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so hard to choose

AbsoluteApril

AbsoluteApril

mighty blue justice
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Why do there have to be so many pretty BP morphs? It makes it very hard to decide what to get or where to focus. Something always catches my eye and then I research what it is, since combo morphs always seem to get some other name in the BP world (weird).

In the thread where I was showing off the two ladies I got last year (first BPs I've had in over 10 years, simple little normal and pastel females) people kept saying 'you'll get another one soon!'. Dang it people! Why do you have to be so... right?
;)

I'm first in line on my friend's list for a baby this year, so soon I'll be up to 3. Then another friend has some babies hatching already which I was checking out - oooo male pieds! I always wanted a pied... then I see this amazing male butter pin. wow I love it! Do I need or want to work with pinstripe? Well not really.. but wow, that boy is so pretty.

How do you decide?
Do you look only at future breeding plans/projects? Just buy the ones that catch your eye?

I am trying to decide between the pied and the butter pin... I think I need a 12 step program.
Which one would you go for and why? pied or butter pin?

I'll stop rambing now.
 
The first answer you are going to get is to get what you truly like, regardless of the market. Since you are like me and think they are all beautiful in their own way it's tricky.

This is what I do:
If I have to choose between two or three animals and like them all equally. I get a feel for the market. I ask folks here, what they prefer and I scan the market to check supply and demand. Opinions from the friendly folks here+market=much easier decision for me.
 
I'd go with the butter pin, only because of my personal preferences.

As far as how I go about choosing...it is difficult, and there are so many shiny things that can flutter by the corner of your eye and distract you. I look over what I like on a broad spectrum first.

1) I love the ghost gene
2) I love the ghost gene more in darker morphs than lighter morphs, but like when lighter morphs are worked into it.
3) I like busy patterns, spots, and dots...for the most part. Sometimes I would prefer a clean, reduced pattern.

So that is pretty much my building blocks, and then I start to look into specifics...

1) I love the mojave, cinnamon, yellow belly, and het red axanthic genes.
2) I plan on adding granite, enchi, and sable, among others.
3) These genes, either making hets or buying visuals, will be worked into ghost projects.

Past that, there's a little improv, but I think it's important to maintain focus and stick to projects, otherwise it's way to easy to veer off the trail and collect a whole bunch of morphs with no plans. Plus, I think it will be more rewarding to have a few core projects and see them to fruition rather than have a more varied collection and just kind of wing it.
 
I think I would go for the pied. While I do love both I've always wanted to own a low white pastel pied,so the future plans would obviously be in consideration when making the decision. However,it also depends on the over all appearance of the animals as well,but I would still be leaning more toward the future plans. :)
 
thank you so much for the advice! It really helps to hear other's opinions and outlooks!

RobNJ said:
otherwise it's way to easy to veer off the trail and collect a whole bunch of morphs with no plans.
Click to expand...

yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. I don't have any big plans for breeding BPs but I think it would be fun to have a couple little projects to play around with (eggs are fun!).

I am leaning heavily towards the butter pin, if it was a girl the choice would be easier as I'd rather build up with females right now, but he's just so pretty (total eye candy to me). Want to give myself a day or two so I am really sure about it.
 
lol pick your favorite morphs and if reasonably affordable or the "materials" to make them go for it!!! lol...

Recessive- Pied
Incomplete Dominant- Phantom
Dominant- Champagne
Super- Super Phantom

I that was my "range-o-favorites" lol for each category I 3/4 lol

Pick your favorites and roll with it man, if straight hobbyist, if breeding business wise think about what you like that the market is big on at that time.
 
April if you do plan on doing a project or two I would go with the butter pin. The babies would help offset your rat bill and probably put a little back for your next purchase. Pieds are awesome, but trying to sell their het babies isn't unless you buy a pied female too. I think you should buy a few racks and fill them up!! It sounds like you really like them..... :)
 
Hey April......as of now you have the ability to breed to a pastel and normal (when they are of size) and could make normal, pastel, pin, butter, pastel butter, pastel pin, or maybe a pastel butter pin. If you buy the pied you make het pieds and pastel het pieds. You will not reproduce a pied for a couple years when they are $500. Now you can always trade what you produce from the butter pin clutch and get a female pied to start growing. I never get in to any recessive project until I have had multiple females for atleast a year already. Always go with what you like or what you can create with that morph. If you are tried between two, what will give you the easiest offspring to trade for the other. Myself I would do the butter pin in a heartbeat, so if you dont take it..............!
 
pythonpaintjobs said:
Pieds are awesome, but trying to sell their het babies isn't unless you buy a pied female too.
Click to expand...

that is a very good point!

Randy F said:
so if you dont take it..............!
Click to expand...

Hey now!
LOL


I've been going back and forth over the photos and I think the butter pin is going to be it. I'll get a pied in another year or two, hopefully a pied het...

thank you guys!
 
KINGPIN all the way! They are awesome the pied would take two long to get more pieds if anything im sure you can pick up a het pied female for fairly cheap 200-300 bucks now and a couple years "maybe two if your luck" buy a pied the price of them are dropping like a rock!
 
I've been in love with pieds for years, and about 10 years ago when I wastrying to get into breeding BPs had a het female that was gravid by a het male stolen from me (along with all my other animals... bad experience, got me out of herps for a while). This year, I finally convinced myself to pick up a pair of het pieds and hope to produce some visuals next year. I really just want a pied for my collection. In your situation, I would definitely go with the multi-gene boy instead. I would look at it from the perspective of being able to produce tri-gene animals in one breeding, and being able to sell those babies for as much or more than a pied or trade them for your visual pied.
 
I started into Balls with no real plan and soon realized I had no plans for half of the snakes I had. I sat down and picked 3 main genes or complexs that I wanted to work with and focus my purchases there now. I will stick to Black pastel crosses (in hopes of hitting a super Black pewter) The Bel complex (Lesser, butter and Mojo are my favorites) because making a BEL is one of the reasons I started breeding, and the Fire gene which I am throwing at everything I have this year. I still have to stop myself when I see a girl that is just smoking, but I realize I'm better of having focused my efforts.
So this year is the year of the Fire, next is the year of the Black Pewter Blast, and the following year I plan to dive into the Platinum aspect of my projects. So sit down and really plan out what you want to do in the years comming up and decide from there. I personally would wait and find a butter pin girl, wait until you have a handful of girls ready before you invest in a double or triple gene male. The price will only fall on any male you look at, so I wouldn't buy one until you need it. Good lucjk whatever you choose.
 
Yup, what Mike (Mr. Big) said. I started out with .1 pied and .1 super black pastel and was gonna grow them up and find a black pastel het pied and try for the panda pied. Then Dec. came and I'm single, sooo I found more eye candy!! Mojave bee, g-stripe that's close to looking like a pastel g-stripe, 1.2 het ultra's, black pastel hypo that I really like, pastel yb, pastel butter and more. Now I'm gonna sell about 4 or 5 and just focus on the black pastel combos and mojave's. Definetly start with a plan and get the girls you want 1st! The boys will be there later and you don't have to fatten them up as you do the girls or wait so long for the girls to mature. In case you don't know, check world of bp's for gene crossing.
 
heh heh, I knew you would get a male soon >=D

Both are good, but the double co-dom sounds better for a small collection IMO.

Plus, i might have some pieds hatching in May 20th you can buy ;D

so when you getting #4?
 
Finding Het. Pieds is actually not that hard...the problems lie in finding someone you can trust...because of the history of fake hets the price on hets is pretty cheap...its the only way you can sell them...so...a male pied and fising someone with female hets may not be so hard....just make sure it is someone with a decent reputation...someone that can easily be tracked down....I would get some sort of reciept from them on what you bought...just to have...you just have to feel comfortable with the person...I have 2 Het. Pieds Im raising now both 1000 grams...I have 1 adult female het that has produced twice for me....and 1 male pied...good luck with whatever you choose.
 
how I choose what I get...I have plans...animals I want...and either by what I sell or can trade for is how I determine what I get...I was looking for a het red to breed to my cinny female...and I was selling another snake...and someone offered a trade and he happened to have a Het. Red/Orange Ghost...worked out great for both of us...
 
Thank you everyone for all the great insight and advice! I hadn't even considered future offspring and trading for a pied down the line, great ideas.

I made my decision, I'll post pics in a new thread when I have him.

JustChad04 said:
so when you getting #4?
Click to expand...

I know, you were right Chad! lol
#4 is in the works, I had that one set up a while ago. Eggs are down now and waiting to see if my buddy's poss het proved out.
:D
 
Well for starters we breed to make stuff we can't afford. :D
My long time goal is the albino pied (aka expensive snake ). We are always working toward our own personal breeding goals in hopes of one day making all the morphs we want to own.

Now as far as what you might want to start with.. I say the Pied. Just because the co-doms are easier to come by and personally I just love pieds and all the different patterns you can get from one morph.

The butter Pin is amazing in itself but the Pied is just down & out smexxy:D.

I wish you luck in your 12 step.. But it is easier to just give in to the dark side.. :reddevil:
 
Sounds like you have been bitten by the ball bug badly. lol Congrats on your new butter pin, can't wait to see him.

Theo, I agree that alot of people will breed for what they can't afford. But take me for instance. When I first started back into pythons, I fell in love with BELs and refused to pay 2000$+ for one. So that was one snake I wanted to breed myself, now here we are a couple years later and I am willing to invest alittle more and could easily afford to buy one but I refuse to simply because I want to produce that myself. I want to do the pairing, incubate the eggs and watch the little white head with blue eyes pop out of the egg. Now as for my dream of a super black pewter, I can't afford it so I'm breeding for it next year(hopefully with pinstripe thrown in as well) But that is another project that should the situation change and I would be able to purchase one, I would probably pass and wait to produce it myself. I kinda chuckled at the thought of you not being able to afford the genes you want, because you always have some amazing stuff. Love that Butter Daddy you have. And oh how I long for a soulsucker. I'm light headed and congested from a sinus infection and medication so I will stop ranting.
 
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