giving up those youve raised?????

[nevinm]

im sure this was probably brought up before, but i didnt look, and wanted to say it again.... ok, so once in a while i find my self beating my self up and calling my self heartless. i dont have a problem selling babies, and i dont have a problem selling adults that i have bought as adults. but when i buy a baby, and raise it.....breed it.....then relize i need to sell it cause i need more room.....ohhh man, i feel like the biggest jerk in the world. you all have to know what i mean....im all like "ok little guy, i have to sell you now", and then he or she just looks up at me with that freakn' gecko face saying "noooo you cant sell me, you love me, remember?".... oh man, i cant be alone here.

just making discussion
please tell me im not the only one.
nevin

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

well, its hard, I gave up the first leo I ever hatched this year. And thats all I have to say about that.

 

[SteveB]

I know perfectly well how you feel, Nevin. You're not alone.

 

[LeopardGeckoMom52688]

Your not alone. I have adopted out 4 geckos. Two of which I got as adults and didn't care much for. The other two were my only breeding pair this year and man was it hard. I was very picky about the home they got. And the first two I got. I can't even bring myself to breed them. I have had them over a year in a half and they are my babies and I just want to protect them from everything. Petrie is my big baby. I can drive in the car to a pet store with her on my shoulder. And then when I am feeding she will stare out of the bin until I hold her. And even when I do she will stare at me when I put her back like "why did you put me back, pick me up!" I love them!

 

[GroovyGeckos.com]

I am a bit more attached to Leos I have bought and raised, but they have also been with me the longest. It is kind of hard to give up any of them tho`.:main_yes:

 

[spykerherps]

I feel the same way . There is just not enough room to keep everyone I want. I feel bad too. It helps a little when I know I have someones daughter or son to hold back. Some times you can replace looks or improved color but you can't always replace character/personality.

 

[T&KBrouse]

Oh God, yes! Tim thinks its hilarious, because I end up going through this entire screening process and giving new owners my phone number and putting them on mailing lists. Its like they're adopting one of my own babies!

We had 4 baby ball pythons hatch this year and we still have them because no one could provide a "proper home" for them. Good grief, I'm absolutely hopeless...

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

You are not alone. As a breeder, I think the hardest thing for me is to sell one of my adult breeders that I have had for a long time. Although I do have a few of my original breeders that I will never sell, I just can't keep them all. Sometimes we need to move on to other projects, or an offspring hold-back proves out to be better than one of it's parents.

Case in point... I took several breeder males to the Upscale Reptiles Show last weekend, but purposely didn't put them out on my table until my husband said, "What are all these geckos in this bag?" I said I had forgotten to put them out, lol! When my striped Daddy Mack Snow male got sold, I had to go outside and cry.

It sucks being a breeder that doesn't see their geckos as inventory items. It would be so much easier if I didn't get so emotionally attached to them as love them like I do.

 

[dprince]

It can be totally hard. I have to not think too much about it, or I could keep myself up at night. I just remind myself, like Marcia, I can't keep them all. I have a full time job, a family, and though I love my geckos, there is only so much time in a day.

 

[MichaelJ]

I agree it is very hard..

We've sold a few of our first leos purchased this year and it was definitely hard. I have several (like 10!) breeders that we've decided that we will never sell, even when they are not able to breed any longer. They were with us at he beginning and will be with us to the end.

I think Marcia nailed it; we don't look at them as inventory items. We look at them as our babies and pets. I see each of their faces almost every night, watch them grow, take care of them when they are sick, and try to hold each one as much as possible so they are used to humans, basically care for them like I would a child or any other pet. I've actually been to my vets more often for two or three geckos than I have for all the dogs I've had over the past 29 years.

They are totally in our care and rely on us to keep them alive. Shipping them is our worst time. We worry constantly and check UPS tracking like psychos..


It's hard and you are definitely not alone.

 

[seraphim21]

Ohhh, I know how you feel, too . . .

We sold a female corn snake this year, which we bought as a baby and raised . . . I cried after giving her away to her new owner . . . :cry2:

 

[Stitch]

Since I've only been breeding for 2 years now I have yet to sell any of my breeders. I have sold babies and that can upset me at times, especially when I see pics of them all grown up.

 

[DanTheFireman]

Occasionally we decide to sell off some breeders but rationalize it with the fact that we'll get to see some new babies come up. There are those few (Goldie, Tarzan, Mr. B, etc. etc.) that we'll most likely keep to the end, even if they're not breeding. Those special ones preferably are given to friends or family members.

 

[MSMD]

Oh, yes! :main_yes: I haven't gotten to that point, yet, as this will be my first breeding season, but I am already dreading it! I already have 10 juvies & adults that will be bred over the next year. I think there are already 6 that I will NOT be able to part with! lol It seems to me that most of the people on here have more of the 'pet' outlook on their leos than the 'inventory' outlook. What a great group!

 

[GoGo]

We only have 6 leo's, but I could never think of giving up 5 of them, even after we start our breeding with them. One, our first, will NEVER leave us, chubby little speed monster GoGo will always be with us. I couldnt possibly think of getting rid of the gecko we rescued from a horrible life of being starved half of every other month and living on aquarium sand and gravel with a light that never went on for more than 30 minutes a day and a HEAT ROCK. Neither could I ever think of getting rid of Runt, the baby we bought and are now raising or Dwarf and Lavender, the juvies/pre-adults we bought and are raising.

The only reason I could even think of getting rid of Dilan, our other gecko, si because well...The gecko hates me >>. Im horrible, I know.

 

[nevinm]

thats great. i figured i would get that kinda response for you all. i bought a 100% het bell male last year as a baby, and had him ready to breed by last breeding season. one of his 4 eggs came out as a male bell. so i was gana sell him, and my little sis came running in and yelled at me and said i couldnt cause she loved him. and i looked at him, and instaintly felt bad cause he is really really cool. that is the reason that any adults i ever sell, i know where they go and try to keep track of them, or i just give them to someone i know, like family or a friend.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

The only reason I could even think of getting rid of Dilan, our other gecko, si because well...The gecko hates me >>. Im horrible, I know.

lol that is just too funny!

I hatched my first leo going on about 5 years ago I guess and he left me this year, he did go to an inlaw but I still let him go. I love that leo, but sometimes things just happen that cause you do do things you never thought you would or could.

my little sis came running in and yelled at me and said i couldnt cause she loved him.

Imagine having 2 young children that LOVE and I mean LOVE every leo you hatch and you have about 175 breeders and whoa the amount of babies from all of that. I had to start taking the children to my dad's for visits (who is retired) so I could ship out packages lol

 

[okapi]

Ive only parted with 2 geckos so far... Ive just decided that this season I will not breed some of my females to keep from getting so many hatchlings.

 

[mmsi1002]

This is making me realize that i'm gonna end up keeping every baby i hatch.

 

[Pacific Gecko]

Probably the hardest thing I do is put a gecko that I've raised from the egg or a baby into a deli cup, inside a box, and to the ups store..I have to try my hardest not to think about it.