Are there too many snakes being bred?

[Norm]

I think the natural progression leads to breeding, it's normal a thing after keeping for a while to want to try your hand at breeding. It was for me anyway, I've always had an interest in breeding animals, I used to breed birds and if I had a big enough yard would probably try breeding elephants!

 

[beastcreature]

Why is breeding considered by many, especially newbies, to be the pinnacle of reptile keeping? Sure, it's exciting and interesting but so are other aspects of reptile keeping. In these days breeding seems almost like a graduation into the upper sphere of keeping. Is it all about money? Just thinking loud.

In most cases I don't believe it is about money, just as with other animal hobbies you see a social hierarchy, exhibitors & breeders constantly striving for approval from fellow hobbyists.

 

[RoryBreaker]

I feel its just the carpet keeping scene that is stuffed. The sibs/castoffs/rubbish that the morph keepers have produced and filtered into the hobby is obscene. Keepers are getting out of carpets in droves.

The proof is in the classifieds, the vast majority of ads are for carpets (hatchies and adults). But I could be biased, I got out of snakes a couple of years ago to just do skinks.

 

[champagne]

I think a lot of people are getting out of carpet morphs because IMO that is were most of the back stabbing and ******ing is in the hobby.

 

[Owzi]

I remember Roy Pails doing a talk a couple of years back- he has been breeding different herp for 20-30 years, he spoke of how he'd seen popularity in some animals come & go... then come back again. An example was Colletts, he bred them in the earlier days & everyone wanted the offspring- a few years later & he struggled to give them away, only to see them in more recent times become harder to find & more sought after.
I can see this happening with Carpets in the not too distant future- who's continuing to produce Murray's, Atherton Jungles, Cape Yorks, Bredlis, etc? Shortly it'll be hard to find something without Jag, Hypermelanistic, Het for something or mixed blood in it.

At the end of the day, keepers need to keep what they are intrigued & fascinated with, not whats rare or what costs more. Trust me when you have the animal home in its enclosure, what others think & what it costs won't come into it anymore- it's just your enjoyment of the species your observing & interacting with.
As for breeding whatever that species is, if you have room for the babies & enjoy having them around I say go for it! If your breeding with only money on your mind, I'd reconsider

 

[FAY]

What is 'old' becomes 'new' again
I mostly just sell word of mouth.