Info for would be corn breeders

Originally Posted by smallet

I am Not saying I agree with that person. But at least respect that they are trying to (in their opinion) improve the breed.
I am saying I would ask questions before buying and decide whether I support their ideals by either buying from them or not.
It is my biggest complaint with pet stores. You have no idea nor can you find out any history behind either the animal or the person who bred it.

I understand what you're saying. No offense was intended. Yes, going forward i will definitely ask potential breeders about their practices.

I'm not trivializing anything, and I don't think snakes have more of a right to live than the mice they eat. I don't rank animals by 'importance' of life, my feelings about culling and euthanasia are the same for all species.

Giving an animal a good life and a good death are respectful. Period. The only difference is the amount of guilt you feel about it. You think I am trivializing when I think you are anthropomorphizing.

I believe there needs to be a good reason when you decide to kill something. My list of good reasons clearly differs from yours.

I'd also like to add that I cull various animals on a regular basis as part of my work, and that I respect and love animals more than most people in the field. The fact that I care about these animals having a kind death, regardless of meaning, is why I am excellent in what I do. I am the very last person to trivialize culling.

I just relate back to the days I was breeding dogs. And people did the same thing with their puppies that we are talking about here. If they didn't like the puppy for what ever reason it was culled. I didn't always agree and never practiced it. If there was something wrong with mine (like coloring or something not related to quality of life) the price was lower and I had to have proof that spaying/nuetering had occured or I refunded the money and reclaimed the animal. Which then was spayed/nuetered and resold.

Which brings me to a question I wanted to confirm: I had read somewhere it was possible to sterilize a snake. Is this actually true? I have a feeling the cost is probably not effective just wondering. And kind of fits in this topic as an alternative.

I am not aware of any way to neuter a snake, which is why culling for the betterment of aesthetics/temperament/health is one of the only ways to guarantee it. Surgical alterations on a snake don't have a very good history (see venomoids)

Sure, you can just sell off snakes that have bad color or temperament, but with the way animals in this hobby are often shifted between people so often, odds are that at some point someone is going to breed them. That's not bettering the 'breed' for domestic/pet uses and is not doing anything but contribute to the flooded market.

If a person chooses to breed a snake with bad colors and temperament, with the hope that 1 in 10 will fit their standards and then cull the other 9, then that person is being cruel. I would not recommend penalizing the snake for the potential that it may be bred by an irresponsible breeder. I realize that there is a "reality" to what is going on out there, but we all have choices. The scenario i outlined above may be ethically accepted in the business, but i would not want to be a part of that. Breeders need to exercise proper judgment and be responsible for their actions.

And we need to be responsible for being careful what we produce and what we choose to breed. It's funny because quite the opposite I would be kinda more nervous about buying a snake from someone who is too softhearted and tries to save every hatchling. To be blunt I believe I will get a superior snake from someone who culls ruthlessly and is super selective with what they let out into the gene pool.

I'm not assuming that the breeder starts with already poor-quality animals, but if you have a snake with amazing color and a terrible temperament, you can cross with a snake with better temperament in an attempt to breed the bad temperament out. Ideally, only the nicest snakes should be bred, but there are cases where this is not feasable (new morphs, test breedings, etc) Even when breeding 'nice' snakes, I think culling animals that don't meet your standards for the animals you are trying to produce IS being responsible.

What about SG snakes? The hets are healthy, but they are culled. They are being 'penalized' because of the potential that they could be bred.

Originally Posted by ghosthousecorns

And we need to be responsible for being careful what we produce and what we choose to breed. It's funny because quite the opposite I would be kinda more nervous about buying a snake from someone who is too softhearted and tries to save every hatchling. To be blunt I believe I will get a superior snake from someone who culls ruthlessly and is super selective with what they let out into the gene pool.

I guess at the end of the day, these snakes are being culled mainly because they don't have a preferential paint job, or maybe they don't start off docile and easy feeders right out of the shell. After all, they're not being culled after they've been allowed to grow and develop for a year right? I don't know... but anyway, if you're ok with that practice and consider it collateral damage in the pet trade, then that's fine. I would hope that a person chooses to minimize that damage when they can and not take the convenient way out.