Question about breeding

Hi I'm new to this site and I would like to get into breeding some day. I'm wondering like do yall play around and breed whatever you want or are there certain ones you should breed together or what?

Also if there are any important tips about breeding or anything like that that yall think I should know please post :) I have been studying this stuff for a while

EDIT: what would be a good pair to start with?

You can look here http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-Breeding-FAQs that will get you started. Also Justin Koblyka's youtube channel has a pro tips section and a morphs 101 section. Both of which will get you going in a hurry. Hope it helps.

As for what to pair, pick whatever you like and can afford. We want a lightning pied but cant afford one so we are going to breed our pied to the axanthic girl and do the double het pairing

There are some combinations that appear to be fatal. Things like champagne x champagne are a lethal pairing and the offspring usually die before hatching or shortly after. Other pairings like black pastel x black pastel have a strong chance for birth deformities.

Here is a thread with some info and pictures in it.

Otherwise most people breed what they want to.

I think the first think you should look for when picking out Ball Python morphs is quality. Often times I see new keepers picking up cheap pastels, spiders or pinstripes that aren't really the most gorgeous example of a morph. When I go ball pythons shopping (haha) I look for the best looking example of that particular morph. I like my spiders to have close to zero spots and high white sides. I like my pastels to have a lot of blushing and hold their yellow color.

I feel like there are too many people out there breeding low quality animals together to produce low quality offspring. Not saying you are going to do this or anything, but it is something to consider when you are bringing new animals into the world.

The next thing to pick out would be your favorite morphs. there are very few combos that are lethal but there are quite a few that have related birth defects. There are many videos and threads about various birth defects. I personally am going to avoid pairings that are prone to birth defects, but it doesn't always mean they won't happen. There have been quite a few birth defects this season that have been reported in a particular thread.

I'm not trying to scare you off from breeding, but you really need to do your research and be completely 100% ready for all scenarios. By breeding your animals you are taking on a huge responsibility. Just be prepared!

I am excited to start my first year of breeding this year. This is my 4th year of owning snakes and I don't think I would have wanted to breed any earlier. My girls I got 2-3 years ago are growing up nicely and I should have 4 females ready for this winter.

Play around on worldofballpythons.com and find which morphs and combos you really like. save up for baby snakes and raise them up to breeding sized adults. It will take some time, but it will give you experience raising babies and give you plenty of time to get all your ducks in a row. These animals are super fun and breeding can be a very rewarding experience!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaorte

I think the first think you should look for when picking out Ball Python morphs is quality. Often times I see new keepers picking up cheap pastels, spiders or pinstripes that aren't really the most gorgeous example of a morph. When I go ball pythons shopping (haha) I look for the best looking example of that particular morph. I like my spiders to have close to zero spots and high white sides. I like my pastels to have a lot of blushing and hold their yellow color.

I feel like there are too many people out there breeding low quality animals together to produce low quality offspring. Not saying you are going to do this or anything, but it is something to consider when you are bringing new animals into the world.

The next thing to pick out would be your favorite morphs. there are very few combos that are lethal but there are quite a few that have related birth defects. There are many videos and threads about various birth defects. I personally am going to avoid pairings that are prone to birth defects, but it doesn't always mean they won't happen. There have been quite a few birth defects this season that have been reported in a particular thread.

I'm not trying to scare you off from breeding, but you really need to do your research and be completely 100% ready for all scenarios. By breeding your animals you are taking on a huge responsibility. Just be prepared!

I am excited to start my first year of breeding this year. This is my 4th year of owning snakes and I don't think I would have wanted to breed any earlier. My girls I got 2-3 years ago are growing up nicely and I should have 4 females ready for this winter.

Play around on worldofballpythons.com and find which morphs and combos you really like. save up for baby snakes and raise them up to breeding sized adults. It will take some time, but it will give you experience raising babies and give you plenty of time to get all your ducks in a row. These animals are super fun and breeding can be a very rewarding experience!

---

For some reason I haven't even thought about the quality of the morphs like that so its a good thing you mentioned lol. like duh.

and thank you everyone your replies were very helpful.

oh do you think I should just start with a pair or should I get more then that? money shouldn't really be a HUGE issue when the time comes

It's totally up to you how many snakes you think you can handle. I would start out with a young female first since they take a little longer to get to breeding age. Then you can get a male.

If you are like any of us, you won't stop at just a pair :) They are quite addictive. I just love thinking about all the cool combos I can make!

Well eventually I really want to get into this and do a lot of them I'm just worried it might be a little overwhelming the first time but I'm sure after that I'll have more of an idea of what to do lol.

Oh does anyone know about any weird laws California might have? I'm going to be moving there soon

EDIT: whats with yalls sigs like yours says

"5.5 Python regius
0.2 Normals 0.1 Pastel 0.1 Spider 0.1 Pastel Butter 1.0 Mojave 1.0 Pinstripe 1.0 Pewter 1.0 Lesser 1.0 Citrus Pastel Calico
1.0 Boa Constrictor imperator
0.0.1 Morelia viridis
0.0.1 Corallus hortulanus
0.1 Python breitensteini
1.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus
2.6.too many! African Soft Furred Rats
0.1 Australian Cattle Dog - Zoe
1.0 Domestic Short Hair Cat - Charlie" what do the numbers mean

My first advice keep studying. You need to learn more about the genetics if you don't know there are specific things you should breed together. There are codoms, doms, and recessives. You need to know how they all work together and what results you will get when you breed different morphs to one another. There is an excellent genetics section on this site, I suggest you start there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sugamama15

Oh does anyone know about any weird laws California might have? I'm going to be moving there soon

EDIT: whats with yalls sigs like yours says

"5.5 Python regius
0.2 Normals 0.1 Pastel 0.1 Spider 0.1 Pastel Butter 1.0 Mojave 1.0 Pinstripe 1.0 Pewter 1.0 Lesser 1.0 Citrus Pastel Calico
1.0 Boa Constrictor imperator
0.0.1 Morelia viridis
0.0.1 Corallus hortulanus
0.1 Python breitensteini
1.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus
2.6.too many! African Soft Furred Rats
0.1 Australian Cattle Dog - Zoe
1.0 Domestic Short Hair Cat - Charlie" what do the numbers mean

---

I'm in California. There doesn't seem to be any restriction on Ball Pythons or their breeding. They only have restrictions on venomous and crocodilian species.

And the signature is stating what animals Kaorte keeps.
1.0 = male
0.1 = female
0.0.1 = unknown sex

For example: 1.4 = 1 male and 4 females