MWheelock
Veterinarian
I'm fully aware of the ethics of breeding herps, but here is my question:
I am nota novice in the care or treatment of herps but have been reluctant in the past to breed any or all of the species that I have kept. I would love to breed chams in the future (panthers), not really for profit but for the experience. I know how and feel that I would probably be at least somewhat successful in hatching a clutch (with responsible lineages). My question is how to go from there.
Lets say I hatch and keep a clutch for >8-12 weeks. Who do I sell these chams to? Obviously I'm not keen on selling to pet stores whose motivation "may" not be in the chams best interest. I also don't wish to pretend that I have years of experience breeding, which I don't. On the otherhand, I don't have the facilities to keep 10+ chams that may hatch (+my two breeders.)
Do most first time breeders sell over the internet and maticulously (sp?) screen the buyers? Is the market strong enough that I will even be able to sell these young panthers? How do "responsible" first time/second time breeders disperse the young ones?
I guess I'd like honest feedback on how to go about this.
I am nota novice in the care or treatment of herps but have been reluctant in the past to breed any or all of the species that I have kept. I would love to breed chams in the future (panthers), not really for profit but for the experience. I know how and feel that I would probably be at least somewhat successful in hatching a clutch (with responsible lineages). My question is how to go from there.
Lets say I hatch and keep a clutch for >8-12 weeks. Who do I sell these chams to? Obviously I'm not keen on selling to pet stores whose motivation "may" not be in the chams best interest. I also don't wish to pretend that I have years of experience breeding, which I don't. On the otherhand, I don't have the facilities to keep 10+ chams that may hatch (+my two breeders.)
Do most first time breeders sell over the internet and maticulously (sp?) screen the buyers? Is the market strong enough that I will even be able to sell these young panthers? How do "responsible" first time/second time breeders disperse the young ones?
I guess I'd like honest feedback on how to go about this.