Question for breeders

Hello everyone. I had a question that's been on my mind for quite awhile and was wondering what did others think. I see that a lot of people breed ball pythons and I've also been contemplating breeding and keeping no more than 20 snakes I really like over a period of time. I like that I can produce my own snakes and have a chance of possibly making my own morph however, I also feel kind of guilty for breeding seeing that are so many available now. Also seeing that these guys can live for about 20 years or more is a huge commitment, especially with breeding.

My question is do most breeders keep their snakes for the duration of their lives, especially if they lose interest in breeding? Sorry if this is a silly question. I was just curious because I see so many ball pythons being produced each year and it seems there are way more snakes than permanent homes. I'm contemplating just buying the morphs I like instead and keeping them as pets so I don't feel like I'm adding more snakes to an already flooded market.

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My question is do most breeders keep their snakes for the duration of their lives

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some yes, as a breeder you have limits (space and what you can handle on your own) and since you always try to better and "upgrade" your collection animals (proven breeders) comes and go.

There are however special snakes in one's collection that are there to stay I am sure.

One of my first snakes is here to stay, one if the first Pieds I ever produced is here to stay (that's the mutation that got me into breeding several years ago) etc

The market is flooded when it comes to some mutations but not as a whole, as price drops it opens the door to more people being able to afford their dream animal.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

some yes, as a breeder you have limits (space and what you can handle on your own) and since you always try to better and "upgrade" your collection animals (proven breeders) comes and go.

There are however special snakes in one's collection that are there to stay I am sure.

One of my first snakes is here to stay, one if the first Pieds I ever produced is here to stay (that's the mutation that got me into breeding several years ago) etc

The market is flooded when it comes to some mutations but not as a whole, as price drops it opens the door to more people being able to afford their dream animal.

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Thanks for clearing that up for me. I can definitely agree with the price drops. I've been wanting a champagne for a few years now. When I first discovered them, they were going for like $900 but I've seen some very nice looking ones for as low as $125. Right now, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a nice champagne combo.

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Originally Posted by Gemmy

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I can definitely agree with the price drops. I've been wanting a champagne for a few years now. When I first discovered them, they were going for like $900 but I've seen some very nice looking ones for as low as $125. Right now, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a nice champagne combo.

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I am a huge fan of Champagne stuff! I did hatch out two Champagne Lessers 100% het Ghost as well, which I think are really cool looking!

Here is a video of my clutch http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7yry7B5CYvc