I know I've been blunt on this thread, but my main concern is the selection of species, not the notion of a relative newbie breeding his/her reptiles. Despite the highly innaccurate comments made about me and the intent of my comments, there is no reason why a relative newbie can't succeed and gain a lot from breeding reptiles. It's the selection of bredli and the fact that they can have enormous clutches of eggs that is the problem for me. There are heaps of breeders around who have young bredli from breedings 12 months and more ago, and the increasing surplus can only be bad news for the animals in the short to medium term. I don't give a toss about the reduction in price because of oversupply, it's the welfare of the progeny which should be a major concern with some of these highly fecund python species. The 'market' just is not big enough to keep absorbing the results of poorly planned, or totally unplanned, breeding projects, with species that can produce 40+ eggs in a single clutch. And unless you are prepared to fork out very large sums of money for food, for an indefinite period of time, you end up with babies that need to be unloaded as quickly as possible, and with scant regard paid to the welfare of the babies. If you are stuck with the majority of them for any length of time, can you afford the $60-$100 per week to feed them, let alone the cost of 40-odd tubs and rack and the heating to get them going?
If you could find a species which has appeal for you, and which isn't already in huge oversupply, I'm sure that the people here who have appeared negative would happily reconsider their comments, and many, including me, would be prepared to offer whatever advice you may need.
I absolutely acknowledge that there are 'newbies'... and then there are 'newbies'... Not everyone who learns to ride a bike needs trainer wheels. Your last few words... "i want to learn"
may just put you in the latter category...
Jamie
. I try soo hard to be popular too, but I have no idea where I go wrong lol!
