I've been curious about this for a while. I only know of three to five large-scale breeders that I've seen on youtube and various online sites. Some of them specialize in ball pythons, some of them don't. Over the years of looking at the trade and hovering on this forum I've seen many people on here (who are small to mid sized breeders as far as I can tell) selling off 90% of their collections and leaving the business because they can't afford it anymore.

So how do the breeders that have been in this business for twenty years or more stay in? How do they keep the lights on and the rent paid on their warehouses?

BHB, for example, has more than just ball pythons. They breed and sell a number of reptile species, and I never see a big influx of baby balls on their website even when I know it's got to be hatchling season for them.

My dream goal in ten to twenty years is to be a big breeder myself, though I'm definitely not going to specialize in ball pythons. I love all sorts of reptiles. I'm planning on having a job on the side and another home business going, so I'm not counting on the reptile business to pay all my financial wants and needs. As long as it keeps itself afloat I'll be happy to enjoy my collection.