What makes a good breeder?

Art_Gecko101 · #1 (**permalink**) 08-12-2006, 11:49 PM

I'm sure all of you have had bad experience with sellers over classifieds etc (i know i have!) and knowing the size of some of your collections im sure you've all got your opinions of the 'best' breeders for your various species.

What qualities do you think makes a good breeder, and what do you look for in a breeder when deciding whether to make a purchase?
Large collection?
Quick response?
Good website?
Morals???
Quality of info they give?

I'd be very interested to hear what you think is most important? (except having the animal you want of course!!)

Sarah X

captaincaveman · #2 (**permalink**) 09-12-2006, 12:43 AM

i go on word of mouth for most things, i got my royals that way. The most important thing for me is to know that they are captive bred, so i like to go out and see the parents of the hatchlings, see incubators etc so you know they are not just shipping in poor animals from the wild in huge numbers

plus a gut feeling about the people, you can tell when someones got an interest in the animals and not just the money

With shops if i see too many wild caught or captive farmed on their list ill totally avoid them cause i dont want to put money into that crappy buisness, and the same thing with the people there, if they have a real interest and love for the animals it puts me more at ease

NNY · #3 (**permalink**) 09-12-2006, 01:09 AM

Well next year is my first year of breeding... but ive got a nice range of kings breeding over the next few years and will be selling them at good prices and won't be selling them to anyone who just throws money at me... I want them to go to a good home...

I definitely think a decent breeder has to have good knowledge and sells the animals on for others to enjoy and not too much for profit.

#4 (**permalink**) 09-12-2006, 01:39 PM

For me the sign of a good breeder is someone thats knows what they are talking about and not someone who waffles.

It doesnt matter in all honesty if they have 2 animals or 200 they can still be a good breeder its just a case of scale.As long as all the animals are looked after properly and they are healthy then you are a good breeder.

Websites to me dont really matter.I would rather deal with someone who i know has good after sales care.For this you are usually going to them from a friend that has reffered you there.

For me the biggest part of breeding is honesty.If you cant be honest about what you have bred then dont breed it.

Art_Gecko101 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-12-2006, 01:08 AM

Its really interesting hearing everyones opinions.

As a herp enthusiast (weell...enthusiast isnt strong enough of a word haha)
I am hoping to breed my geckos in the next year and its good to know what people think.
My plans are just to keep small, just a trio of really nice Cresteds, that are primarily just pets but i am really excited by the idea of hatching and looking after some teeny babies. I am planning on selling via my website and sites like this one where i'll know they're going to a good home, but ive been trying to do lots of market research to make sure ill be able to sell the babies. I dont want to raise babies that are just going to be traded around classifieds . I dont like the idwa of reptiles like trading cards and property.

It'd be nice to build up a good reputation over time, because i feel that my intentions are in the right place, and not just set out to make money, But i wanted to make sure people valued the same things as me when looking for a breeder.

Keep the opinions coming!! and if anyone has any advise for a newbie breeder, please feel free to help me out!

#6 (**permalink**) 10-12-2006, 02:12 PM

Sounds like your doing the right thing mate.I know of a lot of people that would rather buy from a pet owner rather than a breeder as such as in most cases the animal is kept in 1 better conditions.2Better health and 3 handled a lot more.If it was a breeder then in most cases people do not have time to handle all the animals so they do not become as tame or used to people as time does not allow it to happen whereas with a pet owner they have a tendency to handle all the animals regularly or at least interact with them to a larger extent.This can be a bit of a problem though with some animals as the constant interaction can put them of their food causing problems for the new breeder.

In short your breedings will be a learning curve ie getting your gecks to breed then hatching out the eggs and getting the young to survive then you have the problem of selling the gecks as i know you will want them to go to the best home possible and you will probably turn many people awway as they do not have the required knowledge.I know i do.

DeanThorpe · #7 (**permalink**) 10-12-2006, 02:18 PM

yeh and when you get into the breeding and are fluint with it to an extent you should be able to work it so to an extent yourv got hatchlings ready to go at times of the various rep shows arouind and should have decent enough luck selling them to good people there.

Art_Gecko101 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-12-2006, 07:45 PM

Thanks guys, I'm hoping i wont have too much trouble with the actual breeding part as Cresties are somewhat like rabbits! haha but it'll definatly be a learning curve, i cant wait.

Out of interest, what cues do people give you/questions do you ask to make sure people arnt just impulse buying? I am going to include a page on my website that will appear before you are able to request a purchase along the lines of...'make sure you've read my caresheet and other peoples too, these are long lived animals and you must be able to care for them properly etc' but i dont want to appear rude and scare people off... any tips?

Kellybee · #9 (**permalink**) 10-12-2006, 11:10 PM

For me personally I'd rather buy from someone that has an interest in my own experience, knowledge, and capability as the new owner, its a good hint that the breeder is interested in the home their babies go to. I'd be reluctant to buy from somewhere that was the other end of the country and willing to put it in the post without asking me any questions about my own experience with that species or similar species.

For me personally I have a goal in life to get Collareds from CB stock into the british reptile community, which is why I would love to see others learning then moving onto breeding them.........it might sound daft to some folk but it breaks my heart whenever I see huge WC Collareds, clearly a good few years old that have been dragged out of the desert and trapped in a box, knowing he'll never get to run around in the sun again like he did for the first few years of his life.

For me if I can stop the need for WC collareds being shipped in by the boat load I'm happy. And if I can teach other people a thing or two about them before they get into breeding and looking at the financial gains, even better, therefore, if I look for a buyer I look for someone that knows their stuff, is open and honest and has the interests of their stock first and foremost. Personally I'd rather pay £60 for a collared when I know exactly where its come from, seen the parents, know that the seller has a clue, blah blah, than pay £20 for a WC animal that could be ANY age for all I know, thats probably full of parasites and going to be miserable in captivity. You get what you pay for at the end of the day, and the smaller breeders often dont have a massive nationally recognised reputation, but if they know their stuff they're always a good choice for me

Art_Gecko101 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-12-2006, 11:31 PM

Thanks gan, i agree on the WC side of things too. I keep Whites tree frogs, and even though there are gazillions of CB, you still find sites and shops selling WC at a few quid cheaper... it sickens me.Unless its unavoidable and you are trying to help the situation (like you say) then i believe all Wild catching is wrong, and its the one big part of the reptile trade that i disagree with. To be honest i think that if they banned WC(properly) that public opinion of reptiles as pets would soar.

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