Newish but want to try breeding

Hey everyone,

I have had a het pied female ball python for a little more than a year at this point. I am beyond hooked at this point. I would really like to try breeding to produce some truly beautiful animals that I can share with students.

My goal is not to make any money what so ever. I would solely be doing this to produce awesome animals.

My question is: what would be some good Genes to look for in a male/a couple more females? Not looking to break the bank, but I understand that some money needs to be spent.

Thanks in advance,

Beech

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Originally Posted by Beech

Hey everyone,

I have had a het pied female ball python for a little more than a year at this point. I am beyond hooked at this point. I would really like to try breeding to produce some truly beautiful animals that I can share with students.

My goal is not to make any money what so ever. I would solely be doing this to produce awesome animals.

My question is: what would be some good Genes to look for in a male/a couple more females? Not looking to break the bank, but I understand that some money needs to be spent.

Thanks in advance,

Beech

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honestly?

this probably isn't exactly the advice you were looking for, but: you need to do research on the market (what genes are selling [i know it's not about money, but you need to have a financial strategy]) and what genes you want to work with that are doing well in the market.

try not to produce any possible het Pieds; pair your female to a pied male at minimum.

Pieds will always been in style, so any additional genes you could add (i suggest a Super [insert any co-dom gene] Pied) would be a plus.

i hope this helped; good luck friend!!! and be patient!!! breeders aren't made in a day. [emoji6]

Thank you for the reply.

What I was thinking was a black pastel piebald and shoot for (pandas) I think is what they are called. Super black pastel pied, I think they look super cool. But I guess I'm not super familiar with the market, and I'll do some research, I'd love to start super basic and kind of produce my way up to some awesome animals! But that probably isnt the most realistic goal...

Thanks again

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beech

Thank you for the reply.

What I was thinking was a black pastel piebald and shoot for (pandas) I think is what they are called. Super black pastel pied, I think they look super cool. But I guess I'm not super familiar with the market, and I'll do some research, I'd love to start super basic and kind of produce my way up to some awesome animals! But that probably isnt the most realistic goal...

Thanks again

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What do you know about duck billing and kink in Super Black Pastel or Super Cinny combos, are you ok with taking those risks knowing that many supers that includes Pandas will likely be very deformed?

Black Pastel Pied are fine but Pandas are risky.

Thank you for the reply.

What I was thinking was a black pastel piebald and shoot for (pandas) I think is what they are called. Super black pastel pied, I think they look super cool. But I guess I'm not super familiar with the market, and I'll do some research, I'd love to start super basic and kind of produce my way up to some awesome animals! But that probably isnt the most realistic goal...

Thanks again

I'll have to look into it, I dont want to produce unhealthy animals that's for sure!
Thank you for the information

If there is a goal, even if it is to only try to want 1 successful clutch and put ya female up and just enjoy her and her babies as they grow...

You said you are hooked... Good.:D.. We can tell because you got a (popular) visual female... Just as Tttaylorr said, you'd want to go visual pied for your male, but as Deb said... You have to do your research on what you possibly will get and if you’re going to go the super route... Do you know if your female has any extras in her already you may be able to work with? Maybe get a few pics up I’m sure someone can help ID if you don’t already have the 100% ID… and I am sure you are aware of the time frames on these gals, it requires a lot if dedication just to get a copulation.. Not to mention when you get eggs, they hatch, and you get /...:confusd:

..:P That’s the best part if you ask me, the gamble, tho I have not bred, I have only read lol… but I plan to, after more vids watched, and all over on-line research- repeated some stuff few times... .. we then can figure out if the 100% becomes 100% or now "poss", maybe something entirely new ... but it is what you make it.. so you want to have a plan.. if I say I want a purple snake one more time my head will explode :explosion.. but that’s my goal.. I see you want Panda... Nice... so what does your girl brings to the table ? you may want to figure that out so you can eliminate some variables, or maybe you may have to start all over (hopefully not) if you want ya Panda or whatever, but it is the reality of this hobby if something is not "proving" out or just not here.. ugh so you will not waste your time, but I do wish you the best of luck and hope you get your dream snake

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Beech

Thank you for the reply.

What I was thinking was a black pastel piebald and shoot for (pandas) I think is what they are called. Super black pastel pied, I think they look super cool. But I guess I'm not super familiar with the market, and I'll do some research, I'd love to start super basic and kind of produce my way up to some awesome animals! But that probably isnt the most realistic goal...

Thanks again

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Just bear in mind that "producing your way" toward the morph you're after also involves lots of baby normals, (possible)-het-for-something's, etc, and that the market for these is pretty saturated. A saturated market doesn't just mean that you don't sell them for much; it may also mean you have a hard time finding good homes for them at all, or you give/sell them as feeders for species that like to eat other snakes, or you give them to whatever pet store will take them, which will sell them to cheap to people who buy them on impulse. A saturated market means lots of snakes in bad shape on Craigslist or in rescue organizations because someone lost interest or couldn't figure out how to house them correctly or get them to eat.

But that's a good reason to spend the money on more expensive animals with more genes up front so that you can get to the combos you're after in fewer generations - i.e, with fewer "byproduct" hatchlings that will need to be housed and cared for by someone for decades.

In other words, paying attention to the market and spending money on snakes that are more likely to produce a high percentage of offspring that are visual for at least *something* reasonably desirable isn't just about how much money you can get for your hatchlings, it also has implications for the welfare of those hatchlings.

It is a complcated decision given the problems with super black pastels. :cool:

In terms of slow but consistent returns I'd think of looking for lavender albino pieds ( dreamsicles) or if you are set on pandas I'd think of at least trying black pastel/ cinnamon combos they try and mitigate the problem. Or somethng else in the same complex - i seem to remember mahogany being on the same locus?

I might be wrong however so wait for confirmation. :oops:

Thank you for all the information, wow!
I will look into some higher priced animals, and will probably go away from the panda as I really only want to produce healthy animals. I also dont want to produce a lot of snakes in an area that may not be as ready to accept all of them if I start from the bottom and go for different things. I just really want the experience of having done so.

Another question I have is: does anyone breed not using tubs? I have my girl in a vivarium set up right now, looking to get tubs if I get more animals. But is it possible to breed in a viv?