I never thought you didn’t like them. You did say they weren’t a good fit for commercial production. I absolutely agree with you on that. I have to believe that of 7.5 b people there has to be a few people that think alike. I know that I am not the only one who loves them. Apologies if it came off that way.
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As far as rare/difficult/advanced species that need/deserve to be worked with, my personal biases tell me I need to mention white lipped pythons.
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I didn’t realize this thread had more replies my bad!!
I really appreciate your advice! It will definitely be harder in practice than in theory, but honestly after some more time and thought, I want to be someone who at least contributes to the hobby of keeping reptiles ethically, which means we have to go through the processes. I hope that I can figure things out, but I am not afraid to admit if something is too much for me once I’ve looked into it.
I would never start a project like this without obsessively covering as much information as possible. I’m talking reading everything from comments on an obscure forum to reading as many scientific journals as I can get my hands on. Definitely not sure if/what I would decide to work with, but I will be picking something, even if it just ends up being hognoses. Part of me has even been considering the possibilities of actually sequencing the genes for some PPA’s to actually prove if the gene is connected to deformities or if it just hasn’t been bred out yet. As far as I can find, no one really knows yet
Thanks for your thoughts!
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This is exactly what I was hoping to see! I love learning about reptiles that people are passionate about, it’s a treat. Thanks for sharing!
I had no idea they were such a long lived species! That’s really interesting to learn, it feels like a lot of smaller bodied snakes only live for 20-30 years so it’s cool to learn that there is some variation. I wonder if it has to do with how long they brumate? Very curious!
Hey don’t worry! I’m not about to take some strangers advice with no further research. t_h_wyman had some great points about managing expectations and trying not to get in too deep with something I couldn’t handle, but it isn’t bad to gush about ideas. I really just wanted some inspiration, and you helped with that so thank you!
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Nothing to apologize for, life gets ahead of us all 
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And I greatly appreciate that you were open to listening 
My intentions, while often misunderstood as negative and derogatory, are simply to be realistic. I am speaking from experience when I say that working with new/rare species is hard. In my decades, I have had to struggle and fight and go through not insubstantial amounts of money and time and lose many animals. I know the pain well and I would much rather others be very aware of it if they choose to walk that path rather than jump in under the “influencer-mentality rose-coloured glasses” that is pushed by a significant portion of the hobby
You seem like you have your head on pretty straight about it and I wish you the best
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THIS is a very important trait to have. Knowing when to call it quits. I frequently see a lot of shame thrown at people that admit they are getting rid of animals that ended up being too much for them. It takes courage to admit to yourself when you have made a mistake. I commend that trait
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While they are more focused on ball pythons at the moment, RGI is working on hognose morph testing. You might try chatting with them
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Honestly that’s all you have to say to get me to listen! But thank you!! 
I am really glad that there are people like you who can help me out with my questions! There are so few reptile people where I live, even though it’s a fairly major city
I feel like I was definitely starstruck for a while by reptile influencers, but not for very long. I’m extremely grateful I can see sensationalism for what it is once my initial excitement wears off! I like to think of myself as a driven realist, but we will see how long the driven part lasts 
Hopefully a long time
That’s super cool to hear! I saw they look for shed donations so at least I can help with that. I always love finding out about other people who want to increase the amount of research we have on reptiles, we have abysmally little on even the most popular ones!
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