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Rich Z's Blatherings Since Connie and I have retired the SerpenCo business, topics here will focus on topics of a more personal and general nature.

The purchase of lone or extra females..
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Old 07-05-2002, 10:53 PM   #51
Hurley
Smile Hear, hear!

Quote:
It's a good way to get a different perspective on the industry. It's really hard to imagine what goes on behind the scenes at a large scale breeders facility (until you've walked a few miles in thier shoes!).

There is a wealth of info here for everyone whether you're projects are intended to produce income or just for fun. I've made my share of mistakes but also had more help then I probably deserved.

I sure hope some of the other large scale breeders decide to participate!
I agree. I hope the Rogue's Gallery Grows. I have learned a tremendous amount of information form the corn forums, and continue to learn more every day. It never ceases to amaze me how the "big guns" will go out of their way to help out us 'little people'. I'd like to send out a big thank you to everyone for making this a great forum.
 
Old 07-06-2002, 12:56 AM   #52
Gregg
Forgive Me Father, For I have Sinned...

This thread is beginning to sound like a group confessional.

Well, I guess I'd better jump in and say a "Hell, Mary!" Or two myself.

I usually buy corns in pairs. And not because two ears are better than one; although that probably is true. And not because I want to be a millionaire. Well, actually, I do want to be a millionaire, but I'd have a better chance of being a snowball in Hell, than getting that much money selling snakes.

____________________I'm a hobbyist.

My son wanted a snake. Since he was five, when I bought him his first corn snake, I had to be the one to care for the new family addition. Soon, it became another hobby for me. I don't mind. It gives me a very relaxing break from my other hobbies-turned-occupations (bonsai, playing the drum set in three bands, and trimming Japanese gardens). Whenever I buy corns, I buy pairs, because I have a habit of buying things in pairs. It's a Libra thing. It started with my wanting to buy only a mate for the "Old Man," but then I discovered all those beautiful corn snakes that Kathy Love and Rich Zuchowski sell. Now, whenever I buy a new snake, I buy a pair--Yen/Yang, Male/Female, Duality In Nature.


Anyway, whenever I have bought a single snake it has been either because: 1) that was all there was available, 2) the morph was too expensive for me to buy two, Or 3), because I had one, for which I was buying a mate, and the one I had died and now another has to be bought. >>By the way, Rich, if I had known before-hand that the two snakes I bought for $110.00 each were going to be each $35.00 dollars cheaper if I waited for the 2002 babies, I would have waited and bought a pair each!<< Oh well, I guess buying a Lone Female is out of the question now!

Another reason I buy pairs is because my son has been after me for Game-Boys, Nintendos, X-Boxes, Game Cubes, and all their games for the past two years. Anyone with children knows what I mean. As a father--and as both a lazy and stingy bastard--it is my job to NOT just give my son a blackened catfish to eat for dinner, but to teach him to fish for his own damn food and cook it. Raising corn snakes is far more enjoyable [to me] than mixing limonade and sitting out in the hot sun. Selling plants is out too. I have been unsuccessful in getting him interested in growing plants of any kind. So, If I buy corn snakes in pairs, I might be able to kill two birds at once. One, I could teach him how to raise his own money and operate his own business if we are successful in producing any babies at all. And two, whether we are successful or not, I can teach him all about the Birds and the Bees and Life and Death. That lesson has begun with the death of two of our females--which died, by the way, for no apparent reason.

Would I pay more for a lone female? Yes, if I wanted that female and did have to pay more to get her, but naturally, I would prefer to pay less for a pair. Am I out to make a big name for myself in the breeding business? No, so I would prefer to buy a replacement female for the price I paid when I bought the pair.

Wonder what would happen if you asked for double the price on
Males?
 
Old 07-06-2002, 02:39 AM   #53
Rich Z
Quote:
Wonder what would happen if you asked for double the price on males?
In such a case, I guess it would be better to sell the females at double the price of males and give away a free male with every female purchased.

Or another way to look at it would be to go ahead and buy a pair, even if you only need a female and sell off the male yourself. In many cases, you might wind up much better off than paying a surcharge for that lone female.

Or another strategy may be to require the purchaser to buy one of my wife's leopard geckos with each lone or extra female corn snake they buy. That would certainly make my wife happy! I've taken up most of her space with the corn snake eggs this year and she's just about out of room anyway.

Sigh...... I sure do wish we could control the sexes of the offspring like we do with leopard geckos. Would make things a whole lot easier.
 
Old 07-06-2002, 03:52 AM   #54
SilverTongue
I know you have been doing this for a while so i am sure you have tried this but i have to ask....

Have you tried ajusting the tempatures of the eggs? I heard from some animal show that alligators can decide the sex of their offspring by ajusting the tempature. I think the hotter they are they become female. But I am not sure.. You would have to reasearch it and then give it a try. It couldnt hurt (as long as the temps dont get too high or too low for the eggs survival)
 
Old 07-06-2002, 06:09 AM   #55
Matt L
originally posted by Rich Z.
Quote:
Or another strategy may be to require the purchaser to buy one of my wife's leopard geckos with each lone or extra female corn snake they buy. That would certainly make my wife happy!
Rich,
Well that sounded like a good plan!-So I thought I would give it a little test--you know--run it by my wife. Now I'm all for keeping our better halves happy, but it looks like I'll stick with pairs or pay the extra for a lone female. Mine mumbled something about "any more hobbies--edit,edit,edit"--Maybe my timing was off--5:30am sat morn.

Seriously, I would gladly pay extra for a lone female if that is what I needed.

Matt L.
 
Old 07-07-2002, 03:24 PM   #56
Susan
I've learned the lesson the hard way

As a "newbie" hobbiest breeder, having been breeding corns for only 6 years, I've learned the lessons the hard way. Having only a limited budget to buy new morphs, I usually only get 1.1, and often, at least one of the pair is "just" a het. My attempt to bring Lavenders into my collection ended with 2 dead hatchlings. My Butter male, having excaped just before brumation, sent me into a panic. Luckily, I found him just after Rich told me that he could sell me another one, but before I could close the sale. I now wish I had taken Rich up on his offer since my female Caramel het butter produced 0/zilch/nada eggs, not even slugs, after I witnessed 2 matings. (I know the male is fertile since he fathered 3 clutches last year). And my Caramel het amber refused to accept him. My amber male died last year and the replacement male isn't old enough yet. And the female amber I purchased with the new male also died this spring.
And keeping an entire clutch isn't even a guarantee. I kept the entire 5.7 hatchlings from my amel zigzag X butter pairing last year. I am down to 0.5 since the clutch had alot of problem feeders.
After reading this thread in it's entirety, I'm going to make a few changes in what I plan on keeping from this years hatchlings, as well as what I hope to buy this year in Daytona, finances permitting. Now if I can just find a buyer for my neonate boas...$$$...more corns !!!
 
Old 07-07-2002, 06:55 PM   #57
Bippy
I wish I could afford to buy 2.2 of everything, but I've been somewhat pressed for both money and space (moreso the latter).

My strategy has been to mostly buy morphs that can pair up with several other morphs and get interesting results. For example, I have a female snow, a male ghost, and a male anery, so if one of the males died or was infertile, I could still get some interesting hatchlings. It may mean I won't be able to get the fancier morphs if one of my more expensive snakes dies, but if I'm really desparate for something, then I guess I'll bite the bullet and pay the cost to buy an adult from a breeder.

I guess the biggest necessity if you're short on money/space is patience. If you absolutely HAVE to have butters hatch out THIS YEAR, or whatever, then if you lose your breeder, you're stuck paying high $$ for adults. If you're willing to be patient and raise up another hatchling, and breed the surviving snake(s) to some other morph in the meantime, then there's far less stress involved. And who knows... that amel you breed the caramel het butter to could just have some hidden genetics.
 
Old 07-08-2002, 01:16 AM   #58
LindsayMarie
I can relate!

Quote:
Originally posted by Bippy
I wish I could afford to buy 2.2 of everything, but I've been somewhat pressed for both money and space (moreso the latter).

My strategy has been to mostly buy morphs that can pair up with several other morphs and get interesting results.
I too would LOVE to buy 2.2 of everything but the needed space alone to do this would probably be a little too much. Not to mention most of my interests are on the higher demand morphs that cost quite a bit! I too have spent many many hours trying to find morphs that can be mixed and matched. Its not always easy to do that though! That usually means trying to find morphs that are triple and quad het!! I guess it probably wouldnt be as hard to find a normal triple or quad het but trying to find a butter or lavender triple or quad het is pretty difficult if not impossible! My dilema is trying to breed the lavender lines AND butter lines. They just dont seem to entertwine (so to speak). Finding two males that can be bred with any one of the 4 females (2fem butter line and 2fem lavender line) and get butters, ambers, caramels, lavenders, amels, anerys, hypos, etc! Instead of just normals (het) hasnt been easy for me. Plus I am picky and want all 6 corns to be a different morph themselves so that my collection is colorful too. I hope I have made sense and didnt sound like I was just rambling! If anyone has any ideas for me that would be great too. Take care, Lindsay
 
Old 07-08-2002, 12:33 PM   #59
HomeBreeder
doesn't sound crazy to me, Lindsay....

As some of you know, I've been setting the foundation to start a "home business" breeding a few herps (leo's, goldens, & "skunks" for geckos, corns for snakes, no amphibians yet.) I'd love to be able to breed each and every morph but not only is that daunting as a neophyte, but the common problem of space is obviously at issue as well - I'm doing this project out of a spare bedroom and my living room, lol (thank god for my wonderful wife for going along with this cockeyed plan.) but to get back to the point, I'm trying to keep a limited scope on my range of projects not only for my sanity, but also so my wife and I still have a place to sleep. As with you, I am trying to collect snakes that "mix and match" nicely with each other, and not exclusively 1.1 or 2.2 sets. That said, I'm STILL going to have at least 50 snakes by the end of summer once you add the unhatched snakes from Rich, Kathy, John, and Don that I'm anticipating into my collection.

50 snakes! But being realistic, I also must admit that this is but the tip of the icecberg, because next summer that number will probably double as I holdback snakes for my "advanced" breeding projects (i.e. trying to out-cross some of my lines, or combine traits from different lines.) That reminds me, I need to start budgeting for an insulated/heated out-building where I can house the holdbacks as well as the hatchlings next year....

I don't know what the lesson is, but maybe you'll find this info handy...
 
Old 07-12-2002, 02:09 AM   #60
Serpwidgets
The thing I like about being small-time...

The down side is that I can't go with 2.2 of everything I want, or 3.3 for double hets. But it makes me think a lot harder about what I need to get, what pairs to breed, etc. I think that the planning is most of the fun, and keeps me into the breeding aspect of the hobby year-round.

The other thing is that I can go with 1.1, or even work from oddball het pairings. I don't breed to make money, I breed so that I can produce stuff I really like, and hopefully push that particular look in the direction that suits my tastes. Whatever hatches hatches, and if there's something I really love, it's mine.

It doesn't pay the bills, so I don't have to get stressed or lose sleep over it.

Ok, I don't have to, but I still do.
 

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