Ball Python Pricing for non breeders

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Originally Posted by buck_50

I guess I just have that my eyes are to big for my stomach type of situation going on. I’ll just have to admire from afar .

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My wife and i window shop everyday, we have dreams of owning some upper end morphs too, one day lol

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Dog or cat pricing pet vs breeders comes along with the fact the the animal will be spayed/neutered or not and with paperwork or not, not a practice that is done with or will be done with snakes.

The price is the price for breeder or pet owner the value is still the same and snakes are priced at fair market value based on supply and demand when it comes to snake no matter what your intentions are.

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^{_{(nice to see you back Deb. :))}}

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

^{_{(nice to see you back Deb. :))}}

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Can't be on vacation forever ;)

I appreciate your input. And I see that you’re a breeder, I understand that point of it. I know that breeders are here to make great snakes and enhance the hobby, but they also want to make money. But I just don’t understand the price being the same for breeders and pet owners. maybe I’m just broke or maybe I have different thought as a pet owner but it is what it is.

It sucks man lol

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It sucks!

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Why not lol. I’ll just keep looking on MM, admiring from my from lol

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Originally Posted by buck_50

Hello to everyone that reads and responds to this.

I am new to the ball python world and I’ve been looking at different morphs and I see how expensive they can get. I want a few different morphs but they are priced way out of my range for just pet snakes. It seems like to me that breeders are pricing snakes out of the price range for just pet owners. I know that all the snakes I look at in their description it says would be great for future plans when it comes to breeding or something along those lines. Now I know that dog breeders have pricing for people who plan to start breeding and people that just want them as pets. I know some of these snakes should be looked at as investments but what about people that just want a nice visually looking snake? Can anyone explain to me how the pricing works for ball pythons I guess it’s my main question.

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Breeding mammals and breeding reptiles are two very different things. There are shows, breed conformation standards, etc. etc. to determine which animals most closely resemble what would qualify is the "perfect" specimen of the breed, be it dogs, goats, horses, sheep, cats, or what have you. A breeder, eager to improve their lines, then chooses to pay more for a specimen that would have the best chance in the show ring and/or to produce offspring that most close resembles the conformation standards for that breed.

Pet owners buy animals that would be excused from the show ring and have conformation, genetic, or color faults that would make them unsuitable as ideal representatives of their breed.

Reptiles aren't judged on the merits of their conformation, as far as I know, there are no "conformation standards" set for tortoises, lizards, snakes etc. Their value is in the dna they carry and the color morphs those genetics can create. That being the case a 4 gene snake (for instance) is always going to be more valuable than a single gene animal. As others have mentioned, the value of the morph is in how popular it is with buyers and with it's availability. Generally speaking, once a morph becomes popular, EVERYone jumps on the band wagon and starts breeding them. The glut on the market, drops the price, and the next unique morph takes it's place. Also, as someone else mentioned, unless it becomes a popular trend to spay/neuter snakes, EVERY animal sold is a potential breeder. A person purchasing one as a pet, can't really guarantee that 16 years down the road they will still own that snake, or that it won't, at some point, be used as a breeder.
In the end, it's like everything else, if it's a priority, we find the money - or we choose to spend our money on things that matter more. It's all subjective. :-)

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Originally Posted by buck_50

But I just don’t understand the price being the same for breeders and pet owners.

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because then everyone would say "hey @Deborah! i want to buy that Pastel Enchi Leopard 100% het Piebald from you for $100! it's just going to be a pet i swear!"

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Originally Posted by buck_50

I appreciate your input. And I see that you’re a breeder, I understand that point of it. I know that breeders are here to make great snakes and enhance the hobby, but they also want to make money. But I just don’t understand the price being the same for breeders and pet owners. maybe I’m just broke or maybe I have different thought as a pet owner but it is what it is.

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We were looking at savannah cats, a fixed one (pet) for 4k, unfixed (breeder) for 9k.

The term pet seems to apply only if it physically cannot be bred, otherwise its a breeder regardless of your intentions

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I would pay 4K for a cat lol. Just not a snake lol

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

because then everyone would say "hey @Deborah! i want to buy that Pastel Enchi Leopard 100% het Piebald from you for $100! it's just going to be a pet i swear!"

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Believe it or not it has happened with a Black Pastel DH Albino Pied, the person said they had no intention of breeding and offered $200

If it was the case why not get a Black Pastel for $75 :rolleyes: