Ball Python Pricing for non breeders

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.

I'm new to this is well so my input should be taken very lightly, but I would say that your price breaks are going to come with males more than females, and as people don't spay or neuter snakes they will probably always be priced to breed

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welcome to the forum!

a female Desert (not to be confused with Desert Ghost) ball python morph will (well, should) always be sold as "Pet Only" as they have life-threatening fertility issues and are not to be bred. there's a really pretty Desert Pinstripe up on Morph Market for $150 from a very reputable breeder. :)

I’m starting to see that... also I’m starting to understand all the different 1-4 gene animals and it’s frustrating lol.. I look at all these animals think that they are beautiful and I would love to have one to look at while home but I can’t justify paying 1-4K for a snake just to sit in a tank lol. It’s utterly frustrating 😢😢

That’s a very nice looking snake!

I have 3 bp's
My normal (also my first) was purchased at local pet store for $100
Female Spider was purchased for $80
Male Banana Mojave purchased for $150
I dont have a good picture of my Spider yet but these are my other 2 and i think theyre gorgeous!!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f9b2632db0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a8bb116eab.jpg

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Beautiful banana Mojave! I personally love the silvery look of the axanthic lines!

I don't breed or sell snakes, so consider that when reading my reply.

I've read a little, but not much, about breeding and selling snakes. The simple answer is that it comes down to basic supply and demand. There is a high demand for 3 and 4 gene animals, which drives the price up. Even some single gene animals that are in high demand are going to be more expensive.

With the thousands of possibilities out there, I'm sure you can find plenty of single and 2 gene animals in your price range that you like.

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 .

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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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:

😂😂😂 you know I thought about people doing that. I realized that there is no way to really monitor that for real.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

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:

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:8::rofl:

You’re absolutely correct! That’s 100 percent truth. I would love to own a snake but the ones I like I can’t come to grips with spending thousands of dollars for a snake that’s going to spend 60 percent it’s time in a hide and it only comes out at night lol. Just doesnt make sense to me lol. But hopefully I’ll see a price friendly beauty that I like and will be happy with for the next 30 years god willing. But I really do appreciate your insight And time

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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.

---

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. 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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Because one, three, five years down the line you might change your mind and decide to breed (*lots* of us started out as pet owners then decided to try our hand at breeding) or you decide reptile keeping isn't for you and sell it to someone. There is no way to guarantee an animal will be a 'pet only' since, as others have stated, we do not spay/neuter them.

Also some morphs are priced higher because of how difficult it can be to produce. Some multi gene animals, especially multi recessives, take years and years (and years) to breed to produce as the odds for hitting a specific combo of genes out of a comparatively small amount of eggs can get really high (as in 1/32 chance, 1/64, 1/128, 1/256 chance that a baby will express the genetic combo you are going after.).

I have 'pet only' snakes, some a breeder friend gave to me because of a defect and my promise not to breed (they have enough trust in me) but most I paid regular price for.

You consider yourself 'broke' so my suggestion is to focus on getting the best equipment you can for your future pet, caging, thermostats, etc can be very expensive. All the while keeping your eye out, you may find a combo that you like and is more affordable similar to whatever ones you're looking at now that are too expensive. Maybe join a local reptile society if you have one, make some contacts and maybe you'll find some good deals (on animals and equipment). I wish you the best of luck!!

EXACTLY! I don’t really care for the Het......etc

for me i really want an Axanthic Pied, I see Axanthics for 1-400 and I see Pieds for 2-400, so I thought maybe a mix morph of that would be 9-1100. That I don’t mind but people are talking 2-5k. Now after me watching YouTube breeders and I see them talking about odds odds odds. So now I’m understanding some type of inflation and the breeders are the ones investing their time and emotions and money. So now I’m just like I want nice visual but I can’t afford it lol.

I have all of the equipment. I just don’t have the snake lol. And maybe broke was the wrong choice of words, I was just jokingly saying I can’t see myself paying that much for a snake. But I understand what you’re saying! Ill just keep checking.

How do I find groups in my area? Is there a way to do that on this website?

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

welcome to the forum!

a female Desert (not to be confused with Desert Ghost) ball python morph will (well, should) always be sold as "Pet Only" as they have life-threatening fertility issues and are not to be bred. there's a really pretty Desert Pinstripe up on Morph Market for $150 from a very reputable breeder. :)

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I never knew that that’s good to know is it both male and female deserts that have this issue ?


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Most breakers will work on the price with you . I’m in the same boat though I want a female banana clown but they are 1500 range and I can’t justify that . Toss in leopard and that’s my dream snake


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Originally Posted by buck_50

EXACTLY! I don’t really care for the Het......etc

for me i really want an Axanthic Pied, I see Axanthics for 1-400 and I see Pieds for 2-400, so I thought maybe a mix morph of that would be 9-1100. That I don’t mind but people are talking 2-5k. Now after me watching YouTube breeders and I see them talking about odds odds odds. So now I’m understanding some type of inflation and the breeders are the ones investing their time and emotions and money. So now I’m just like I want nice visual but I can’t afford it lol.

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My daughter is very new to ball pythons, but in the past year she and I have learned quite a bit from this forum and my daughter has taught me quite a bit about genetics. Others will correct me if I'm wrong, but your desire for an Axanthic Pied illustrates one factor that affects pricing of Ball Pythons. That is the difference in pricing between BPs with recessive as opposed to dominant/co-dominant genes.

Axantic and Pied are both recessive genes, so in order to produce an Axanthic Pied you must breed a male with the Axanthic and Pied gene to a female with the Axanthic and Pied gene. If either the male or female is 100% Het Axanthic Pied, only 50% of the babies will be Axanthic Pied. If both the male or female are 100% Het Axanthic Pied, only 25% of the babies will be Axanthic Pied. And if both are 100% Het Axanthic and 100% Het Pied, only 6% of the babies will be Axanthic Pied.

So... you can see why a Het Axanthic BP would cost less than an Axanthic BP. One Axanthic gene vs. two Axanthic genes.

Just something to keep in mind as you're trying to make sense of BP pricing.

Hope you find what you're looking for... And check out Ultramel... they are my current favorite and there is a very pretty 2014 Ultramel on Morphmarket for $300 eating F/T rats...

Buy a snake you can afford now and wait 5 years and you'll see the prices of the new morphs go down. I got a banana ball python 9 months ago for $300, but ask around here how much a banana ball was 7 years ago.

How much were they?

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Originally Posted by Russtix

I have 3 bp's
My normal (also my first) was purchased at local pet store for $100
Female Spider was purchased for $80
Male Banana Mojave purchased for $150
I dont have a good picture of my Spider yet but these are my other 2 and i think theyre gorgeous!!https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...f9b2632db0.jpg

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wow! that's a very cool "normal" BP!

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Originally Posted by buck_50

You’re absolutely correct! That’s 100 percent truth. I would love to own a snake but the ones I like I can’t come to grips with spending thousands of dollars for a snake that’s going to spend 60 percent it’s time in a hide and it only comes out at night lol. Just doesnt make sense to me lol. But hopefully I’ll see a price friendly beauty that I like and will be happy with for the next 30 years god willing. But I really do appreciate your insight And time

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i think the other peeps covered everything. but i wanna highlight what u said here. a BP might not be the best choice for u regardless of the $$$ u are willing to spend if u really want a nice display animal. u could consider other species.

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Originally Posted by buck_50

I’m starting to see that... also I’m starting to understand all the different 1-4 gene animals and it’s frustrating lol.. I look at all these animals think that they are beautiful and I would love to have one to look at while home but I can’t justify paying 1-4K for a snake just to sit in a tank lol. It’s utterly frustrating 😢😢

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Well you can always enjoy a "normal" pet & put up a few posters of whatever eye-candy you choose. To be honest, you don't have to worry about any negative
genetic issues that way, & over the years whatever fancy snake you'd have blown big bucks on becomes sorta "routine" anyway. I think our eyes always crave
the new & visually different, whether it's pets, clothing, cars, food, vacation scenery... and it doesn't hurt to remember that the natural world does not favor the
extremes either. Normals are the survivors! They rock, as far as I'm concerned.

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Originally Posted by buck_50

How much were they?

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here's a little history someone wrote up about banana/coral glow that talks about how high it was priced when it first came out - http://www.geneticdreams.net/2016/11...wbanana-story/

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Originally Posted by Ax01

wow! that's a very cool "normal"

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Thank you!!! (S)He was our first and still my favorite. Absolutely perfect personality, easy to handle, eats like a pig. I assume it's a normal but beautiful none the less!

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Originally Posted by Russtix

I have 3 bp's
My normal (also my first) was purchased at local pet store for $100
Female Spider was purchased for $80
Male Banana Mojave purchased for $150
I dont have a good picture of my Spider yet but these are my other 2 and i think theyre gorgeous!!https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...f9b2632db0.jpg

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Originally Posted by Ax01

wow! that's a very cool "normal" BP!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Russtix

Thank you!!! (S)He was our first and still my favorite. Absolutely perfect personality, easy to handle, eats like a pig. I assume it's a normal but beautiful none the less!

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looks kinda like a Mystic/Phantom Spotnose to me. and a lil something extra. it's definitely dinker worthy. heck, it might be the Baby gene!

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Originally Posted by Ax01

looks kinda like a Mystic/Phantom Spotnose to me. and a lil something extra. it's definitely dinker worthy. heck, it might be the Baby gene!

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They had it listed it as a short nose ball, but i was unaware there were morphs when we got it so i guess i just associated him with normals lol. Now Im curious, ill try and get some good pictures in better lighting. My wifes googling it now, thanks for this!!

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Originally Posted by Ax01

looks kinda like a Mystic/Phantom Spotnose to me. and a lil something extra. it's definitely dinker worthy. heck, it might be the Baby gene!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Russtix

They had it listed it as a short nose ball, but i was unaware there were morphs when we got it so i guess i just associated him with normals lol. Now Im curious, ill try and get some good pictures in better lighting. My wifes googling it now, thanks for this!!

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ok i would assume that "short nose ball" was probably a typo and it's at least a Spotnose. :gj:

Edit: is it possible to f/u w/ the store or their breeder to find out?

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Originally Posted by Ax01

ok i would assume that "short nose ball" was probably a typo and it's at least a Spotnose. :gj:

Edit: is it possible to f/u w/ the store or their breeder to find out?

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Yeah ill go ask tomorrow. I know that they didnt know the sex, i believe a lot of their snakes are "rescues" and rehomes, but (s)he is definitely young, i think 125+ grams at last weigh in 2 weeks ago. Super excited just for the mystery of it!!

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I think you need to go back to school for basic economics.
Lol

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

I think you need to go back to school for basic economics.
Lol

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oh snap! lol!

YEA.... No.

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

I have 'pet only' snakes, some a breeder friend gave to me because of a defect and my promise not to breed (they have enough trust in me) but most I paid regular price for.

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April brings up a good point. Once you establish a good reputation and become known to breeders, you can often get critters with a kink or some other defect that makes them unsuitable for breeding for a pittance, and they can survive perfectly well as pets.

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

I have 'pet only' snakes, some a breeder friend gave to me because of a defect and my promise not to breed (they have enough trust in me) but most I paid regular price for.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

April brings up a good point. Once you establish a good reputation and become known to breeders, you can often get critters with a kink or some other defect that makes them unsuitable for breeding for a pittance, and they can survive perfectly well as pets.

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please pass along to all your breeder friends that i will take in and care for all gimped Panda's and Urban Camo's.

You might also want to take a look at Ball Pythons for sale on Craigslist.

Many people start hobbies without realizing the ongoing investment, both time and money, that is required. Where I live there are always people on Craigslist looking to rehome their BPs.

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Originally Posted by larryd23

You might also want to take a look at Ball Pythons for sale on Craigslist.

Many people start hobbies without realizing the ongoing investment, both time and money, that is required. Where I live there are always people on Craigslist looking to rehome their BPs.

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These can be a gamble though, as many didn't have correct husbandry. You also find people who think that their normal male is worth $100 because that's what they paid for it at the big box pet store.

Yeah, hey I literally read these 4 pages to tell you that
on page 1, I strongly strongly feel like you're definitely
an owner of a spotnose! That's a pretty damn amazing
deal considering the pet store here about 3-4 years ago
tried to sell me a normal with a recessive shed stuck on
it as a "Spotnose het Scaleless"......I didn't even know
genetics like I do now, completely ignorant...but when
someone is trying to tell me they have a 50k morph (at
the time) I am not going to believe them. This world....

And with that said, network heavily with herpetologists
and avoid pet stores at all costs; get supplies from them
if you don't use the internet and sell your non-holdback
offspring to them wholesale. You got lucky with a store.

Pertaining to the paid investment for a pet rock/inactive
pet comment, do more research and stay away from this
hobby until you're absolutely sure about it. Listen, I used
to have a lot of crazy ball pythons, a hypo group with my
amazing Super Pastel Huffman het Hypo from Ben Renick
himself, a horde of het Pied combo females ready for nice
stud, my own african dinkers; & my dream of hypo clown.
I had a very nice fire dbl het hypo clown waiting for those
girls..oh man..my shattered dreams, I lost it all in October.

Every single day since then it's nearly all I ever think about.
Being focused on current and new hobbies has helped and
been absolutely essential, and discovering the world of boa
constrictors has a life saver. I have never had another snake
besides a ball python before, so wow, I was surprised in lots
of ways with boas. It's such a lividly refreshing world to be.

The ease of feeding....the lack of stress.......the inquisitive
nature, and bold personality of boas was so refreshing, it's
a bit to take in. You can actually handle them and they aren't
all tight and or pissed off about it, they don't come in nearly
as many paint-jobs as ball pythons do, but the variety is very
nice and you notice a lot of similar genetics at play. I don't
know a lot about boa genetics at all, but I've been obsessed
with ball python genetics for about 5 years now, and WOW
it's like I am falling in love all over again when I was starting
to get bored with the current spread of known ball genes...
there's new stuff often I know, but I'm BROWSING DAILY
soaking it all up, so yeah I can get bored and burnt out fast.

But with boas, it's like an entirely new experience and learning
about them everyday now is such a pleasure, it's why I'm on
BP-net actually, to learn more about all of the boa genetics...

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Okay now with all of this said, I still love ball pythons a ton
and I will always have my hypo clown dinker dreams....but
I just can't pursue that dream until a handful of years now
that I was lividly set back...THE WAY THAT I SEE ROYAL
PYTHONS IS they're literally a pet rock, like everyone wants
to joke about in the reptile community; but I see it in the way
jewelers make a lot of money. They're absolutely beautiful
and breathtaking, but I don't feel like pulling them out and
handling them, letting them lay on me as I watch television,
handling them for love and affection....yeah..your ball python
doesn't want any of that!! Never ever!! Go get a boa if you're
just wanting to spoon and cuddle your pet snake!! Ball pythons
are beautiful solitary creatures that live out hidden nomadic
lives - they camp in rodent dens and termite mounds for weeks
at a time if need be, silently, waiting for something to walk by.
It strikes, it poops, it sheds; it then finally goes to the next den.

This is why the ball python does not mind being kept in a tub,
and why it stays in it's hide mostly - in it's brain it's waiting for
that meal in living bio-trap mode, in my opinion for the record.

TL;DR - ball pythons are stunning pet rocks, literal living gems,
people are frantic and passionate over breeding them for their
colors and patterns - not for their handling and or entertainment
purposes......boa constrictors on the other hand are more like
a dog and want to be handled and want to be out with humans.

Breed the look noodles for looking and the hold noodles for holding IMO

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigbellyboa

Yeah, hey I literally read these 4 pages to tell you that
on page 1, I strongly strongly feel like you're definitely
an owner of a spotnose! That's a pretty damn amazing
deal considering the pet store here about 3-4 years ago
tried to sell me a normal with a recessive shed stuck on
it as a "Spotnose het Scaleless"......I didn't even know
genetics like I do now, completely ignorant...but when
someone is trying to tell me they have a 50k morph (at
the time) I am not going to believe them. This world....

And with that said, network heavily with herpetologists
and avoid pet stores at all costs; get supplies from them
if you don't use the internet and sell your non-holdback
offspring to them wholesale. You got lucky with a store.

Pertaining to the paid investment for a pet rock/inactive
pet comment, do more research and stay away from this
hobby until you're absolutely sure about it. Listen, I used
to have a lot of crazy ball pythons, a hypo group with my
amazing Super Pastel Huffman het Hypo from Ben Renick
himself, a horde of het Pied combo females ready for nice
stud, my own african dinkers; & my dream of hypo clown.
I had a very nice fire dbl het hypo clown waiting for those
girls..oh man..my shattered dreams, I lost it all in October.

Every single day since then it's nearly all I ever think about.
Being focused on current and new hobbies has helped and
been absolutely essential, and discovering the world of boa
constrictors has a life saver. I have never had another snake
besides a ball python before, so wow, I was surprised in lots
of ways with boas. It's such a lividly refreshing world to be.

The ease of feeding....the lack of stress.......the inquisitive
nature, and bold personality of boas was so refreshing, it's
a bit to take in. You can actually handle them and they aren't
all tight and or pissed off about it, they don't come in nearly
as many paint-jobs as ball pythons do, but the variety is very
nice and you notice a lot of similar genetics at play. I don't
know a lot about boa genetics at all, but I've been obsessed
with ball python genetics for about 5 years now, and WOW
it's like I am falling in love all over again when I was starting
to get bored with the current spread of known ball genes...
there's new stuff often I know, but I'm BROWSING DAILY
soaking it all up, so yeah I can get bored and burnt out fast.

But with boas, it's like an entirely new experience and learning
about them everyday now is such a pleasure, it's why I'm on
BP-net actually, to learn more about all of the boa genetics...

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Okay now with all of this said, I still love ball pythons a ton
and I will always have my hypo clown dinker dreams....but
I just can't pursue that dream until a handful of years now
that I was lividly set back...THE WAY THAT I SEE ROYAL
PYTHONS IS they're literally a pet rock, like everyone wants
to joke about in the reptile community; but I see it in the way
jewelers make a lot of money. They're absolutely beautiful
and breathtaking, but I don't feel like pulling them out and
handling them, letting them lay on me as I watch television,
handling them for love and affection....yeah..your ball python
doesn't want any of that!! Never ever!! Go get a boa if you're
just wanting to spoon and cuddle your pet snake!! Ball pythons
are beautiful solitary creatures that live out hidden nomadic
lives - they camp in rodent dens and termite mounds for weeks
at a time if need be, silently, waiting for something to walk by.
It strikes, it poops, it sheds; it then finally goes to the next den.

This is why the ball python does not mind being kept in a tub,
and why it stays in it's hide mostly - in it's brain it's waiting for
that meal in living bio-trap mode, in my opinion for the record.

TL;DR - ball pythons are stunning pet rocks, literal living gems,
people are frantic and passionate over breeding them for their
colors and patterns - not for their handling and or entertainment
purposes......boa constrictors on the other hand are more like
a dog and want to be handled and want to be out with humans.

Breed the look noodles for looking and the hold noodles for holding IMO

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this is an wonderful post of an epic wall of text. thank u for the TL; DR!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by larryd23

My daughter is very new to ball pythons, but in the past year she and I have learned quite a bit from this forum and my daughter has taught me quite a bit about genetics. Others will correct me if I'm wrong, but your desire for an Axanthic Pied illustrates one factor that affects pricing of Ball Pythons. That is the difference in pricing between BPs with recessive as opposed to dominant/co-dominant genes.

Axantic and Pied are both recessive genes, so in order to produce an Axanthic Pied you must breed a male with the Axanthic and Pied gene to a female with the Axanthic and Pied gene. If either the male or female is 100% Het Axanthic Pied, only 50% of the babies will be Axanthic Pied. If both the male or female are 100% Het Axanthic Pied, only 25% of the babies will be Axanthic Pied. And if both are 100% Het Axanthic and 100% Het Pied, only 6% of the babies will be Axanthic Pied.

So... you can see why a Het Axanthic BP would cost less than an Axanthic BP. One Axanthic gene vs. two Axanthic genes.

Just something to keep in mind as you're trying to make sense of BP pricing.

Hope you find what you're looking for... And check out Ultramel... they are my current favorite and there is a very pretty 2014 Ultramel on Morphmarket for $300 eating F/T rats...

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So.... I’m buying an Axanthic VPI het for Pied, what should my female be for the best odds at getting an axanthic pied? Should they be double het?


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