First time breeder?

Hi guys, and gals. I am looking into breeding ball pythons in the next season and possibly the season after, and I was curious as to what morphs are hot right now & which sire & dame make the morph. I am only looking to spend 200-300 dollars on each snake & then tubs, incubator, etc. Any tips & other advice are welcome!

I don't know how much prior experience you have with owning snakes, but I would highly recommend you have a few years in before breeding. You should assume that you will be keeping all the snakes you hatch out for life, because there is not guarantee they will sell. As for hot, white snakes seem to be very popular. So a lesser/lesser or lesser/mojave pairing could be a very economical way of producing "white" snakes. Whatever you decide good luck and do your homework.

Thanks, I've been doing research for about a year. That is why I said, I'm going to wait until next season or the season after. (:

Go for what you like the look of ;) Remember to look at Baby photos and adult photos ( some change dramatically when older and you might not like them )

Welcome to the jungle :D

You will be at the bottom of the "game" so to speak as a new breeder, so I would go with what you like. Who knows what will be hot in the basic 2 gene combos starting at your price range for ingredients. Hot is a VERY moving target in this market. There are a lot of options in your price range. IMO Enchi should be one of them, and whatever else you like after that.

Look HARD at your budget. Food and upkeep are expensive, as is getting the proper housing. Also be prepared for vet bills. MANY folks are very poorly prepared for some or all of that.

I suggest:

Male:
Lesser

Females (pick 2 or 4):
Enchi
Mojave
Yellowbelly
Fire

That would make a hot breeding group for not a lot of cash. But, do not skimp on quality. If it means getting one less snake to afford to make your others higher quality stock, then so be it.

X2 @ Jinx.

Think about what you want to produce, whether in the long run, or right now. Look at the current designer morphs, and decide which is your favorite, then go out and buy the best ingredients!

People will tell you to get "quality" which means go for whatever YOU think is the best representation for the morph. You can also go for whatever looks unique and cool to YOU.

How many snakes are you looking to purchase? Do you have enough space for them? Do you have a source to get both frozen AND live rodents of various sizes? I found this to be a huge problem for me when I first got started, and I don't see this question being asked to too many people.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jinx667

You will be at the bottom of the "game" so to speak as a new breeder, so I would go with what you like. Who knows what will be hot in the basic 2 gene combos starting at your price range for ingredients. Hot is a VERY moving target in this market. There are a lot of options in your price range. IMO Enchi should be one of them, and whatever else you like after that.

Look HARD at your budget. Food and upkeep are expensive, as is getting the proper housing. Also be prepared for vet bills. MANY folks are very poorly prepared for some or all of that.

I suggest:

Male:
Lesser

Females (pick 2 or 4):
Enchi
Mojave
Yellowbelly
Fire

That would make a hot breeding group for not a lot of cash. But, do not skimp on quality. If it means getting one less snake to afford to make your others higher quality stock, then so be it.

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Here, here! This is exactly what I was gonna say.... even though I still need 4 of those listed I am going to be adding one of them probably enchi or fire here in the coming months... cant go wrong here. :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by h00blah

How many snakes are you looking to purchase? Do you have enough space for them? Do you have a source to get both frozen AND live rodents of various sizes? I found this to be a huge problem for me when I first got started, and I don't see this question being asked to too many people.

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Agreed. You have to be prepared for a picky eater. Though I dont have a huge problem I do have one that wont take frozen thawed, so make sure you have a means to get live rodents

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jinx667

You will be at the bottom of the "game" so to speak as a new breeder, so I would go with what you like. Who knows what will be hot in the basic 2 gene combos starting at your price range for ingredients. Hot is a VERY moving target in this market. There are a lot of options in your price range. IMO Enchi should be one of them, and whatever else you like after that.

Look HARD at your budget. Food and upkeep are expensive, as is getting the proper housing. Also be prepared for vet bills. MANY folks are very poorly prepared for some or all of that.

I suggest:

Male:
Lesser

Females (pick 2 or 4):
Enchi
Mojave
Yellowbelly
Fire

That would make a hot breeding group for not a lot of cash. But, do not skimp on quality. If it means getting one less snake to afford to make your others higher quality stock, then so be it.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by h00blah

X2 @ Jinx.

Think about what you want to produce, whether in the long run, or right now. Look at the current designer morphs, and decide which is your favorite, then go out and buy the best ingredients!

People will tell you to get "quality" which means go for whatever YOU think is the best representation for the morph. You can also go for whatever looks unique and cool to YOU.

How many snakes are you looking to purchase? Do you have enough space for them? Do you have a source to get both frozen AND live rodents of various sizes? I found this to be a huge problem for me when I first got started, and I don't see this question being asked to too many people.

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I would most likely get four snakes, and yes, I plan on making a small rack system for the breeders & then a hatchling rack, I do have a source for frozen & live various size rodents. Should I do Mojo & Lesser or possibly try my luck at a Pastel & Fire, or even a Lesser & Fire?

Of the pairings I gave you, Lesser Enchi is by far currently the most valuable. The other 3 combos are in the same ballpark (The BEL may be worth a bit more).

Honestly, I would no bother with Pastel unless it is already attached to one of the snakes you buy in combo (Ex: Pastel Lesser)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jinx667

Of the pairings I gave you, Lesser Enchi is by far currently the most valuable. The other 3 combos are in the same ballpark (The BEL may be worth a bit more).

Honestly, I would no bother with Pastel unless it is already attached to one of the snakes you buy in combo (Ex: Pastel Lesser)

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Do you think that the Lesser Enchi will still be hot in two years? I honestly, don't care too much for the Enchi morph, it's bland if you ask me, something I am into, are the fires, I also think that Mystic Potions are beautiful. I will be breeding as a hobby, and I know of a pet shop that is nothing like Petco, or Petsmart, who I have talked to about buying babies if I produce them, & selling, & giving me so much profit. Do you think this is a good deal?

You set a low limit per snake. Phantom/Mystics are still $1000, and you need time to raise a female.

You are a LONG way away from hatching a baby, so I am not sure I would be making deals just yet.

As for Enchis, if you do not like them, then do not work with them. Fire and the YB complex should still prove to be useful down the line.

Do you mind if we just talk about this through PM?

PM me if you like.

Breed snakes because you love the animals and look forward to seeing baby noses pipping out of eggs, and you will always be happy you did.

Breed snakes because you want to cash in on the next hot morph, and you will always be chasing your tail and honestly, will probably have your whole collection on Craig's List inside of two years.

If you do it, do it for the right reasons...I've seen far too many people fail because they did it for the wrong ones.

I do plan to breed for the happy moments of noses pipping, seeing locks, incubating eggs, etc. I am not all in for the money, but I do want to breed things that other people are into at the moment & not eye sores that will lose interest in the next few months.

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Originally Posted by Jasonx

Do you think that the Lesser Enchi will still be hot in two years? I honestly, don't care too much for the Enchi morph, it's bland if you ask me, something I am into, are the fires, I also think that Mystic Potions are beautiful. I will be breeding as a hobby, and I know of a pet shop that is nothing like Petco, or Petsmart, who I have talked to about buying babies if I produce them, & selling, & giving me so much profit. Do you think this is a good deal?

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I definitely wouldn't rely on the pet shop to sell your morphs. Are they already selling multi-gene snakes? If so, are you going to be able to meet or beat their current supplier's prices?

If they're currently only selling normals, don't expect their customer base to suddenly be able to (and have interest in) buying expensive morphs. Take whatever profit you think you are going to get and cut it by two thirds (at least).

x2 to what slim said^
Breed what you like Jason, not what is going to make you money. Start out slow, no need to rush into it. Get your rack and tstat setup. I would get the 4 tub sweaterbox rack and the VE-200 both from reptile basics. This will be $279.99 for the rack and $114.99 for the tstat. Thats almost $400 right there. So get that first AND then get your snakes. For 4 snakes i would definetly get 1 male and 3 females, 1.3. Pick what snakes you like. The following list is what i would get personally with your budget and room for 4 snakes to make nice combos:
Male 1- Super pastel ($350)
Fem 1- Fire ($300-350)
Fem 2- Lesser ($300-350)
Fem 3- Enchi (Price varies alot depending on quality really).

Like i said thats what i would get if i was looking to make some hot morphs, but as you already said you dont like enchis so much.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

x2 to what slim said^
Breed what you like Jason, not what is going to make you money. Start out slow, no need to rush into it. Get your rack and tstat setup. I would get the 4 tub sweaterbox rack and the VE-200 both from reptile basics. This will be $279.99 for the rack and $114.99 for the tstat. Thats almost $400 right there. So get that first AND then get your snakes. For 4 snakes i would definetly get 1 male and 3 females, 1.3. Pick what snakes you like. The following list is what i would get personally with your budget and room for 4 snakes to make nice combos:
Male 1- Super pastel ($350)
Fem 1- Fire ($300-350)
Fem 2- Lesser ($300-350)
Fem 3- Enchi (Price varies alot depending on quality really).

Like i said thats what i would get if i was looking to make some hot morphs, but as you already said you dont like enchis so much.

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This is what I was looking for, someone looking to include a good bunch of information including prices, and who is supportive. Thank you, and I was not intending on saying that the other information was not useful or thanked.