Inspiration Exotics

05/12/2026

Clutch 1 of the year is all out! Five healthy babies from 6 eggs, RS YB double het DG Clown X Superblast DG. Three visual DG, two hets. One was severely kinked and had to be humanely euthanized, but very glad for the rest being healthy.

05/10/2026

I do monthly health checks on most of my snakes in addition to regular interactions. This week I discovered a sizeable lump in Ares, my T- albino cape house snake male. I didn’t notice it the last time I checked him, so seems like it’s grown quickly. I suspect a cyst given the size and that I can see straight through it in light. I’ll be calling the vet first thing in the morning to get him an appointment. I know a lot of reptile breeders who would treat this kind of thing at home - I do not do that. I’m not going to shy away from spending money if it will ensure my animals’ health.

05/07/2026

We have our first pip of the season! This little one sliced all over the egg, so I cut it open for her a little bit. None of her siblings have pipped yet but can’t wait to see them as well.

05/07/2026

I started breeding snakes, especially ball pythons, because I wanted to be an example of a responsible and ethical breeder. My experience as a librarian also greatly impacts my experience with the reptile community. My job is to ensure free and equitable access to as much information and as many resources as we can possibly offer.

That said, the trend in the reptile community of placing information behind paywalls is hugely concerning, and that's the kindest way I can possibly state it. Big breeders have created morph ID lessons, genetics lessons, care videos, etc. and placed them on Patreon, where you have to pay in order to access them. MorphMarket just restricted historical ads older than one year to paid member accounts, and they tried to limit it to premium tier members and only backtracked because it got so much immediate negative feedback. There are hundreds of reasons people need access to historical ad data; sales price tracking, genetic identification, lineage tracking, rescues trying to ID animals that have been surrendered, keepers trying to find breeders of rare species. This was done with no announcement and no community feedback, and when I tried to bright it up to get community feedback, the post was locked to prevent open discussion.

All of that to say - the reptile community is where it is today because the people who made it a long time ago taught the newer people what they knew. That is how knowledge grows in this community. Husbandry information, tricks for feeding and breeding, how to identify certain morphs or how genetics work - all of this is essential knowledge that should be freely available to EVERYONE. I get roughly 5 care/husbandry questions a week and roughly 10-15 ID requests a week via DMs, in addition to newer breeders who just want to learn how to pick out genetics in the first place. I could absolutely charge for my time, but I don't, because I'm a good person who recognizes that sharing my knowledge only benefits the community.

If your Patreon has genuine perks - extras - like early access to clutches, extra goodies, etc. that is one thing and I have no problem with it. But if even an iota of information related to genetics & morph ID, husbandry, species-specific care, basic business advice, lineage history, etc. is behind a paywall, every single person who does this is part of the problem. I find the breeders who take this approach this deficient in character and if we're not careful, we are going to lose what makes this community special. In fact, we already are.

I will never, ever charge for my help or insights with regards to husbandry, genetics, morph ID, or breeding knowledge, and the fact that so many people seem to be perfectly okay with charging for these things makes me extremely worried for the reptile community and hobby as a whole. Just because you personally can afford to pay for something doesn't mean other people can, or should have to.

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05/05/2026

Daisy’s eggs are due to hatch any day now, and after she regains her pre-lay weight she’ll be looking for a new place to crash! She’s a super pastel pinstripe desert ghost, EU imported about 4 years ago. Big 2300g girl before she laid 8 eggs, her first ever clutch. I always prefer my breeder females go to good homes that will treat them well, rather than ones that will push breeding over and over again. If you think that’s something you can provide, definitely let me know.

05/04/2026

The Boaedon perisilvestris are growing well! Unfortunately they are still stoutly refusing to take anything frozen thawed, even scented, so for the moment they’re getting live. I’ll work on switching them once they have a little more size on them.

05/03/2026

Love the deep red on this guy. He’s also my most defensive gecko by far. He has decided that opening the door is all I have to do for him to try and bite. 😂 I suspect teenager hormones. Most of my chahouas are super chill.

05/01/2026

It’s been too long since I posted a trinket snake! This is Skye, and he is doing fantastic. I had someone the other day ask me about their temperament - I guess there’s a YouTube video about them that says they have a nasty attitude? This has been the complete opposite of my experience. Even my babies have been calm, and while they sometimes do threat display, I find they almost never bite. Adults in my opinion are easier to handle than even corn snakes.

04/29/2026

Mazikeen has officially laid her first duds! Looking forward to continuing to watch her grow, her mom was nearly 90g.

04/29/2026

I have a bit of a downer today. I wanted to talk about the ball python hobby and how unethical it truly is as a whole. Most of you know I started breeding ball pythons exclusively, and while I have since expanded into other species, ball pythons are still my first love. I started breeding specifically because I wanted to be an example of an ethical, responsible breeder - one that I couldn't find when I started. That said, existing in this hobby as an ethical breeder is, frankly, exhausting. I have started rehoming my ball pythons and severely downsizing projects, and the primary reason for that is that I find it incredibly difficult to exist in the toxic cesspool that is most of ball python breeding.

At its core, breeding should be about preserving the species, advancing the species, and educating. That said, the vast majority of people breeding ball pythons treat them as objects for collection, not as living beings deserving of respect. Breeding animals with genetic defects that affect their QOL is widely accepted in the hobby, and I get bullied incessantly when I spread information about it or advocate against it. It is commonplace in the hobby to power feed animals and breed them at a year or two years old rather than waiting for them to reach a healthy sexual maturity. Keeping animals in bare racks with no enrichment, hides, etc. is widely accepted and I am often targeted as "stupid" or "sensitive" for pointing out that their existence should be more than that. Breeders sell to anyone who offers money without any verification of where their animals are going. Breeders target high-value combos with no regard for the number of snakes they're flooding the market with or the quality of genetics they're working with. Animals with kinks, bug eyes, missing eyes, etc. are commonly sold as breeding animals with no regard for keeping lines healthy. And, ultimately, many ball python breeders stick behind other folks in the hobby who are toxic bullies and unethical breeders. There is almost no regard for ethics, responsibility, and husbandry growth. It is disheartening on good days and devastating on bad ones, and I cannot stress how much I truly do not enjoy being a part of the greater ball python breeder "community."

And to be clear, I am not saying ALL ball python breeders are like this. There are a handful of really wonderful people out there. But the overarching, accepted attitude in the community is one of the commodification of these animals above all else, and I find it extremely hard to participate in. When I started, I wanted to change the hobby for the better. It seems that the harder I try, the worse things get.

All of that to say - I doubt I will ever completely stop breeding ball pythons. I adore them and their genetics and I enjoy working to find them good quality homes that will appreciate them as the beings they are, deserving of respect and good care. But I have started, and will continue, seriously downsizing my projects and staying out of the "hobby" as much as possible. The ball python breeding community as a whole needs to make some serious changes. It needs to demand higher standards, better ethics, and much more responsibility when it comes to producing these animals. I hope to one day see these changes, but unfortunately I have made the tough decision to separate myself as much from the community as I can for the sake of my mental health and happiness. I hope this is something we as a community can eventually start truly discussing and improving.

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04/27/2026

Caught this little cutie getting a drink yesterday while I was cleaning tubs. Variable kingsnake produced by .discovery!