How much are baby lesser females at an expo?

[RegiusConstrictors03]

I want to purchase a baby lesser female at my local expo. How much do they cost? My Pastel male from the expo was only 40 bucks. I don't want to sound snooty but why are ball pythons so expensive? even the morphs that have been around for an eternity are quite pricey.
thanks!
~Gigi

[Freakie_frog]

I want to purchase a baby lesser female at my local expo. How much do they cost? My Pastel male from the expo was only 40 bucks. I don't want to sound snooty but why are ball pythons so expensive? even the morphs that have been around for an eternity are quite pricey.
thanks!
~Gigi

What do you consider expensive? 40.00 for a male pastel is 30X cheaper than what I paid for mine when I bought him. As for female lesser I've sold them for $200.00 and seen them as affordable as $125.00. Can they be had for less? Absolutely! Pay for quality and get quality. If you want to have an adult lesser that looks awesome at 2500 grams then find the best quality one you can and buy it. If you just want a lesser to have a lesser then buy whatever you can find.

[RegiusConstrictors03]

I believe that what I paid was cheap but I only got him for that much because I was 9 when I bought him and the guy gave me a good deal cause of it.
The reason I say things are expensive is because... well here's an example, the pastel was found quite awhile back and you'd think that that would make people not need them much any more. I would think that the price would've lowered significantly more than it already has. I not complaining, I'm just a tad confused. thanks for giving me prices.
~Gigi

[Dave Green]

When people sell ball pythons for under $50 they are probably losing money. It isn't cheap to feed, house and breed ball pythons.

[Freakie_frog]

I believe that what I paid was cheap but I only got him for that much because I was 9 when I bought him and the guy gave me a good deal cause of it.
The reason I say things are expensive is because... well here's an example, the pastel was found quite awhile back and you'd think that that would make people not need them much any more. I would think that the price would've lowered significantly more than it already has. I not complaining, I'm just a tad confused. thanks for giving me prices.
~Gigi

At some point there is a cost of diminishing returns. With bedding, enclosures, feeders, show cost, traveling cost ect.ect. At some point the animal starts costing you money to produce, now normally this is offset by the higher priced animals in the clutch. If I produce 2 pastels in a clutch of pastel pieds then the pastels are offset by the pied combos. So at some point either some morphs will no longer be bred or offered on the open market by breeders. Then people will be forced to buy them from the petco's and petsmarts of the world.

[PitOnTheProwl]

What is MY time worth?
There are a lot of factors many people overlook.
There is the care for the animals and cost to keep. Mine then doubles over on everything because I raise my own rodents too.
While this lowers my cost to feed my snakes it increases use of my time.
After you ponder on that. The next step is quality of an animal. You dont buy just any morph that comes along. You pick the one that catches your eye because it will help produce the sexy babies you want to make.

So to answer your question from my point of view..... I would not sell on of my Lesser female hatchlings for less than $150 but thats just me.

[JodanOrNoDan]

Everything that Pit and Frog said. I like ball pythons a lot but at forty dollars retail I would basically be paying you to take it off may hands.

[Dave Green]

I had a potential customer get pretty worked up because I wouldn't sell him a fire female for $50 shipped even after I showed him the shipping quote from SYR of $62. He then offered me $60 shipped and got mad when I said I couldn't?? I guess I should lose money smh.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

You will find Lesser females for around $75.

Why do they cost so much is $40, $50, or even $100 is too much for you maybe you need to reconsider the hobby you are in.

Animals cost money to maintain and produce.

Let me ask you this would you go to work for free or even at a loss?

[Freakie_frog]

I had a potential customer get pretty worked up because I wouldn't sell him a fire female for $50 shipped even after I showed him the shipping quote from SYR of $62. He then offered me $60 shipped and got mad when I said I couldn't?? I guess I should lose money smh.

Like I said before Dave, at some point guys like you and me will stop breeding the base morphs because people will continue to expect them to be priced like corn snakes. Then the guy that does breed for them will be able to ask 250.00 for a pastel because hes one of only three people in the country that is producing them.