Looking to start breeding! What do i need to get started?

I just recently picked up an albino female hatchling about 2 weeks ago, and now I just want even more! I can admit i'm addicted to ball pythons! i don't know what it is but they are fascinating animals, and the fact that you can basically make what you want one to look like is crazy. I'm very interested in breeding, but not sure what i would need exactly. I know I need racks, and i'm getting one in a few months because i'll be picking up a female clown pretty soon here. I looked at animal plastics and found this one:

http://animalplastics.com/Sterilite/1756.htm

i'm not sure if i'll need belly heat or back heat? i heard belly heat is better if you don't have a room designed for only reptile keeping, which i don't. and i'm not sure if i should just get the 7 tub one, or more? (i'll be having 2 females by the end of the year)

i heard you need a thermostat, but not sure which one to get. i'm looking to get a herpestat from here:

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/store/


and of course i'd need an incubator for the eggs, so i found this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Reptib.../dp/B0038Z5RMU

is that all i would basically need?
any tips or suggestions would be appreciated thanks

do you have a steady job?

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Originally Posted by itchmynipple

do you have a steady job?

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yeah i'll be working part time making about 1k/month for the next 2 1/2 years. then i'm off to university (still in highschool atm)

Rack is a good idea if your room stays above 75°. Belly heat is probably preferred to back for adults. Herpstats are (IMO) the best thermostats to have. Build your own incubator. Unless you're looking at professionally made ones (like hot box etc) and willing to drop 500-1k on it. The incubators sold by big herp stores are crap.

Now...the really fun questions!
you say your albino is a hatchling, and you're planning on getting a clown girl (I assume hatchling also). Well, they will need to be 2-3 years old before they can breed. Which is the exact timeframe of you going to university. Are you going to be able to take them with you? Will you have the funds then to deal with feeding them? What about housing and feeding the hatchlings? Each girl could give you 8-12 babies (or more,or less) that's 8-12 more mouths to feed every week. Not to mention another rack and thermostat. (Unless you get a herpstat 4 from the get go)

Then you have to think about this: what happens if you can't sell the babies? Or only sell half of them? You have to be prepared to raise them until you can sell them.

One last thing, you're dealing with recessives, which are awesome and all, but people tend to be leery of buying hets from breeders without a reputation. They are taking your word that it is what you say it is. Now, having pictures of locks definitely helps that out. But still, they might be hard to move.

You will not make your money back on your girls or your equipment in the first year. Hell, probably not in the first five. So don't expect to.

Think this through and think of where you'll be in 2-3 years when these girls are ready.

Just my 2¢

The big concern that comes to mind is how do you plan to take care of all these animals while attending a university? Your priorities are going to shift radically in the next 3-4 years. Consider this well.

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Originally Posted by RoseyReps

Rack is a good idea if your room stays above 75°. Belly heat is probably preferred to back for adults. Herpstats are (IMO) the best thermostats to have. Build your own incubator. Unless you're looking at professionally made ones (like hot box etc) and willing to drop 500-1k on it. The incubators sold by big herp stores are crap.

Now...the really fun questions!
you say your albino is a hatchling, and you're planning on getting a clown girl (I assume hatchling also). Well, they will need to be 2-3 years old before they can breed. Which is the exact timeframe of you going to university. Are you going to be able to take them with you? Will you have the funds then to deal with feeding them? What about housing and feeding the hatchlings? Each girl could give you 8-12 babies (or more,or less) that's 8-12 more mouths to feed every week. Not to mention another rack and thermostat. (Unless you get a herpstat 4 from the get go)

Then you have to think about this: what happens if you can't sell the babies? Or only sell half of them? You have to be prepared to raise them until you can sell them.

One last thing, you're dealing with recessives, which are awesome and all, but people tend to be leery of buying hets from breeders without a reputation. They are taking your word that it is what you say it is. Now, having pictures of locks definitely helps that out. But still, they might be hard to move.

You will not make your money back on your girls or your equipment in the first year. Hell, probably not in the first five. So don't expect to.

Think this through and think of where you'll be in 2-3 years when these girls are ready.

Just my 2¢

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i don't exactly have to breed right away. having 2 snakes to care for isn't hard at all. and when i go to a university, ill most likely get an apartment or duplex which will more than likely have enough space. with all this info u just gave me, i might have to hold of breeding for a couple years, that wouldn't be a problem would it? so they'd be 5-6 years old when i start trying to seriously breed. but having 2 snakes means i have to get a thermostat and rack system regardless... so which one would u recommend from animal plastics? they have 7 tubs, all the way up to like 10. if you could take a look and suggest which i should get, that would be great!

http://animalplastics.com/

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

The big concern that comes to mind is how do you plan to take care of all these animals while attending a university? Your priorities are going to shift radically in the next 3-4 years. Consider this well.

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yeah i've considered that. i'll have to balance school, as well as a full time job. but i could easily care for just 2 snakes like i just said.. would getting a female clown now and have her big and ready for breeding whenever i want be a good idea? i dont exactly have to breed right when she's ready, that would save me some time also, since i already know the projects i'm going to be getting into

If I were you, I would go for the CB-70 size rack. I would probably get the 3 or 4 slot rack, as you don't need a huge 6 one just yet. It will just tempt you to get a lot more, trust me. lol
The one you linked originally is a 32qt, which is good for adult males, but females tend to get bigger and should be in a 41qt/CB70 size.

If you know you want to work with the clown gene, and have the money this year, getting a hatchling is definitely not a bad idea. They can easily breed at 5-6 years old, and you'll still have many many years after that (15ish) to enjoy them.

You could get the 32qt now, but know you will need to get a CB70 size once they hit 1000-1500g or so.

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Originally Posted by RoseyReps

If I were you, I would go for the CB-70 size rack. I would probably get the 3 or 4 slot rack, as you don't need a huge 6 one just yet. It will just tempt you to get a lot more, trust me. lol
The one you linked originally is a 32qt, which is good for adult males, but females tend to get bigger and should be in a 41qt/CB70 size.

If you know you want to work with the clown gene, and have the money this year, getting a hatchling is definitely not a bad idea. They can easily breed at 5-6 years old, and you'll still have many many years after that (15ish) to enjoy them.

You could get the 32qt now, but know you will need to get a CB70 size once they hit 1000-1500g or so.

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u sure i should get only 3-4? i was thinking about a 7 slot one, just to be safe. wat do u think? just don't wanna regret getting one too small

If you have the money for a 7 slot CB70, go for it. I was just trying to save you space/money up front for the 2-3 you might have now. Just be warned, tubs have a way of filling up ;)

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Originally Posted by RoseyReps

If you have the money for a 7 slot CB70, go for it. I was just trying to save you space/money up front for the 2-3 you might have now. Just be warned, tubs have a way of filling up ;)

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money prob wont be too much of an issue atm. but space might be! would a 7 slot take tons of space and be hard to move?

It will be much taller than a 3-4 slot, but it takes up the same floor space. The pvc racks aren't hard to move, I would suggest though if you get a 7+ stack to add castors to the bottom so it's a bit easier to move around. They are WAY lighter than any wooden racks for sure!

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Originally Posted by RoseyReps

It will be much taller than a 3-4 slot, but it takes up the same floor space. The pvc racks aren't hard to move, I would suggest though if you get a 7+ stack to add castors to the bottom so it's a bit easier to move around. They are WAY lighter than any wooden racks for sure!

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is that too many though? i don't wanna be stuck with too many tubs, or too little! haha. how many would you get in my situation?

In your situation with only two snakes, I wouldn't buy a rack at all. I would keep 2 separate bins on a single strip of flexwatt, ran with a Herpstat. Get velcro and glue it on the lid and tub to hold the lid on, and/or binder clips so that they are 100% escape proof.

If you buy a rack now, you're going to be paying to heat all of those empty tubs for 3-4 years. That will REALLY add up. Unless AP racks come with individually wired shelves, but I don't believe they do.

I'd love to be able to have afforded a clown in hs. Heck I can't even afford one now and I make a pretty decent paycheck! God it sucks to grow up sometimes.

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Originally Posted by kevinb

I'd love to be able to have afforded a clown in hs. Heck I can't even afford one now and I make a pretty decent paycheck! God it sucks to grow up sometimes.

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Growing up sucks! Biggest thing to remember when your in highschool living with your parents money is easy to come by specially if your working with no bills. Once you get on your own all of a sudden you notice that a grand doesn't go that far and you need to follow set budgets or your gonna fail. So op have fun with what you have an remember once your on your own the world becomes little more real an in the beginning it's hard to pay for everything. I've been on own for six years and I just got financially set enough to grow my collection in last year and start to think about breeding next year, and that's making 1500 a month

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Originally Posted by carlson

Growing up sucks! Biggest thing to remember when your in highschool living with your parents money is easy to come by specially if your working with no bills. Once you get on your own all of a sudden you notice that a grand doesn't go that far and you need to follow set budgets or your gonna fail. So op have fun with what you have an remember once your on your own the world becomes little more real an in the beginning it's hard to pay for everything. I've been on own for six years and I just got financially set enough to grow my collection in last year and start to think about breeding next year, and that's making 1500 a month

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True that. I make about 1300 a month and its hard. Of course I have unneeded bills from being stupid but I'm finally getting those paid off. Things get real when your not under mommy and daddy's roof anymore. Words of wisdom.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

In your situation with only two snakes, I wouldn't buy a rack at all. I would keep 2 separate bins on a single strip of flexwatt, ran with a Herpstat. Get velcro and glue it on the lid and tub to hold the lid on, and/or binder clips so that they are 100% escape proof.

If you buy a rack now, you're going to be paying to heat all of those empty tubs for 3-4 years. That will REALLY add up. Unless AP racks come with individually wired shelves, but I don't believe they do.

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how about if i get a 3 or 4 tub rack?

i also found this one from reptile basics:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/iris-sw...y-or-back-heat

The 3 tub would be good for you not too much empty tubs to tempt you. But i believe that rack will be too small for adult females don't quote me I built my own but I use 41 quart tubs for females and that says they are 30 point something quart. You can always build your own for alot cheaper like lots cheaper

You could, but I don't see the point if you'r eonly going to have 2 snakes for the next couple of years. SOunds like you're planning on getting more snakes ;)

Those boxes are too small for a female ball python, though.

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

You could, but I don't see the point if you'r eonly going to have 2 snakes for the next couple of years. SOunds like you're planning on getting more snakes ;)

Those boxes are too small for a female ball python, though.

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How about the 4 tub CB70 from Animal Plastics? Decent price @ $260. And I might plan on getting more, we'll have to see how things go :D
Also with the racks I plan on getting a Herpestat 1

I dont see why you feel the need to jump into buying a rack at all. As a previous poster said, go with tubs, their cheap, easy to move and since you will only have two snakes there is no reason for a whole rack. I also say this because there is a lot of I likely will, I should have, kind of stuff going on with your posts. You likely will have an apartment or a duplex, ok, well what if you dont and you live in the dorms, where they do not allow snakes. I dont want to discourage you, but as others said a lot will be changing in your life in the next few years. You also said you just got your first BP two weeks ago, how are you keeping her, are your temps ok, what kind of cage is she in, two weeks is NO experience at all, and you jump into talking about breeding. How about you get your second snake, shelf the breeding thing for a few years, and learn to care for and enjoy the snakes you have, learn everything you can about them. So that if or when the time comes that you want to breed you will know what you are doing. Jumping into such a huge responsibility a couple years before going to college might not be the best idea. And again, with hatchlings, the earliest you could breed would be in two years, wait, learn, make sure this is really something you want to do and can manage while attending school, and working full time.

Just as a quick example, my electric bill should be no more than 40€ a month, with my snakes and my monitor my electric bill is 120€ a month, thats like 170$ a month, just electric, now add about 20-30 plus € a week for feeders, depending on who is or isn't eating, and the hour plus every two days I spend in my snake room cleaning, changing water, all this, and I have what I consider a small collection. And I will tell you there is such a thing as 'empty bin syndrome' you will always want to add something more and fill those empty slots. I say take it slow, go with what you got, and when you are in college, about the time you would be able to breed, see if its really something you can manage.

Sorry, I know I likely repeated myself multiple times here, just something I always do.

To add on to what eatgoodfood said,

I am a college student at the end of my college years (senior) and I have lived in an apartment the whole time. When I first started to have to pay rent and bills it was a transition, your whole perspective on your wallet and what you can buy changes. And depending on where you live, rent can be expensive, mine is $900 for a one bedroom not including utilities (it gets close to $1000 when you factor those in). Plus, electricity will cost you extra, my electric bill jumped about $8 (keep in mind I only one two snakes and no rack system). Space wise, don't assume you will have enough, the more spacious the apartment, the more expensive the rent. Everyone wants that big apartment, but there are only so many to go around. Before breeding I would at least start looking around at apartments and seeing the prices, ask about utility bills, etc. Furthermore, not all landlords will allow you to keep snakes, I have yet to come across any law that says landlords have to let you..... point being, don't assume anything when it comes to apartments.

On the university end, it is nothing like high school, high school was child's play. Professors expect you to turn things in on time, be there for tests/presentations, and the assignments in general are a lot more time consuming. Adding to that, many professors don't care if your snakes are sick/dying they expect you to preform all the same. I just want you to be aware how time consuming college can be, I juggle college and my snakes fine, but I don't have much of a social life (the price I willingly pay).

I'm not trying to be discouraging, I just want you to be fully aware to what you are getting into.

If you guys read back on page one, he already stated he would wait to breed.

That being said, I think if he is willing to wait, but wants to have 2 snakes while going into university, a rack is a good idea. They are a heck of a lot easier to deal with than single tubs (the lids get irritating when you just want to check on them) and also IMO, leave less opportunity for error/escape. You don't have to worry about if you put enough clips on, did you remember to clip back after changing that water etc.

As far as space, you can't get much more space efficient than a rack. Hell, a 3x cb70 can double as a night stand in a pinch.

I agree with a rack. It looks neater than having tubs just sitting out and I found it way better to keep temps regulated with the flexiwatt and a thermostat. The lids too were a pain at feeding times.
Don't get a rack with too many empty slots that you don't plan on filling soon. Empty rack syndrome is no myth lol.

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Originally Posted by Michelle Tonkinson

I agree with a rack. It looks neater than having tubs just sitting out and I found it way better to keep temps regulated with the flexiwatt and a thermostat. The lids too were a pain at feeding times.
Don't get a rack with too many empty slots that you don't plan on filling soon. Empty rack syndrome is no myth lol.

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if you get me, would you get the 3 or 4 tubs?

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Originally Posted by tomjones456

if you get me, would you get the 3 or 4 tubs?

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I got a 4 slot rack for my adult females. I currently just have the one female in there but I have a white diamond and a gargoyle that will go in there when they bigger and someday a pastel pied. I kinda thought about how much I can handle down the line as far as breeding goes. Right now the younger ones are in a 16/32 5 slot rack.
I would gauge it on what you can afford now and in the future. Rat pups cost me .90 but medium rats are 2.25 which I think is a really good price but try x's that by the number of snakes you have and then by the number of feedings in a month....it adds up quickly.

Patience!

Maybe pick up a few females this year.

Enjoy raising them up and pick up a nice male or 2 next year.

Ball python/reptile breeding has been a great hobby for me. Keep it fun!

IMO Females need to be 3 1/2 years old to breed. Plenty people breed them younger though.

Definately recommend a rack system for keeping multiple ball pythons.

Just a little bit of my 2 cents. LOL Staying involed on forums like this has also been a big part of my hobby.

lol $1000 a month won't get you very far the second you move out...most of that will be your rent alone

If ur gonna have two recessive girls that are hatchlings, i would go for a 4 tub rack, and raise up the two girls for the next two years. Once they are 2.5 years old, start shopping for one or two double gene males that are het for clown or albino. Once the male is old enough, the females should be ready....then youll have some sweet projects :D Two pair should be manageable enough for you. Good luck!

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