the early 90's alot of the info that was shared was Bob Clark way of keeping or the Barkers way of keeping etc. There wasnt as many of us then somewhere along the way tons and tons of people got into this and what is common knowledge today was once Pete Kahls way to the few of us that were die hards into this hobby back then. Somehwere along the way that all got forgotten except to the few of us who remeber and now its just common knowledge readily shared instead of being reffered to as "Petes way".

IMO those are the true "big names" of the biz. the rest of us are just working off the foundations they created.
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Jason & Danica
Don't wanna wait 'til tomorrow Why put it off another day? One by one, little problems Build up, and stand in our way. Oh One step ahead, one step behind it Now ya gotta run to get even Make future plans I'll dream about yesterday, hey! Come on turn, turn this thing around (Right now) Hey! It's your tomorrow (Right now) Come on, it's everything (Right now) Catch your magic moment (Right now) Catch your magic moment Do it right here and now Do it right here and now, IT MEANS EVERYTHING (Van Halen, Right Now)

So am I still waiting for this world to stop hating/Can't find a good reason, can't find hope to believe in/...You can't change the state of the nation we just need/ some motivation...So am I still waiting for this world to stop hating(Sum41 Still Waiting)

Classic Dums frozen feeders

I agree, there are several factors in what determines a "Big breeder" within the industry. Quantity, quality, reputation, as well as CONSISTENCY.

As far as the "big breeders" being ONLY Peter Kahl, Bob Clark, etc... (the names listed in a previous post) i don't agree with that. Of course, those guys are the originators, no matter who you are in this industry, you have to appreciate what they have done for this game. We wouldn't have half the boa types we have now if it wasn't for their efforts. However...to say that Dr. Jay was the only "big dunker" for being one of the first to put the slam dunk in the spot light, isn't right. You'll eventually get your Jordans, and Bryants, and to say that they are all riding on the glory of the originator, doesn't make sense.

Peter Kahl took a BIG risk with the albinos back in the day. but Jeremy Stone took just a big a risk on the motleys, 10 years later. Or more recently, Alex Barreiro took a HUGE risk on the CA motleys, and this year graced us with the black boa.

Again, i agree that those names previously mentioned as being "big breeders" are in fact that, but there is always room for that list to expand, with people who are motivated and committed enough to bring us these new beauties that we marvel at.

Nicholas
B.B.G.