Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have gotten to a point where I have more or less lost interest in the morphs and the idea of me becoming a "breeder" except for my pair of Indigos (fingers crossed). I used to rationalize buying snakes by saying I'll buy a pair and breed them". Well now im open to the idea of just buying what i find interesting, even a single animal, just as a pet, not money making. I specificaly enjoy large colubrids with interesting behaviors or markings. I love pituophis and beauty snakes alot as well. I am curious about these "ptyas" as well as FWCs. So anyhow, enough about me. If you would like to share anything about your own interests or how they have changed or your herp hobby in general i would be very interested.... Thanks for reading all this..... I have always found it interesting to see what combinations of snakes people choose to collect or keep. A little more, i always find it intresting to see a herper that has chosen to keep just one species and all the subspecies, know what i mean? Ok now im really gonna put a cork in it! ***This is a modified post from myself in the rear fang forum. Its kinda slower over there and i would like to have this populations input....

Very nice idea of a post ZPD!

First of all...your T + albino bull pictured below is beyond incredible!!! Thank you for posting that!

You have decribed exactly what I have done in my hobby. Here is my story for the most part...condensed and compact.

I caught snakes all throughout my childhood after overcoming my fear of them around age 7 or so. I did get outta them for a years and then back in like 1990, a fellow band member purchased a bull snake from a local pet store. After holding it and him telling me that he originally bought it to give to me, but then decided to keep it cause " Bull " was too cool to part with..the bug took ahold of me. There was no escaping. I then went to another pet store, held a speckled king, got pooped all over, and then realized that I had the best creation in the world to ever exist in my hands right then and there.

I started buying snakes in 1991 and built up a collection of kings, milks, and corns. I then bred them from 1993 to 1996. Those years, I wholesaled mostly to pet stores and did a few shows with a fellow breeder. The collection grows so fast as we all know, when you breed. You buy a pair of everything that looks freaking awesome.

My whole apt. had snakes in every room. Then I got married. Beautiful wife and beautiful snakes, all in one apt. How awesome could that be?

It was pits that changed my hobby. Not just because of them being my favorites, but it made me do things different.

I sold many breeders and split up pairs. That gave me a ton of room to work with to build up a pit collection. It was all over from there.

I decided then to stop breeding and just be a hobbyist that picks the best specimen I could find of any snake morph or kind I would ever want. The decision to stop breeding was hard though...as there is nothing like checking eggs out daily, seeing if they are hatching..the anticipation of what you will get. Especially with cal kings...a lot of times...with abberant patterns, you never know what you will get.

I have now about 31 snakes. Most are pits, but my second love is graybands. This hobby has never made me happier than it has as of now. They are all my pets and I love them immensely.

Not breeding snakes also takes away a lot of work as well. I spend an hour each week cleaning and feeding. This whole way of doing things has worked out best for me.

Take care!

Billy

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Genesis 1:1

Whoa, Billy!!!!!
Every time you post that picture I get drool on my keyboard!!!! Awesome snake!!!!!

Pat

!

Hey Dan!

How are things with you?

That snake is a 2001 red cape gopher from Vivid Reptiles. Take care!

Billy
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Genesis 1:1

things are cool here billy, most of my snakes are napping. ;>] lol!......that is one baad looking cape!!! i love all the black! he IS 'vivid'.......i need more pits like a hole in the head but if i could get capes like yours, i would! nice grab..........

That is an awesome snake! Ive never seen a cape with that pattern. Are you sure you dont want to breed it and sell me the babies???

Im looking to become a breeder, right now I only have a couple of pairs of snakes. Do I not know what Im getting myself into? Why did you stop exactly?

Hey MP!

The reason why I decided to stop breeding was basically time. I felt that at that moment....I may have not been able to keep up, to the standards that I would have wanted to, with breeding a lot of snakes. I was working 50 hours a week, just married, and then having to keep up with practice and continue to write and record music. I was able to have time to tend to the snakes I had, but my busy schedule left me little time to properly maintain breeding colonies, in my opinion. So...after some thinking about all of that, I decided to just keep snakes as pets. They were of course always my pets, but I wanted to focus on the specimens I had and just maintain a collection of certain morphs, locales, and other kinds of pits. Anything that I knew I couldn't live without, I wanted one in my collection.

I have been considering getting back into breeding in the future as some of mine will be getting into adulthood. I sure do miss it and regret not breeding pits when I did breed. We will see what happens.

Take care!
Billy

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Genesis 1:1

Is that an albino northern? How old? The adults Ive seen are pretty bland, but some of the babies are gorgeous. Did you sell your snakes at shows, internet, or what?

That is an albino southern pine I got from Ginter last year. His pair of hets are the prettiest southerns I have ever seen.

I just sold to pet stores and did some shows when I bred snakes.

My band is DISCERN, and it is very heavy, brutal death metal with a touch of blues. The second album is just about done and I will go in to master in a few weeks. I will keep you posted bro!

I have been told that I sound like a mixture of old Napalm Death, some Suffocation, and even a tad bit of Immolation, probably from the vocal sound.

Take care!
Billy
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Genesis 1:1

I personally want to breed and sell at shows. Were you successful at shows? Im just wondering how it works and all, I want to know what Im getting in to. Some have said they sell out every time, but Ive gone to shows on Sundays and there are still a lot of animals. Someone else said dealing with the public isnt very much fun.

That is a nice southern then. Does Ginter have a website or anything? I hear about him from others but Ive never seen his stuff posted or listed or anything, Id like to see pictures of what he has to offer.

Im not really into brutal death. I like melodic more, like the new Amon Amarth, that one is fantastic. Or Hypocrisy. I dont like any of the bands you compared your music to, but Ill still give a listen if you can get some mp3s up or something.

Nick

Also, does your band sound like Iced Earth? Whats the name of your band?

Hey ZPD,

I'm new to this forum so hello! I started keeping snakes in 9th grade about 6 years ago. I started with a pair of checkered garter snakes, one escaped outside under the porch, I then bought a Florida Blue. The Florida blue had a parasite infection and died 2 months after I bought it. Immediately after burrying it in my backyard, I turned around and found a TX Rat baby curled up on a tree a few feet away while walking back inside. I kept this snake for about a month and it was wonderful, but it escaped inside and I never saw her again. That started my desire and I then purchased 2 pair corns and a E. King. I have given a couple of the corns away, one died this year due to feeding complications, and I know have one of those corns, the E. King, and last week I bought a baby IL bullsnake who is the sweetest thing ever. So I forgot to list what happened to my other Checkered Garter; well, she was a darling pet for 3 years untill she sneaked out of her cage and my dad found her a few years ago, and he threw her into my kingsnake cage not knowing the difference. Don't need to say what happened there. Someday I'd like to breed, but am a bit intimidated at this point living in an apartment at college.

Peace - Matt