Why don't the smaller ones sell?

Gotta say this site has great classifieds!

I posted 2 large female BP's recently.

A 1600 gram one and a 1300 gram one.

The 1600 gram one sold in an hour.
The 1300 gram one sold in 2 hours.

But why don't the smaller ones sell?

Everyone wants the big girls and the poor little ones are starting to get a complex. (yes, they told me....got a problem with that )

How about advertising the smaller ones as "lean, mean, breeding machines" or maybe as "girlishly figured" or "athletic"...anyway, those snakes with the "child-bearing hips" will always get a higher price too!

well like the song goes "fat bottom girls make the world go round"! lol
(I hope no one finds this offensive)

Originally Posted by SPJ

But why don't the smaller ones sell?
Everyone wants the big girls and the poor little ones are starting to get a complex. (yes, they told me....got a problem with that )

simple enough...everyone wants the fast, easy way into breeding a really popular snake. If noone wants to buy the little ones (and you have the room) keep'em til next year and sell'em for more $$.

Originally Posted by hhmoore

simple enough...everyone wants the fast, easy way into breeding a really popular snake.

This is exactly it. People don't want to put in the time and energy and pay the dues to raise babies. As products of our instant gratification society they want to take the easy way and go straight to the breeding, and with that, the profit.
Some like myself, don't buy babies because I produce enough to hold back any I want to raise, and I have held back normal females every year. I have enough genetic diversity in my group that inbreeding down the road isn't a concern. But many who are just starting, don't want to put the effort into raising a snake for 2-3 years minimum before getting results. These same fast track "breeders" are often the ones who are quickly discouraged when the inevitable problems of breeding arise, females don't produce, eggs are infertile etc.
They also are the first to balk at paying premium prices for big girls. I have normal adult females I wouldn't take 2 grand for. They produce big clutches and are worth far more than that to me to remain in my breeding group over the next 5 or 10 years. Probably why you practically never see me offer an adult female for sale.

People don't want to put in the time and energy and pay the dues to raise babies.

I don't see why they wouldn't want to. I raise up a bunch and then select the few that are going to be keepers (color retention, growth rates, etc.) and then sell the ones that are "extras". You coud get a LOT of babies to raise up and sell off some in a few years and totally recoup what you originally paid.

They also are the first to balk at paying premium prices for big girls.

I have had a few of these types respond to my ads. I raise them, get them on f/t, accurately sex them, make sure they get yearly exams, monitor the health, and then they claim that anything over $50 for an adult female is outrageous. I have also had the ones that constantly try to lowball.
Thank goodness there are some out there that realize you are paying a higher price because of what went into the animal.

I have normal adult females I wouldn't take 2 grand for.

I know exactly what you mean. I have some (and even a male ) that I would NEVER sell. They are not only good eaters and breeders, but also "pets". There's just those certain ones that I could never let go.

I don't see why they wouldn't want to. I raise up a bunch and then select the few that are going to be keepers (color retention, growth rates, etc.) and then sell the ones that are "extras". You coud get a LOT of babies to raise up and sell off some in a few years and totally recoup what you originally paid.

You see, this is the mentality of a breeder who is trying to set a solid foundation for the future. This line of thought seems natural to us, but so many see nothing but the numbers after the dollar sign when they look at a ball, and they are dedicated to the profit rather than building a solid breeding group.
They want egg machines and little more, if it's female it's a keeper as far as they are conderned.

I always tell people that 90% of the time when you see a breeder selling an adult female, there's a reason for it. If she were a perfect snake, good size no feeding troubles, they would be keeping it.
These people who take the fast track into breeding often don't realize that they lose in the long run. They buy 10 WC adult females for $500. Of these a couple might breed in a year or two, but looking 5 years down the road they would probably have more overall production if they had bought 10 hatchlings and raised them.They are not forward looking though, their focus is the payoff by the quickest means.
I have picked up a few high quality adult females from pet keepers who were just tired of having a ball and wanted something different. These are great snakes, well established, no feeding problems, but they are not the norm.

I have had a few of these types respond to my ads. I raise them, get them on f/t, accurately sex them, make sure they get yearly exams, monitor the health, and then they claim that anything over $50 for an adult female is outrageous.

I sell my CB female hatchlings for a minimum of $50 normally, and I don't budge on that price. I also sell out quickly because they are well established and normally have over a dozen meals in them before I get around to advertising them.
There's still a good portion of perspective breeders who understand the difference in quality between getting true cb and the cheaper ones brought in from Africa, as well as the benefits of raising your own breeders.

Thank goodness there are some out there that realize you are paying a higher price because of what went into the animal.

Not just what went into her, but what will come out. For adult females ready to breed, if you have a male pastel and breed it to that female and get say 6 eggs, statistically 3 of those should be pastel. Lets say only one of the three was a female. What's that three grand plus on the clutch? And they think they should get a prime adult female for $100.
Replace the pastel with a spider and where are you?
To a breeder, $500 is a bargain for a 2000g female. I have one girl that's never laid a clutch of less than 10 eggs. I would laugh at an offer of $1000 for her.

From the responses to this thread I feel that I must be
an odd ball. I really do not tend to look at adult
animals when adding to my collection. I would much
rather raise the animal myself and know how the
animal is housed, fed, and socialized.
The oldest I have purchased is a yearling. I just
enjoy the results of my time and effort, when the
animal is growing and changing before your eyes.
Just my opinion though.
Ginger Ambrose

I have gotten some as adults but mostly I go with hatchlings. I like raising them from hatchlings, watching them grow, that is part of the fun! Hubby picked up 2 WC adults last month and I laughed when he asked if they would breed this year, lol, no way, 1. they are only just over 900g. 2. They are in Quaranteen and most likely will be until well into breeding season, not risking any of my males. 3. Doubt they will even adjust and start feeding readily enough to gain enough weight, only one of them has eaten since we got them. Maybe next year, maybe. CBB adults usually around here sell for close to $1000.00, if they are lower I'd scoop them why not, I have a pastel

Ginger and Nita i totally agree with both of you, the way i look at it is i am CHOOSING to be with these animals and i want to watch them grow up and watch how they are, i have gotten into BP big time in a short amount of time and i have always seen this as a hobby/ pet before a breeder/money, i really couldn't care less if i ever make a dime on em, the experiance is awesome and just learning a lil somthing new everyday...... like BP are not good climbers.......... uh huh RIGHT, my 2 girls proved that wrong first day, so yeah i'm having fun with mine now. too many people get into this and expect to make money quick, the way i see it is if i DO make anything it will go right back into the snakes anyways