i wanna start breeding

well i wanna start breeding ball pythons next year not sure what morphs to start with and i wanna learn pretty much anything i can before i start so any advice will help thanks for reading

Well, you're going to have trouble starting next year considering it takes a few years to raise up females to breeding size :) Unless you were to just buy all adult ball pythons, but that would be quite pricy!


Do you have specific morphs you like? Any combos you want to shoot for? For instance, my favorite morph is the King Clown, so I want to invest in clowns and lessers for sure, as well as pieds, albinos, and a few other awesome morphs I like. Depending on the money you are willing to spend to start out with depends on how much you can afford to spend on your ball pythons. Most people start with pastels and spiders to make bumblebees--always a popular morph, and affordable to make. That helps you save up for pricier morphs and you can hold back a bumblebee to breed to other morphs and get even better babies. Don't like spiders? Pick a different morph! Pastel/Lesser, Spider/Mojave, whatever!

You can start out small or save up a lot. Think about what you want to make and how much you want to spend. You want to buy your females first, since they take longest to breed!

So name some combos you like.

I bought a few females when I first started. while they where growing up to breeding size. I did a few years reading on these forums everyday, I didn't even ask any questions there was already plenty to read from other members asking.

my best advice is don't rush into it, put some time into it and be more prepared.
you will enjoy this hobby more, knowing before doing.

It will cost a bunch either way. I know for my its going to cost somewhere in the ball park of $8,000 within the next couple years for my females and males....of course my males are all doubles so they are like $850-1,200 a piece. Just read read read....there is plenty in the bp breeding section to answer pretty much all your questions you could ever have. Just do a search. Also remember females take 2-3 years for maturity and can only lay a clutch a year.....so your best bet is invest in lots of girls (I'm starting with 7) and when then get a little older get your males as they only take a year or a little more till they can breed. Also start thinking about what you are going to do with the babies after they hatch and how you will sell them. That can often be the toughest part. Hope this helps.

Congrats on wanting to join the breeders club. : ) It is possible to start with no animals and in one year be able to breed but I would not suggest it. You would have to buy adult animals (which can be risky from the wrong person). It took me 6 years to breed my first ball pythons. I always buy young snakes so that as they grow I can learn their personality so that if something does go wrong, like them not going back on food for example, I know the best way to handle that particular animal. I think that it is always better to grow with your animals and as they grow learn as much as you can. And of course start with a love and enjoy every moment of it! :D

As for how to breed them I suggest this website. It helped me a ton!

http://www.ballpython.ca/gallery/breeding.html

i want something thats in the 250-350 price range each and i like the bumblebee i might start with sub adult male spider a lesser female and a spider female thanks for replying everyone

How does it feel to be an addict???

There ya go! Definitely pick what you like to work with. After all, it's you who has to care for these animals day in and day out, so it's you that has to look at them all the time. And there's so many morphs out there, and different combos you can make with them, that there's truly something for everyone! If bumblebees are your favorite, shoot for getting a pastel and a spider and have it! ;)

My advice research research research, the information is readily available online from genetic to breeding recipes etc.

And make sure you have thought of everything from space, to housing, breeding your own feeders, building an incubator, learning how to sex your snake, having a venue to sell your animals, having to room to keep them if they don't sell, the cost of breeding etc

There are a lot of things to consider before breeding ;)