Trusting a breeder

[Javier]

So it looks like everyone and their mothers breed dragons. I've been disappointed by Rami's breeder. She's stopped reply to my text, etc.

Now that that's happened to me, and I'm on the prowl for my next little guy. How do you trust them. Considering what I'm looking for is a hypo zero. How do the breeders knownfor sure what that dragon will look like when it's an adult.

I feel like it's a guessing game. "Possible het" possible wit" "no visual morph" etc. 66% this 40% that. To me it's a foreign language lol.

So my question is that - if I'm paying 400, 500, 2000 for a specific dragon how do I know that's what I'm paying for?

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[PatsyB]

That's why I just get what visually looks good to me. I don't try to look for something that is a special morph. Dexter is a citrus hypo and that is just by accident. I saw her at Petsmart and her personality won me over. I didn't know what she was until I started talking about her here.

Everyone thinks that breeding dragons is a get rich quick gig, until they actually do it and realize how much time and money is involved. When you take in to consideration what you need to buy to hatch the eggs and the time you spend, you really don't make any money. One breeder said they make more money selling feeders than their dragons.

I feel like you don't really know what you are getting from a breeder just like you don't know what you are getting from a pet store. I've talked to a breeder that doesn't test his dragons for Adendovirous, essentially passing it on to their babies, another well known breeder has it as a disclaimer on their web site. I also knew a breeder that used rescue dragons as his breeding pair. Not knowing what their background was or if they were related and then putting them through the stress of breeding.

I feel like it's all a crap shoot.

 

[Javier]

That's why I just get what visually looks good to me. I don't try to look for something that is a special morph. Dexter is a citrus hypo and that is just by accident. I saw her at Petsmart and her personality won me over. I didn't know what she was until I started talking about her here.

Everyone thinks that breeding dragons is a get rich quick gig, until they actually do it and realize how much time and money is involved. When you take in to consideration what you need to buy to hatch the eggs and the time you spend, you really don't make any money. One breeder said they make more money selling feeders than their dragons.

I feel like you don't really know what you are getting from a breeder just like you don't know what you are getting from a pet store. I've talked to a breeder that doesn't test his dragons for Adendovirous, essentially passing it on to their babies, another well known breeder has it as a disclaimer on their web site. I also knew a breeder that used rescue dragons as his breeding pair. Not knowing what their background was or if they were related and then putting them through the stress of breeding.

I feel like it's all a crap shoot.

Totally get you Patsy! It's pretty sad [emoji22]

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[BeardedHippy]

Hi, yeah i bet its a minefield in the world of breeders, impossible to know who to trust especially when the rarer morphs are so valuable (the lengths the money greedy will go to astound me). Its a crap shoot, like patsy says

 

[Hdrydr31]

I have gotten all 3 of mine from the petstore (I know that just gives them room to get more but...) I don't have the $ to buy a really fancy dragon and was perfectly happy with my first 2 just common dragons...I knew I had always wanted/wished for a leatherback.. So when I by chance saw him I knew he was coming home with me certainly not like I needed 3 nor did I really want to have 3 lol but his colors are amazing and the combo sold me..

I think it's always buyer beware and try to do as much research on the breeder even see about references even to see if previous buyers have been happy...I mean if your going to spend that kind of cash you should be able to see the breeding pair and see if they are healthy..

 

[Javier]

I have gotten all 3 of mine from the petstore (I know that just gives them room to get more but...) I don't have the $ to buy a really fancy dragon and was perfectly happy with my first 2 just common dragons...I knew I had always wanted/wished for a leatherback.. So when I by chance saw him I knew he was coming home with me certainly not like I needed 3 nor did I really want to have 3 lol but his colors are amazing and the combo sold me..

I think it's always buyer beware and try to do as much research on the breeder even see about references even to see if previous buyers have been happy...I mean if your going to spend that kind of cash you should be able to see the breeding pair and see if they are healthy..

Lol you didn't really want a 3rd but he came home. I'm just as helpless! I'm going to repticon and see what's up there. Though phantom dragons is a really highly spoken of breeder in California. Definitely not in a rush though.

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[Hdrydr31]

Lol you didn't really want a 3rd but he came home. I'm just as helpless! I'm going to repticon and see what's up there. Though phantom dragons is a really highly spoken of breeder in California. Definitely not in a rush though.

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Yea I didn't Need a 3rd lol 2 was plenty of work but I did really want a leatherback and now that I have him yes it's more work especially since he's so young and needing more feeding more attention he's totally worth it!! And in the big picture making 3 salads instead of 2 no biggie, got a big dubia colony..so really the only thing is tank and lighting.. well have a "hospital tank" and a T8..Tomorrow starts Petco's $1per gal sale so he's getting his big boy tank tomorrow...I already got his T5 ready to go so .....
I think the big part is bathing time...my 2 adults won't go in their tanks only outside or in the bath.. and I'm working on getting Cooper to do the same, so figuring out bathtimes isn't always easy.

 

[OhHeyCiara]

This is the exact reason I'm SO happy Ohio has 72hr buyers remorse laws. Ugh. So stressful

 

[KrissyLeigh]

So it looks like everyone and their mothers breed dragons. I've been disappointed by Rami's breeder. She's stopped reply to my text, etc.

Now that that's happened to me, and I'm on the prowl for my next little guy. How do you trust them. Considering what I'm looking for is a hypo zero. How do the breeders knownfor sure what that dragon will look like when it's an adult.

I feel like it's a guessing game. "Possible het" possible wit" "no visual morph" etc. 66% this 40% that. To me it's a foreign language lol.

So my question is that - if I'm paying 400, 500, 2000 for a specific dragon how do I know that's what I'm paying for?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

So I have had a pretty extensive collection over the past few years, some have been "designer reptiles" including my bearded dragon and some are not. Some normals were bought from breeders, some from pet store. I can share some insights with you, based on my experience with +25 animals...

All the guys bought from breeders were more healthy in long term AND short term than the pet store animals. Except for one time, every animal I have had to take to the vet has been a pet store animal. To date the only animal deaths I have had have been those bought from a pet store.

I have bought from several breeders - I prefer to find someone locally and actually go and see their operation. It can be a pain to find local breeders, but you may be surprised how many small local breeders there are - ones that breed more as a hobby and are content to just make a little money.

If I cannot find a breeder I go through the reptile shows and expos - they usually post ahead of time what vendors will be there, and I check out the vendors website or Facebook page to do a some investigation. If something looks shady or off I won't buy from them.

Buying an animal for me is a pretty involved process and I like to scope out where they are coming from as much as possible. There is only so much you can do, but I know for my part I have had great success. Far more success with breeders than pet stores. Hope that helped!!!

 

[KrissyLeigh]

So it looks like everyone and their mothers breed dragons. I've been disappointed by Rami's breeder. She's stopped reply to my text, etc.

Now that that's happened to me, and I'm on the prowl for my next little guy. How do you trust them. Considering what I'm looking for is a hypo zero. How do the breeders knownfor sure what that dragon will look like when it's an adult.

I feel like it's a guessing game. "Possible het" possible wit" "no visual morph" etc. 66% this 40% that. To me it's a foreign language lol.

So my question is that - if I'm paying 400, 500, 2000 for a specific dragon how do I know that's what I'm paying for?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Oh, as far as genetics go - some of it is percentages and can be hit or miss due to the nature of the genetics (dominant, co dominant, recessive, etc.). Some you can check yourself - for instance a hypo will not have dark pigment in it's nails. While it's true you never know exactly how they will turn out as adults, that is part of the fun!!! Also you can ask the breeder for pictures of the parents and more details on the bloodlines. A knowledgeable breeder that is dedicated to designer morphs will be able to provide you with that information with no problems or hesitation.

 

[KatKuMo]

That's why I just get what visually looks good to me. I don't try to look for something that is a special morph. Dexter is a citrus hypo and that is just by accident. I saw her at Petsmart and her personality won me over. I didn't know what she was until I started talking about her here.

Everyone thinks that breeding dragons is a get rich quick gig, until they actually do it and realize how much time and money is involved. When you take in to consideration what you need to buy to hatch the eggs and the time you spend, you really don't make any money. One breeder said they make more money selling feeders than their dragons.

I feel like you don't really know what you are getting from a breeder just like you don't know what you are getting from a pet store. I've talked to a breeder that doesn't test his dragons for Adendovirous, essentially passing it on to their babies, another well known breeder has it as a disclaimer on their web site. I also knew a breeder that used rescue dragons as his breeding pair. Not knowing what their background was or if they were related and then putting them through the stress of breeding.

I feel like it's all a crap shoot.

Is there a breeder you'd recommend over others?

 

[PatsyB]

Is there a breeder you'd recommend over others?

unfortunately I don’t.