Hold Backs

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

I was going through tubs today and had a few that really caught my attention. Now I am very adamant about good records keeping and I know all of my breeders very well. So I open some tubs and have an expectation for how they will mature based on their parents. When I open them and I see something substantially better than anticipated it makes me reconsider which babies I am going to hold back. So I will ask my question in example form;

Same project, Same male, Same sex, and Same age/size

Male 1 x Female 1 (7.5 out of 10 for quality)
= Baby 1 - Bright color and pattern (8.5/10)

Male 1 x Female 2 (9 out of 10 for quality)
= Baby 2 - Decent color and banded (7/10)

Now if you have been breeding long enough you know this will happen and if you let go of babies to soon you often let go of what would have been hold backs. So if this were YOU...which baby would you hold back?

 

[ian_bean]

i picked baby 1 cus i love bright colors on my leos

 

[Laska]

hold both for an extra month see how they look then.... thats what Id do- bigger leo = bigger price aswell.... well normally

 

[justindh1]

I think that there is more to be figured out before I vote. What exactly are you going for? Is pattern a major factor in your project? What age are the hatchlings right now?

Hatchling 1 has the pattern and better color but hatchling 2 should have the better genetics all together based on the parents. You also have to think that hatchling 2 could of gotten sub par genetics from the parents even though they have a higher quality. I also have seen sub par animals throw better offspring than higher quality ones. Right now I would say hatchling 1 but with a bit more info might change that.

 

[pmkent1]

hold both for an extra month see how they look then.... thats what Id do- bigger leo = bigger price aswell.... well normally

:main_thumbsup:

Agreed. Whats the rush? :main_yes:

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

You guys think like me...this is supposed to be a hypothetical question because I know exactly what I would do. So lets just say you only had tub space for one more and someone was willing to buy either one so one HAS to go that night (pattern and color are not important...more just to dictate some sort of quality rating). This is more or less trying to figure out if people go for a visually impressive animal or one with better known genetics.

Me personally, I would go with baby 2. I won't explain why because I don't want anyone to simply agree to my reasoning. This also is something that anyone considering doing a line bred/long term project needs to determine. You can have (using a 1-10 scale) 2 babies hatch and one is a 6 the other is a 7. Then at 20g they switch...now what do you do? What if these same two are bred and they dull out and switch back to their original scores. Is it better to have a gecko that looks better as a baby than an adult or is adult color most important (keep in mind you are selling before they reach their adult colors (normally)?

One reason I bring this up is because I have a FW/RRS female that looks like she fell off a bus (faded bad) but she continually throws out insane babies. She was an amazing baby herself but at about 18g she just went down hill. So a visually impressive baby became a mediocre adult but produces insane babies (which the babies at 25g are still VERY nice...didn't dull out like mom). I probably couldn't sell this girl for $100 based on appearance (I know because she is listed for sale), but her potential is ridiculous. So we all know we buy based on visual appearance...when does a consumer become concerned about lineage and breeding potential? Anyone can produce a few killer babies...consistency is the key.

 

[specialtyreptile]

2 ways of looking at it for me. I choose #1, I like pattern. A patterned gecko will win almost every time over a banded for me... That being said, If I was looking to pure genetics and breeding potential for a longterm project, I would choose #2 simply because of the liniage and because of the parents I would assume it will still be an A grade gecko as an adult and will potentially throw A+ babies...

 

[marauderhex]

Genotype says #2, phenotype says #1. Since you are a breeder, I'd say #2, if you were just looking for a pretty pet, #1.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Good to see that others agree with my thinking on picking baby 2.