BP Hobby/Business...buying adult ball pythons..suggestions

ok well i am new to all of this...I have always loved snakes from an early age but my parents would never allow one in the house..i have been doing lots of research and went to my first reptile show in Hamburg a few weeks ago and enjoyed it ...i want to get into BP breeding in a year or 2...my goal is for it to be a hobby that develops into a business.

questions:

Do a lot of the top reptile breeders have adults for sale even if they do not have them listed on their website? I imagine some do but am not certain...would probably just have to inquire i guess.

Anyone out there who sells BPs, do u find it hard at times to sell or trade away the offspring that you do not want?

has anyone in this business/hobby ever written grants to receive money to help start the business or for upgrading things?

anyone have experiences when it comes to buying things and writing them off as tax write offs ?

Goal:

i mean its the age old saying "gotta spend money to make money"...and if this is to become a business you have to treat it like one..and try to keep ur overhead costs as low as possible.


i would prolly start out with

3-5 Adult Normal Females
1-2 Morph females
2 morph males

then every year sell the clutches except for the better morphs or trade up...then from there..w/e money is made..invest in another decent morph

ideally i would like to invest in 1-2 new snakes a year if possible...and i wouldn't think of taking a profit till like year 3-4...



well thanks for your time if you read this post and please go easy on me

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by papashungo

ok well i am new to all of this...I have always loved snakes from an early age but my parents would never allow one in the house..i have been doing lots of research and went to my first reptile show in Hamburg a few weeks ago and enjoyed it ...i want to get into BP breeding in a year or 2...my goal is for it to be a hobby that develops into a business.

questions:

Do a lot of the top reptile breeders have adults for sale even if they do not have them listed on their website? I imagine some do but am not certain...would probably just have to inquire i guess.

Anyone out there who sells BPs, do u find it hard at times to sell or trade away the offspring that you do not want?

has anyone in this business/hobby ever written grants to receive money to help start the business or for upgrading things?

anyone have experiences when it comes to buying things and writing them off as tax write offs ?

Goal:

i mean its the age old saying "gotta spend money to make money"...and if this is to become a business you have to treat it like one..and try to keep ur overhead costs as low as possible.


i would prolly start out with

3-5 Adult Normal Females
1-2 Morph females
2 morph males

then every year sell the clutches except for the better morphs or trade up...then from there..w/e money is made..invest in another decent morph

ideally i would like to invest in 1-2 new snakes a year if possible...and i wouldn't think of taking a profit till like year 3-4...



well thanks for your time if you read this post and please go easy on me

---

Well first off if your wanting to make alot of money right away i suggest doing something else.This hobby is no get rich thing no matter if you look at it as a hobby or business.First off you need to get the love for the animals themselves and learn everything about them and the husbandry needs.Then once you get that down maybe try your hand at breeding.I have seen people invest there life saving thinking they will be the next Donald Trump only to find themselves scraping for loose change to feed there snakes.So good luck on your decision :gj:

i have studied Animal Husbandry in college...I have a BA in Fisheries Science

i am not looking to get rich over night...the way i see it is if over time..if i could make a like 2-3k on the side of my other job i would b happy...it isnt all about the money. I used to catch snakes and other critters outside when i was real young.

i mean if i could ever become as well known as some of the top breeders that would be cool...i would eventually like to buy other constrictors after having BPs for a few years...I love Womas,Olive Pythons,GTP, Retics,and various Boas...

I think it would be neat to have a decent collection of different kinds of snakes and educate people

If people are familiar with Central Pa..well it is where the Little League World Series takes place..i live like 5 miles from there. There is a place called "Clyde Peelings Reptile Land"...i used to go there when i was younger for my bday and got to hold various Boas and BPs...well way down the line i would love to do Bday Parties or lectures and share my experiences so the public is more educated and realize that snakes are cool and should not be feared.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by papashungo

i have studied Animal Husbandry in college...I have a BA in Fisheries Science

i am not looking to get rich over night...the way i see it is if over time..if i could make a like 2-3k on the side of my other job i would b happy...it isnt all about the money. I used to catch snakes and other critters outside when i was real young.

i mean if i could ever become as well known as some of the top breeders that would be cool...i would eventually like to buy other constrictors after having BPs for a few years...I love Womas,Olive Pythons,GTP, Retics,and various Boas...

I think it would be neat to have a decent collection of different kinds of snakes and educate people

If people are familiar with Central Pa..well it is where the Little League World Series takes place..i live like 5 miles from there. There is a place called "Clyde Peelings Reptile Land"...i used to go there when i was younger for my bday and got to hold various Boas and BPs...well way down the line i would love to do Bday Parties or lectures and share my experiences so the public is more educated and realize that snakes are cool and should not be feared.

---

Please dont take this as being rude.In my opinion reading books is nothing even close to the real hands on learning about them.Like i said good luck to you :gj:

I see a lot of things you are missing in your plan. My suggestion is to start with a couple as pets. You will see how much work they are, and the cost of food and electricity. Then get a few more.

I knew a guy that thought he would buy himself rich. Well he had lots of nice animals, but never produced many babies each year. With a full time job and trying to raise his own feeders his snakes did not get the attention they needed and fell sick and never produced the clutches he thought he would get. Long story short. He lost several of the animals sold the rest for way less than he bought them for and is out of reptiles now.

If he had started out slower and only add a few at a time who knows he might have made it work.

i am not taking it the wrong way..i like criticism as long as its not just bashing my balls...and so far i appreciate the advice

i have kept other reptiles before..i worked at a fish hatchery and yes i know fish are different but still..

and yes i agree i left some stuff out..well have a list of costs..like electricity,feed prices, racks, proper permits...i have a huge list of things..and made it into a spreadsheet...i dont want anyone to think i am an idiot..i just dont want to write my life story and bore people to death

wish some people would anwser some of the questions instead of sticking on the goals

and trust me i am not gonna be dumb enough to put all my eggs in one basket and end up going broke over it..thats why i want it as a happy at first..learn more about them as i go..n take it a day at a time

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by papashungo

questions:

Do a lot of the top reptile breeders have adults for sale even if they do not have them listed on their website? I imagine some do but am not certain...would probably just have to inquire i guess.

---

Everything is for sale! The question is are you willing to pay the price?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by papashungo

Anyone out there who sells BPs, do u find it hard at times to sell or trade away the offspring that you do not want?

---

Sometimes it can be difficult or disheartening when you see other people selling the same animals for a lot less. The best thing to do is stay honest. When you find yourself the most disheartened go and clean your reptile room as therapy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by papashungo

has anyone in this business/hobby ever written grants to receive money to help start the business or for upgrading things?

---

Nope. So far I have paid for everything out of my day job and dream about breaking even every year. :please:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by papashungo

anyone have experiences when it comes to buying things and writing them off as tax write offs ?

---

Yes, but you need to be careful and have a tax expert working with you. This is not something to try for the self filer.

If you are thinking about getting into breeder I would suggest reading this article by Colin Weaver. I found it very informative.
http://ballpythonbreeder.com/2010/04...thon-breeding/

Good luck earning a living with that small inventory