When you hear the word “snake” you most likely fall into one of two categories: the people who get shivers down the spine just thinking about the species, or the people who think they’re fascinating. Justin Winfield falls into the latter category.
Winfield is the bar manager at restaurant Red’s Table in Reston. “I make the cocktail list,” he says. “All the cocktails we have, I either made it myself or go over it with the team.”
But there’s more to the man behind the bar counter than mixing drinks together. Winfield is an avid exotic snake breeder, and has been intrigued by the reptiles since he was about 15 years old.
“My uncle would always have snakes around,” Winfield says. “Anacondas, ball pythons, all types of invertebrates. He really got me into it. He’d always take us to snake shows.”
As Winfield grew into adulthood, his attraction to breeding snakes grew, and he started doing research on snake breeding. That quickly evolved into him owning and breeding multiple snakes, mostly ball pythons. At one point he owned 33 pythons, but has since whittled the number down after having a daughter.
“Now I’m only working with about seven or eight females and one male,” says Winfield. “Ball pythons are my favorite. They have more genetic variations than other snakes with visuals. Some will be yellow, some will be green, black, red, whatever color, with a little bit of a pattern distinction.”
Ball pythons, according to Winfield, are also the “beginner” snake for breeders and are the easiest to keep. For those looking to get into the snake breeding business, Winfield suggests starting with ball pythons, but, most importantly, doing research beforehand.
“You can go to the pet store and they’ll give you a pamphlet, but those are usually missing about 80 percent of the information you need,” he says. “The number one thing, especially for exotic pets, is the type of climate. That plays a big factor.”
Winfield also mentions that snake breeders (and owners) have to think about where they source the reptiles’ food. For some of his snakes, Winfield has had to special order specific African rats for feedings. Factors like that can also make snake breeding an expensive venture, and it can be pricey for snake buyers as well.
“I’ve sold some for $1,500, but they’ll go for $250,000,” Winfield says. “And people will pay a couple million for them.”
The reason for the huge expense? Rarity.
“Ball pythons are originally from Africa,” he says. “You have this whole situation where you have to do importing and exporting.”
Winfield goes on to explain that African breeders will develop or find a new genetic morph in ball pythons, and then will sell the python for the highest dollar. The snake is then shipped overseas and the buyer will start a new breed. But that process takes a while, as well—female ball python shouldn’t begin breeding until the age of 3.
“You have to wait three years to get a female old enough to even be able to breed,” Winfield says. “And ball pythons tend to have smaller clutches, between four to six eggs.”
In summary, snake breeding is a long process, and that’s why it can be top dollar to purchase a snake. But Winfield says that owning a snake as a pet doesn’t have to be expensive.
“It can be the same as how you would view dogs,” he says. “Some dogs go for thousands of dollars; Some dogs you can get out of a box on the street. It all depends on what you want. Do you want to be a high-end snake breeder? Then yes, it’s going to be expensive, but if not, then it doesn’t have to be.”
Other tips Winfield has for snake owners? Throw some common misconceptions away. For one, snakes aren’t slimy.
“The scales, if you have proper hydration and everything’s right with the tank, it’ll be literally the opposite,” he says of snakes’ texture.
He also says that owners have to learn how to treat snakes well in order to combat another stereotype about the animals: aggression.
“Snakes aren’t aggressive if you handle them properly,” Winfield says. “Any animal can be aggressive, but most snakes aren’t. They’re very beautiful creatures.”
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