Just a few questions...

[crazydart]

Ok so I have noticed you almost cant throw a rock without hitting a pastel... the market appears somewhat flooded... if we could have seen a little better market research before everyone bought and produced a million of these maybe it would have slowed the market down. So here is my idea... I have setup a survey that everyone can take, people who keep ball pythons and people who breed them... anyhow it is free and the results will be free... I am nore going to sell anything here.


http://www.reptilestudbook.com/ssignup/index.php

Thanks,
Ben
American Tropics

 

[crazydart]

Kepp them comming...

I have alreayd gotten some great surveys!!! Keep them comming. So far everyone who has filled it out has a pastel.

 

[NEWReptiles]

if we could have seen a little better market research before everyone bought and produced a million of these maybe it would have slowed the market down.

For the most part reptile owners/breeders are not rocket scientists. Year after year we will see price drops and people standing in line to bitch about those low prices.

Buy right..........

 

[crazydart]

roll the dice...

Sure, I agree, but wouldnt it be nice to know if there is a morph that you could have worked with insted of spending money on pastels and had them keep their value longer??

Thats not all the survey is about. So far not too many people have taken it, but thats why I will give it a month. Below is a sample of the data I have right now. I find it interesting. Now mind you only 13 people have responded. The more people to answer the better idea some of us will get as to how to market, what to go into, whats hot, whats not, what there is too many of...

Do you feed mice to adult ball pythons?
No - 6 46.15%
Yes - 7 53.85%

Do you feed frozen thawed mice or rats to your ball pythons?
No - 4 30.77%
Yes - 9 69.23%

Have you ever bought a possible het from anyone?
No - 5 38.46%
Yes - 8 61.54%
Total Answers - 13

You bought a possible het from someone... did you know them or did they have a good reputation?
No - 3 37.50%
Yes - 5 62.50%

 

[NEWReptiles]

So far from the results I would think that most of the folks surveyed are not breeders so your poll is useless at this point.

There are plenty of morphs that will outlast others. To figure out what ones will last only takes common sense.

Look at the morphs that dropped over the last year, do you see a trend? Oh my, mostly dominant type mutations that 90% of breeders KNEW would drop a ton. I knew it.........

 

[crazydart]

Are you 12?? Then dont act like it!

Hmmm, well you are wrong on all counts here. Ball python morphs right now are business. Any business (good) person would tell you that before you invest thousands of dallars you need to have all the info you can.

Actually all the results so far show that they own atleast a few thousand dollars worth of ball pythons. One person (an I hope pleanty more) who has taken it has some VERY impressive stuff, then proceded to email me and wish me luck. Thats alot more than you are doing.

I am doing this FREE. That means all you have to do to get the results is fill out the survey. So why are you so upset about it? Perhaps you should spend more time on your website and less time shelling out negativity.

Lets look at your ball pythons... on your site you show albino, pastel, and spider. 2 co-doms and a recessive. All the most common in the market... all the forcasted loosers for value. Perhaps you would have made a better investment spending all your money on some college tuition insted... or a lesser platty. But who knows what really is the better buy right now. Well, I think I have found one or two people who do, but thats only because after I setup the survey they reveailed they have done some extensive reasearch with the bigger breeders. So now with their info and mine perhaps we could create a realistic snapshot of the market? If nothing else... and one of the very real reasons I am doing this is because I have been working on a website for a company that does surveys as their business. They are a very sucessful business and have paid me very highly for MY skills to design them a system that will work for them. They need to get up with the times... so far the site I have them using is doing them very well, but they need more. They need an adaptive survey system, such as the one I am using for these surveys.

Before I open my mouth or wallet I do research. I can advise the same to you.

Ben Linville
American Tropics

 

[crazydart]

Hmmmm.....

Hmm, Looks like Al has a history of picking fights here. Please dont bother to respond to my last post Al, no one is looking or asking for any info from you. I know too many people like Al, just cant go 2 hours with out finding some bug to squash and call him self a real man. Your the MAN AL!!!! I am wrong, my survey sucks, you can now live your life without thinking about my little survey.

Ben
American Tropics

 

[NEWReptiles]

So why are you so upset about it? Perhaps you should spend more time on your website and less time shelling out negativity.

Wrong, my site was supposed to be simple, and thats how I like it.

Lets look at your ball pythons... on your site you show albino, pastel, and spider. 2 co-doms and a recessive. All the most common in the market... all the forcasted loosers for value.

We have many other recessive projects going and have yet to update the site. Ghost, clown and gen stripes seem to be a great road to me and this is why we work with all three of these as well.

Before I open my mouth or wallet I do research. I can advise the same to you.

I have done my research and this is why I am so far ahead as far as most of the lower end morphs. All of my dominant projects have paid for themselves atleast 10x over.

Looks like Al has a history of picking fights here.

I'm unaware of where I ever picked a fight here. I try to help pointout scumbags and also provide newer keepers with tips on care/ husbandry.

Please dont bother to respond to my last post Al, no one is looking or asking for any info from you.

I will continue to reply as I see fit.

Like I said, so far your poll shows that many novice keepers have replied.


Goodluck.......................................

 

[NEWReptiles]

Lets look at your ball pythons... on your site you show albino, pastel, and spider. 2 co-doms and a recessive. All the most common in the market... all the forcasted loosers for value. Perhaps you would have made a better investment spending all your money on some college tuition insted... or a lesser platty.

Forcasted losers for value eh, thats kind of funny as I stated above, these projects have litterally paid for my entire collection and as far as albinos, they are a pretty stable animal and have INCREASED in price. Not to mention that I will still be breeding when the above animals are in the $100's. None of them are losers in my eyes. Do you think the lesser held? Do you think its going to hold............They have only been out a few years and seemed to take one of the biggest hits so far. Talking to all the "big breeders" I figured you would have known that.

I made all of my investments correctly and I know this.


I have a question Ben, do you work with or own any Regius mutations?

 

[crazydart]

Yes I do...

Right now I work with piebalds, clown, and albino. I paid market price for the piebalds and got into the albinos and clowns for a steal. I have only been working with them for a little over a year. I come from breeding many dart frogs, which I still love, but am expanding my horizons.

So when in a previous post you mentioned that you just watch the prices every year, and know how everything is doing, and so on... how would someone who have only been in it for 1 to 2 years have any idea how the market is? I am by no means a novice, I have been working with and breeding snake on and off for 15 years. Compaired to dart frogs ball python husbendry is easy easy. I am not saying all snakes are easy, but ball pythons sure are.

Do I think plattys are a good investment? NO! I wouldnt ever put $25k into a living animal! If I had that much to throw around I would put it into my mortgage... the interest I would save over 5 years would more than make up for how much that snake might or might not make me. What if it died? What if lightning hit and burned it to a crisp? What if someone stole it? Anything that expensive need to be insured.

So how have all the prices for albinos been for the past 10 years? How about piebalds? How about <insert morph here>? If someone had a record of this sort of thing, or a website, it would be very nice for reference, dont you agree??? I think snakes would hold their value better. Cars have them. Houses have them. Horses have them. Why not snakes?

Why dont I just ask someone for this info insted of doing a survey every year? Well I never pay the posted prices. The big breeders always ask way more than they are willing to take for something. So does a posted price really reflect what something is worth? Its does not in any other market, so why would it for ball pythons?

To ME it seems to be a very good idea to do this survey. I am not looking for big breeders to just do my survey... if the market was comprised of big breeders you would just have 30 people paying each other the same money each year... might as well use bottle caps. Its all the little people that make up a market. Big breeders are easy to get info form. I can go to almost all of their websites and see exactly how many of what they have and breed.

 

[NEWReptiles]

So when in a previous post you mentioned that you just watch the prices every year, and know how everything is doing, and so on... how would someone who have only been in it for 1 to 2 years have any idea how the market is?

You may need to re-read my posts as there is not one where I said I just watch the prices every year, I never said anything of the sort.

Who has only been in "it" for 1-2 years?

I can go to almost all of their websites and see exactly how many of what they have and breed.

Can you? I only know of a couple that post what they breed every season and I can't think of anybody (other than the "insert my collection here because I'm cool people) that lists all of the animals in their collection. NONE of the big breeders have that up................

Learn how to read before you start running your mouth.

 

[crazydart]

On it goes...

For the most part reptile owners/breeders are not rocket scientists. Year after year we will see price drops and people standing in line to bitch about those low prices.

Thats when you said you watch the prices year after year.

Who has only been in "it" for 1-2 years?

Me. Thats what I said. Maybe you need to re-read.

Hmmm, well no actually I cant go to all of their websites and see this information. That question was targeted for that exact responce. Thats why I have this survey.... really it will be more of a set of surveys depending on how it is answerd. If we could just go on the web an see all of this info I would have no reason to create a survey.

You bring no good points to this, and only look for trouble.

I'm unaware of where I ever picked a fight here. I try to help pointout scumbags and also provide newer keepers with tips on care/ husbandry.

That comment alone is case in point. If you need more however one only must look below your name to the left of every one of your posts. See that warning level: 3??? Click on the 3. Thats what I mean.

Do you see me as a scumbag? If so, how and why? Please quote me on everything that must point to this.

Got anything else? Unlike you I dont like to think I know everything. If you know everything about the ball python market, please for all of use in your next two cent post please focus on telling the rest of us all about it. If you dont, that will only prove you dont know what you are claiming to know.

Ben

 

[NEWReptiles]

If you need more however one only must look below your name to the left of every one of your posts. See that warning level: 3??? Click on the 3. Thats what I mean.

Oh my, 3 warning points, LOOK stupidass, now I have more.............

Do you see me as a scumbag?

Please reffer back to your phonics monkey as I never said you were a scumbag, never even insinuated it.

If you know everything about the ball python market, please for all of use in your next two cent post please focus on telling the rest of us all about it. If you dont, that will only prove you dont know what you are claiming to know.

I never claimed to know everything and never will, I learn day after day just like most keepers.

Have fun with your jolly little poll, sorry for the interuption.

 

[crazydart]

no problem.

No problem! I like to pi$$ on all the trees in the park just like most other men. I didnt say you said I was a scumbag... just asking.

Ben