I admit it, I'm the PM. I haven't bred my snakes yet, so I have no idea what I would do as a breeder. Probably give CPR to conjoined headless twins- I don't know. I do recognize, though, that especially for a large breeder there are limits in who you can actually find a pet home for. One of the reasons I chose higher-end morphs for my two projects is because I worry even about my ability to find homes for normals or other more common morphs. I'm not so worried about finding homes for opal stripes.
I _have_ a severely kinked snake. I didn't buy her that way- she developed the kinks as she grew. Of course, she is the most entertaining, active, out-going yearling I have. She is out, doing something, all the time, every evening. If a snake can be said to "enjoy life," she is the one who most actively displays that. She sheds normally and eats vigorously and keeps up in growth with a similarly-sized normal snake.
Still- I didn't plan for or want a snake with such a handicap. I wouldn't have adopted her as such, though I wouldn't have faulted someone else for doing so. But now that I "know" her and am attached to her and invested in her care, I have no interest in euthing her, although her condition has been discussed with my vet who will do that if/when we decide she has a poor quality of life. She is now my pet, and I will love and cherish her as long as she is with me, and will not keep her hanging on if she suffers.
Maybe you're wondering who she is. She has had very limited, well-cropped photoshoots, because I've been guiltily hiding her away. Now, with so many showing support of keeping kinked but viable snakes as PETS, definitely not breeding stock, I may feature her in a real photoshoot.
So, I admire Jeff and others for the stance that a one-eyed snake, or a minimally kinked snake deserves a chance either with the breeder with room or in a nice pet home. I _love_ it that Jeff feels like this: "And what will one get in return? To many, the intrinsic living value of a snake (normal, albino, deformed or otherwise) may outweigh any monetary value. I'm sure there are lots of people on this site that love their corn and don't love it less because it is a normal or albino or snow.
By the shear fact that I've kept this corn illustrates that he has a purpose in my collection. In fact, I actually get great joy in watching him grow and am fascinated that he lived when so many others would have dumped him in the freezer or the kingsnake cage because his monetary value would be less then the first pinkie he ate."
But it takes a strong person to _not_ keep deformed babies. I am very strongly opposed to culling healthy but not-desireable common morphs. I don't consider this situation to be comparable. I guess that's why I sent a PM to Mike- I'm ambivalent. I, as a future breeder, want to value life, but not preserve those with serious deformities. Along the continuity from one-eyed, no-eyed, invisible kink, visible but low kink, major proximal kink, many kinks, kink so severe snake cannot move normally or is prevented from eating/shedding, everyone has to draw a line, pick their place- who will they keep themselves, who will they find a pet home for, who will they sell at a reduced price, who will they give away as a "bonus" freebie, who will they cull. I don't think I can know where my place is till I actually have to experience it, but I suspect that I would attempt to find nice pet homes for minimally kinked snakes or eyeless snakes. I'd have to find the strength to PTS the ones worse off.
