I've done it. Thing is, I've bred these animals for a long time, and I have a different view on things now than I did when I started.
When I was young, I saw each individual animal as such a special, great little thing - every one was important to me.
Now, I still treasure each little monster when it pops out of the shell, hating me from the start, but it's different. I have seen how indiscriminate breeding can change the captive population. If they all live, and all of them breed, the result will be a group of uglier, smaller, weaker animals.
Make some discrimination, choose onyl the best animals for breeding, and you get better anmals. It only took a few years for the natural selective forces in Florida to result in huge colorful veileds. The expense was probably a mortality rate of near 100%.
The ones that make it, make it for a reason.
I had a clutch hatch out about 2 years ago from a beautiful 17" male. The one I held back rom the clutch has great colors, like dad, but is only 13" long. I know of one other male from the clutch that is similar in size. There is one that is 19" long as well. Amazing variety in just one clutch. Lots of posible "answers" to the question of which animal is best suited for this environment. It wont' always be the brightest, or the biggest - times and environmental conditions change rapidly. These things have adaptability programmed into them. That means selective breeding is extremely important.
That's what I was afraid of. The crazy thing is she is cruising around like there is no problem at all,almost like she can see somewhat through the eyelids. Hopefully they will open, and if not, I hope this is an isolated incidence.
