getting into breeding :)

I got my first ball python a little bit ago and now I want to get into breeding. I plan on getting a lesser female at my local show and then picking up a male spider or bumblebee next fall. I hope to get them up to size by next year and then breeding them to some lesser/queen bees. I love the lesser combos and hope to create some really cool morphs. What do you guys think?

And this is how the addiction begins...these things really should be called "crack" pythons due to their addictive nature. LOL

Queen Bee's are beautiful and if that's what you like then that's what you should plan to breed.

I started out loving Coral Glows and a lot of their combos so I got a CG male and picked up a Fire, Mojave, and Enchi girls to eventually pair him up with. My first project will be to try for a Coral Glow Fire.

I would say some questions to address would be around your setup. Are you planning on using tubs or tanks? Tanks can start to get costly and take up a lot of your time too with cleaning etc. Tub and tub racks will make life a lot easier on you but don't look as nice in your house, if that's a concern? Another thing to consider is how are you going to handle the snakes you breed that you don't want to keep? If you get your male spider you'll need a Lesser Pastel female to produce a Queen Bee, this will give you a 1/8 chance of hitting your Queen Bee but it has equal odds of producing normals, pastels, lesser's, spiders, etc.

Others will most certainly just in with other comments and suggestions so I'll leave it here before my post becomes a book.

Well I plan on building a rack once they get big enough. My plan is to get lesser and pastel females and a spider male. Hopefully get a lesser bee and bumblebee males and breed them to the opposite, bumblebee to lesser, lesser bee to pastel. It really is addicting. :)

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Originally Posted by sean12wilk

I got my first ball python a little bit ago and now I want to get into breeding. What do you guys think?

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I think you should wait before jumping into breedering. First learn how to properly care for the animal while researching and learning about breeding and if you decide that you're still interested in breeding down the line, then go for it.

I see so many sale threads of failed breeding projects that I wouldn't want you to be another one. Make sure you know what you're getting into and how much it's going to cost and what your plan is.

Don't get sucked into this "BP bug" hype because at the end when people get bored and realize they're stuck with a bunch of BPs they still need to feed, the animals suffer.

I am on almost the same boat as you, ive had my bp for a few months along with the other reptiles i have, i fell in love with my bp. But i suggest what i did or what i am currently doing. First make sure you have the room for either tanks or a rack system.

I chose the rack system just because of money, room and its easier to clean lol. I have a spreadsheet i made for every little cost its going to cost for my setup and the snakes i want :)

Just make sure you know its going to be a journey and you have to be willung to put your time and effort into it :)

Goodluck, stealthclown :)

I have done plenty of research and know exactly what it is going to cost. I don't intend on getting a ton of snakes right off the bat. I plan on getting a lesser female and then maybe a male spider or mojave next fall. I don't plan on actually breeding them until maybe late next season.

I have the exact idea just different morphs lol goodluck to you! :D