CornSnakes.com Forums  
  Tired of those Google and InfoLinks ads? Register and log in!

Go Back   CornSnakes.com Forums > The CornSnake Forums > Miscellaneous Corn Snake Discussions
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

Miscellaneous Corn Snake Discussions This is a "none of the above" forum. All posts should still be related to cornsnakes in one form or another, but some slight off topic posting is fine.

Info for would be corn breeders
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-16-2011, 07:09 AM   #11
Susan
7 - If you do decide to breed and wish to sell the babies, you need to be able to ship them. That means getting FedEx certified (UPS and USPS don't allow snakes and if you go through one of the companies that have approval for them, you can't guarantee they will allow it next week - it's already happened - twice), buying shipping supplies (those are not cheap), getting a PayPal account and a FedEx account, keeping enough funding on hand to cover refunds, etc, taking time out of your day to ship (includes looking up weather reports, preparing the shipment - you can't just throw the snake in a box and slap a label on it - and getting it picked up or bringing it to the FedEx location) and then keeping track of it until it is delivered.
 
Old 02-16-2011, 07:59 AM   #12
airenlow
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris68 View Post
With all the different "plans" on feeding, opinions on different methods of keeping them. etc etc It seems like folks are taking the fun out of keeping corns...They are way too worried about exact birth dates, weights, having to feed on "X" day because thats what the "plan" says...This is a hobby for 99% of us, and it is supposed to be a fun hobby...Maximizing feed schedules to "stay on course" doesn't sound like much fun...
I'm a planner...it would be 1000X more stressful if I didn't schedule feedings. I also have fun getting everybody out for their weigh-in every week. I agree with the point of your post, but keeping schedules and records doesn't necessarily make you a robot...
 
Old 02-16-2011, 09:16 AM   #13
Tavia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Susan View Post
7 - If you do decide to breed and wish to sell the babies, you need to be able to ship them. That means getting FedEx certified (UPS and USPS don't allow snakes and if you go through one of the companies that have approval for them, you can't guarantee they will allow it next week - it's already happened - twice), buying shipping supplies (those are not cheap), getting a PayPal account and a FedEx account, keeping enough funding on hand to cover refunds, etc, taking time out of your day to ship (includes looking up weather reports, preparing the shipment - you can't just throw the snake in a box and slap a label on it - and getting it picked up or bringing it to the FedEx location) and then keeping track of it until it is delivered.
This is very true! I don't think you can easily re-home even one clutch in most areas anymore if you can't ship.
 
Old 02-16-2011, 10:21 AM   #14
smallet
I have never bred snakes. But I have bred dogs and my Dad bred cats and I can vouch for one thing:
If you think you are going to make money at it and that it is easy your wrong. Some make money, but they tend to be a true business and work at it way more than your standard 9-5 type.
But if you are passionate about it and don't mind losing some dollars to your passion it can be rewarding.
(Just thought something positive should be put in so long as it was realistic)
 
Old 02-16-2011, 10:24 AM   #15
Outcast
I know when I do start breeding, most of my breeding's will be for certain looks/morphs. I know it is nearly impossible in my area to make money on snakes, there are too many people (like my boss) who breed their corns and flood the market. It is very sad to see, especially since she keeps three corns in the same cage....
 
Old 02-16-2011, 10:34 AM   #16
chris68
Quote:
Originally Posted by airenlow View Post
I'm a planner...it would be 1000X more stressful if I didn't schedule feedings. I also have fun getting everybody out for their weigh-in every week. I agree with the point of your post, but keeping schedules and records doesn't necessarily make you a robot...
Gotcha Josh, sorry if that's whats implied...Mine was directed more towards new keepers who seem to agonize over weights, birth dates, assigned feeding days, etc...There's nothing wrong with doing the record keeping, but don't let it get in the way of enjoying the hobby
 
Old 02-16-2011, 12:29 PM   #17
Nanci
Quote:
Originally Posted by airenlow View Post
I'm a planner...it would be 1000X more stressful if I didn't schedule feedings. I also have fun getting everybody out for their weigh-in every week. I agree with the point of your post, but keeping schedules and records doesn't necessarily make you a robot...
That's kind of the part I really enjoy! I love all my lists and charts and databases and groups and being able to print out an encyclopedia when I sell a baby! If someone asks for more pictures I'm like, here, let me do a photoshoot!! You would die, Chris, if you saw me feeding the babies, with their names written on a paper towel and the pinks sorted according to the snakes' weights at the last feeding. But it's fun, for me! Probably would not be fun if I had ten clutches...

(I hung up birth announcements with Number One's picture all over the radiology department last year, just like people do with their human babies. People still ask how he's doing!!)
 
Old 02-16-2011, 03:41 PM   #18
Chip
I've been breeding corns since 1999. To date, one season has turned a profit. But I continue to do it because I enjoy it. Though few projects have turned out like I expected, the unexpected is often rewarding in and of itself.

One aspect of breeding that needs to be considered by anyone breeding reptiles is culling. It is very difficult to produce corn snakes for monetary gain as it is, but nearly impossible when sub-par animals are summarily killed or fed off upon hatching. We can not as conscientious breeders produce and sell animals with no regard to captive lineages. The more common the morph or species, the more strict our standards should be on what is allowed to survive/ potentially produce offspring. I have a pair of striped albino cal kings that I have culled 100% of the hatchlings for the last two years, simply for nasty attitudes. Over the years, I culled nearly 100% of grayband kings I produced for not eating mice, and finally quit breeding the species. If they don't merit keeping in my collection, a long hard look has to be cast on whether they should be sold to potentially have their genes passed at all. I had to give up on a chameleon message board, because the overwhelming sentiment was "it is our responsibility to keep them ALL alive since we brought them into this world." I will dig up and post links to some of the deformed animals that people were working with. I think most would agree they should have never left the incubator. It is always unpleasant for me to take the life of an animal, and even after thousands of mice, I find killing them distasteful. But as breeders, it is something we really must do.

At the last show I vended, someone had unsexed hatchling corns (normal, anery, amel, and snows) 2 for $10. I had sexed yearlings for $25, and watched him sell all day as I moved none. $5 for out of egg pippies, or $25 for perfect year olds with 50+ meals in them would be a no-brainer to me, but not the buying public. And at the ten dollar pair price point, they are disposable pets and begging to be cohabbed. Our hobby can go either way. The choice isn't entirely ours, because sellers will fill the demand for cheap animals. But we can keep improving lines, and hopefully anyone interested in breeding will have that in mind.
 
Old 02-16-2011, 04:05 PM   #19
chris68
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanci View Post
But it's fun, for me! Probably would not be fun if I had ten clutches...
As long as it's fun :*)
 
Old 02-16-2011, 04:11 PM   #20
Lennycorn
Great thread Jen!!

I see this often too.
 

Join now to reply to this thread or open new ones for your questions & comments! Cornsnakes.com is the largest online community dedicated to cornsnakes . Registration is open to everyone and FREE. Click Here to Register!

Google
 
Reply

Tags
cull, culling

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:39 AM.





Fauna Top Sites
 

Powered by vBulletin® Version
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Page generated in 0.04807806 seconds with 9 queries
Copyright Rich Zuchowski/SerpenCo