How should i start off?

[bubbagator99]

Ok so I have been wanting to get into breeding for a while now but I am just not sure where to start. I had a normal but he got sick and died recently, so i am starting fresh. My question is what morphs should i buy to kick off my breeding buisness?

[Freakie_frog]

Good question.. Here are a few you need to ask yourself

1. How much am I willing to spend total?
2. How many can I house and feed (including babies)?
3. What morphs do I like?
4. At what level am I looking to enter the market?

[Don]

5. Do I have enough money set aside for vet bills?
6. How much time am I willing to devote to working the business?
7. Who can help if I'm out of town or away for more than a week or two?
8. How much room do I have to devote to the business?

[MrLang]

9. If you have only had 1 snake and it died in your care, are you in any way, shape, or form capable or prepared?

edit:

10. Are you looking to get into this because you have a passion for the snakes or because you want to make a 'business'?

[Homegrownscales]

10. Do you have a specific qt area?
11. Are you prepared to feed babies?
12. Do you have a constant source of live feeders differently and appropriately sized for babies?
13. Since you recently had a snake pass. Do you know the reason? Was is something that could be potentially transferred to new arrivals?
Have you completely sterilized and disinfected any and all equipment?
14. Do you have a buyer for babies or are prepared to deal with babies sitting around?
15. Have you researched breeding, common breeding problems, common egg issues, common hatchling issues?


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[Homegrownscales]

My opinion honestly is if you are even asking where to start I highly suggest you stop, look around, take a deep breath, and do your research.
Edit-
What I'm Saying pretty much is you had one snake. It passed on, now you are looking to jump into having multiples and babies. Do you even know if you can handle or afford mulitples. It's much different than having one. Even having two is. I think you need to get prepared and start slow. See If you can handle more than one or two before you start breeding. Why jump into it? Everyone that ive seen jump into this has lots of issues and quickly dumps the animals. I'd hope you'd have more respect for this industry than that. You can't do enough research.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[BFE Pets]

^ all good questions! My suggestion after deciding that you are going to breed anyway is to decide how many and what morphs you would like to produce then go get the racks, tubs, heat, and t-stats then start saving again for the animals as the supplies aren't cheap and they still cost less than the animals. o and don't forget to figure out where to get a steady supply of feeders. plenty of places to do so but gotta find the one you prefer and cant always count on the local pet store to have the size feeders you need that particular day.
Here's some info I read before making my decision. It is copied from vms herps and heres the link also so you can read the rest.

http://www.vmsherp.com/LCBreedingBalls.htm

Do you really want to breed your Ball Python?


This seemingly simple question is often never considered by the novice. There are several reasons to consider NOT breeding your Ball Pythons!

First, do you have a market for the offspring once they have been produced? If you don't have a place to sell them, you can quickly tire of feeding all those little mouths and then cleaning up after all those little...well you get the idea.

Second, do you have adequate food supplies and caging for the offspring? A typical Ball Python clutch of six hatchlings will consume around six rat pups per week if all goes well. Some can be fussy and require live hopper mice, others want live rat pups, others will waste feeders by refusing for several days before accepting and then repeating that process. All of which can be inconvenient if you don't have a handy source and dependable source. That's a lot of mice and rats. So many in fact, that local pet shops frequently begin experiencing mouse 'shortages' caused by the increased demand during peak months.

Third, are you willing to risk the life of your Ball Python? Breeding snakes is not without risks. On very rare occasions, one snake may actually simply eat the other on introduction. Dystocia (commonly known as egg-binding) is fairly common and poses serious health risks that may require expensive veterinary services. More common is the incredible drain on body resources that egg production places on the female. If not in perfect health, a female can become severely weakened and may succumb to renal failure or disease. Speaking of disease, the simple act of introducing the two snakes together opens the door for pathogen transfer. It is not uncommon for snakes to carry substantial parasite and bacteria loads and appear perfectly healthy, even for years. Introducing such a snake to another may transfer pathogens the second snake is unable to combat; it may then sicken and die.

I'm not trying to tell you not to breed your Ball Pythons, just making sure you are aware of a few of the problems associated with it.

[Slim]

The best suggestion I can give you is to be capable of housing, feeding, and caring for 8, before you purchase the first one, because you'll have 8 before you know it.

[Kaorte]

Those questions should be stickied!

I think the best suggestion so far was to start off slow. I got my second snake 6 months after the first. The third came 2 months later, and the 4th and 5th 6 months later.

You will probably end up buying hatchling morphs because they are generally cheaper than breeder sized animals. Raising them to breeding age will take you 2 years minimum.

People are kinda jumping on you for saying you want to breed ball pythons, but it is a slow slow process. It's not like he is going to have a rack full of babies in 3 months! lol

[JennM]

The first thing that popped in my head was why did your normal get sick and die? Did he get an RI? Was he taken to a vet?

IF you want to make the jump, the first thing you need to do is RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. Learn proper care and how to notice health issues. You don't want to spend hundreds or thousands, just to find out you don't know what you are doing and lose your collection.

Second, invest in a rack system OR build one to get started (Coated melamine is cheap and it works; however it won't last as long as pvc). Make sure you get heat tape and a GOOD t-stat. This is how I made my first rack to get started, though I do prefer the pvc racks now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEyNB...4&feature=plcp

Third... Figure out how you plan to feed. Buy FT from a big supplier (will need freezer) OR breed your own. I'd suggest breeding your own if over 10 snakes and don't have a local breeder that sells at feeder prices. Be careful not to overload yourself with more breeders than you need. Look up CO2 chambers and learn to freeze your own (we stock up over breeding season when the girls aren't eating).

Fourth, buy what is appealing to you! Trust me, when you have dozens of snakes to care for, it can take a toll on you. DON'T buy the cheapest thing you can. Spend an extra $50+ for QUALITY! You'll be glad you did!

Maybe we are in the minority, but when I decided I wanted a ball python, we got two. Within a month, we had over 30...but I did lots of RESEARCH. You can't do something half-way especially with living creatures.