Letting Go of Your Babies

[SerpentineDream]

So you raise your snakes to adulthood. You successfully breed them, carefully incubate the eggs and lovingly coax your babies to eat and thrive until they're ready to sell. Then you have to pack your little ones into a shipping box and send them off to unknown fates. Some (hopefully most) will be loved and well cared for. Some will not. You don't know.

How do you steel yourself for this? What do you tell yourself as you pack up a little snake whose existence you are responsible for? Do you ever refuse to sell to someone if you believe that they will not properly care for one of your animals? How do you handle that?

This is the one part of breeding that I'm really not going to like. Of course I have to sell them and let them go, or I'd be overrun and not be able to fund the hobby. But handing those boxes over to FedEx is going to be tough!

[bigsnakegirl785]

I agree, that's going to be the hardest part about breeding. I want all of my babies to go to good homes, and I have a feeling it will be hard to stand by my ground rules. I do plan on asking some basic questions so I can at least make the chance of my babies going to good homes higher. I don't want them being sent to homes with tiny boxes and no enrichment, or where they'll be allowed in touching distance with a predator animal (dog/cat/etc.), or where the person doesn't know basic husbandry, etc. I want my babies to go to homes where they'll be cared for, new owners are fine as long as they've done their research or are willing to do research and contact me with questions, and hopefully I'll be able to keep in touch with most of the new owners at least with my first few litters of boas.

The thought of breeding is both exciting and scary. Hopefully having discussions with potential new owners will help to ease that worry, but I'm sure it will always be there however long I breed.

[Aaron_S]

It is what it is. Don't give them names or try to get attached. It sucks the first time or two but after that it gets easier.

Yes I will refuse sales if I don't feel comfortable with the person.

[Andy_G]

It is what it is. Don't give them names or try to get attached. It sucks the first time or two but after that it gets easier.

Yes I will refuse sales if I don't feel comfortable with the person.

Yuppers! What's even harder is dealing with babies that fail to thrive and perish. All part of breeding and you have to prepare for the good and the bad, and it gets easier as time goes on.

[macandchz]

this is what happens to moms everywhere when the kids go off to college! it's the old empty nest syndrome. the best cure is to get another snake!