• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
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    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Rarity or deformity?

Where is the line between a desirable mutation and a defect to be culled out?

  • Any mutation that lives can be kept and bred

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • Mutations that affect an animal's normal functions should be culled or not bred

    Votes: 76 88.4%

  • Attractive/ valuable mutations should be kept, unattractive / low value culled or not bred

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • Only "natural /pure" lines should be kept, any mutations shoud be culled or not bred

    Votes: 8 9.3%
  • Total voters
    86
Helenthereef

Helenthereef

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I KNOW this is going to attract high feelings, but I'm really curious about attitudes within the herp community.

Breeding for "abnormalities" such as albinism and stripes etc., is accepted and a huge part of the hobby. Many such come with connected issues such as risk of poor eyesight, which would be considered defects and be selected out in a wild population. From what I can see, many breeders also select such "defects" out, and breed only from individuals which have the "abnormality" but not the "defect".

However, every now and again I come across posts about animals with what would definitely be considered "defects" in a wild animal, but which are offered as "rarities" for breeding within the hobby.

So, now to my question....

Where do you draw the line between "Keep as a valuable and interesting trait" and "Cull as a defective animal or as an animal with a poor quality of life"?.

Obvious issues are albinism, eyelessness, two-headedness, I'm sure there are others that haven't occurred to me.
 
I think if Breeders "would weed out" some of the iffy morphs That some not all try to pass off as breeder quality reptiles,maybe us as a Industry/Hobby could make more out of this slower priced market! Well leme give you a example of what I am talking about,How many ads have you seen for say a Pastel Ball python that you know dang well is not a pastel just becuase its light folks dont make it a pastel or a Ghost or a lesser.I have seen some great quality animals produced off this site but thier are a lot of if I could term the fraze "Back Yard Mechanics tryin to pass off Hets that are not Het,Mohaves that look like Fancy normals,Yellbellys that are not all that Yellow Bellied,and Etc........................
Well I must say this is what drags down are Industry prices "Back yard Dan and his Bargain Reptile Van" I will also say for every morph or Het misrepresented there are fistfulls of Awsome Breeders who not only care about how much they can get out of thier Blood,sweat and tears they care about what goes out the door with thier name on it!!
So I say to all the guilty people out there passing off Sub Par,Inferior Reptiles when you sell low qaulity animals it hurt all of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Very interesting topic. I don't breed, all of my babies are just pets, so I guess I don't have a huge say here, but if`a mutation affects the animal's health in the slightest it should never be bred.

I honestly don't mean to sound offensive here, but I believe that breeding of anything less than high quality individuals should be stopped. I think there are way too many kids going out, buying a few $50 pastels that will end up looking like normals, and breeding them. This not only decreases the quality of the average pastel, but it puts more snakes on the market. I am a regular volunteer at local animal shelters as well as a member of the ASPCA, and I am more than aware of the stunning number of homeless animals. For the most part, I am against animal breeding in general. Again, no offense to anyone who breeds, I've purchased most of my snakes from breeders, and I am fully aware that I couldn't get such high-quality snakes from a rescue shelter. I am simply stating that the average person is not equipped to care for 20+ snakes if they are unable to find homes for the offspring. So where do those snakes end up? The animal shelter.
 
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