Hello, first time poster, just trying to educate myself. I see boas, in particular the black devils, are quite popular, but I rarely see them at expos and I was curious why that is? I have a male IMG RDR BEA and I was thinking maybe breeding him (no time soon, just contemplating) because there seems to be high interest but low supply. What would breed best with my boy to produce more black devils? Also, is it worth it, is it a good idea, are people actually interested in more black devils? The market is so saturated with BPs it’d be nice to see other snakes once in a while. I do live in IL though so I’m sure there are other snakes in other places that aren’t as limited, but seeing as how IL does allow boas I’m mostly just surprised to not be seeing more of them.
I recommend you buy books on this subject. There are a handful of really good ones (not that many), that will give you a lot of great, detailed insights to this question. I just bought one as well, and noticed the others. Some are very detailed and provide a ton of info on genetics, breeding morphs, etc.
BP’s are marketed better. People believe they are better since they are smaller and have many morphs. I am in the Boa camp for many reasons, but people are entitled to believe what they like.
I would worry less about what the market wants- and breed what you like. There are plenty of incredible Boa breeders out there. They have many types and they ship nationally. So, I would do what YOU enjoy and what you like. That way, you will learn a lot and become a good breeder. Don’t chase markets. Create something special and the market will find you. “THE Black Devil Boa specialist.” Now that has a nice sound to it!
Good luck.
Thank you very much for your insights! Do you have a title to a particular book you would recommend?
Black Devil is only 2 genes: IMG and RDR-BEA so there’s no other way of making it. You can make other black combos, but they won’t be Black Devils. I produced 4 Black Devils last April from my Ghost Devil x RDR-BEA pairing, plus more Ghost Devils, just Ghosts, and RDR-BEAs.
I agree to not chase the market and focus on what you want. I just wanted IMGs and silver Anerys and all my IMG babies get a lot of attention, especially the Black Devils, yet no one has been willing to pay for any of them yet. Thankfully I wasn’t depending on the sales so I’m just watching them develop until buyers appear.
Thank you for responding. Is it okay to mix two IMG RDR BEAs together though? If my boy is already IMG RDR BEA would I just look for another black devil matching his genes or would it be better to just do (het) RDR BEA or get other genetics in there? I love the black boa so I’m content just breeding those but I wasn’t sure if genetically speaking adding variety or not helped the line?