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What actually makes someone a responsible reptile breeder? Producing healthy babies is only one part of the job. In this episode of The Reptile Guild Podcast, Shane Kelley of Small Town Xotics joins Josh and Alisha Harbin of Herpin Harbins for an honest discussion about the responsibilities that come with breeding reptiles. We dig into the areas breeders sometimes overlook, including genetics, animal health, veterinary care, accurate record keeping, customer service, honesty in advertising, overproduction, pricing, and responsibility to the reptile market as a whole.

Topics include: • Knowing the genetics behind the animals you produce • Being honest about possible genes, hets, lineage, and identification • Breeding only healthy and appropriately conditioned animals • Knowing when an animal should not be bred • Veterinary care and recognizing when professional treatment is needed • Quarantine, disease prevention, and protecting your collection • Keeping accurate breeding, feeding, shedding, and health records • Supporting customers after the sale • Being honest when something goes wrong • Producing animals you realistically have the ability to house and sell • Overproduction and its effect on the reptile market • Pricing animals responsibly • Avoiding the temptation to breed simply because you can • Taking responsibility for the animals you produce • The difference between being a reptile breeder and simply producing reptiles • Ethics, reputation, and building trust within the reptile community There probably isn’t one perfect definition of a responsible breeder, but there are standards all of us should be willing to discuss. Whether you’re considering your first breeding project or have been producing reptiles for decades, this conversation is about taking a closer look at the responsibility that comes with bringing more animals into the hobby. Building Knowledge. Growing Community.

Hosts Shane Kelley of Small Town Xotics Josh and Alisha Harbin of Herpin Harbins

Technical Producer Jay Kaps of Greenline Morphs

Keywords responsible reptile breeder reptile breeding ethics ethical reptile breeding reptile breeder responsibility ball python breeding reptile genetics reptile health reptile veterinary care reptile breeder customer service reptile record keeping reptile market reptile overproduction reptile community The Reptile Guild Reptile Guild Podcast Small Town Xotics Herpin Harbins