Complete my project

I have 2.1 albino pied and .2 albino het pied right now. I want to pick up two more females over the next couple of weeks. What two females would y’all pick up to add to this group?

I think it would be interesting if I could get your guys top two higher end females ($1000 ea) and top two lower end females

What is the end-goal of your project?

If it was me and I already had a bunch of Albino Pieds: I would probably add Tri-Stripe to the combo.

Honestly, I don't have a direction. I wanted to produce some Albino Pied, and think I have that covered. I'm looking to add 2 more females, but every combo I see I easily fall in love with. I like them all and am alittle overwhelmed. I was just wondering if with the group I have now , what everyone thought they would add to stay relevant and marketable?

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Originally Posted by Mikeshrews1

Honestly, I don't have a direction. I wanted to produce some Albino Pied, and think I have that covered. I'm looking to add 2 more females, but every combo I see I easily fall in love with. I like them all and am alittle overwhelmed. I was just wondering if with the group I have now , what everyone thought they would add to stay relevant and marketable?

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With no direction, why do you want to breed?

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

With no direction, why do you want to breed?

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First off why do I need a direction? Because you say I do? Second I did have a direction: Albino Pied which I now have covered. Now I was looking for suggestions on what others might add. Insight is supposed to be what these types of forums are for. If I wanted condescending questions, I'd ask a facebook group. Suggestions, help, and insight are what drives the hobby forward. Your type of questions are what kill peoples budding passion. I guess you've never been talking with a friend and said "ya know I'm not sure what i'm going to pair up with her yet"

Edit:
I know I'm being pissy here, but dude, I asked a simple question. This should have been a fun thread with people throwing out hypothetical "I'd add this" suggestions.

Ball python breeding is an incredibly over saturated market as it is. What’s “in” or “relevant” right now might not be profitable in a year or two. No one’s trying to be a buzz kill. Just asking you realistic questions about your motivation behind breeding these animals.

The real answer to your question is this: breed animals that interest you and bring you joy and that you will be invested in caring for for 20-30yrs in the event that you are unable to sell/place/home them.

Your statements of no direction, interested in every combo you see, overwhelmed are things we see here all the time and are often red flags to be honest. Those of us on these forums that really care about keeping and providing for these animals are not going to sugar coat our answers for the palatability of those that are asking.


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I've been growing up the ones I have for 2.5 years (females). I thought I could ask a simple "hey what would you guys do?"

Red flags of what exactly?

I didin't say profitability, I said marketability. Not considering marketability is irresponsible breeding

So your telling me that if your talking with your friend and you tell them " yeah I've got these 3 nice females and two males and I want to add a couple more females, but there are so many combinations, I just can't decide, what do you think".......... your friend should call the aspca, because you have no direction and are overwhelmed with all the options

I'm sure all of you do homes visits before you sell hatchlings to anyone, to make sure everything is perfect

*On a side note: Are we all supposed to be working right now, but really just online talking snakes?

Cool it dude.

Following the demands of a market when getting started vs following your passion is a good way to burn out quick. I’ve been keeping reptiles for a quarter of a century and have seen it happen all around me countless times.

We’re just asking you to consider why YOU want to do this. Given your hostility to our constructive questions/responses, how likely are you to follow suggestions as to new animals?

Best of luck.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mikeshrews1

First off why do I need a direction? Because you say I do? Second I did have a direction: Albino Pied which I now have covered. Now I was looking for suggestions on what others might add. Insight is supposed to be what these types of forums are for. If I wanted condescending questions, I'd ask a facebook group. Suggestions, help, and insight are what drives the hobby forward. Your type of questions are what kill peoples budding passion. I guess you've never been talking with a friend and said "ya know I'm not sure what i'm going to pair up with her yet"

Edit:
I know I'm being pissy here, but dude, I asked a simple question. This should have been a fun thread with people throwing out hypothetical "I'd add this" suggestions.

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Wow, talk about turning a simple question into an issue.

Nope, you don't need a direction because I said so. But you SHOULD have a direction since these are living animals and not Pokemon collectables that you collect while it's fun then throw in a closet.

And now you're contradicting yourself, first saying you don't have a direction, now saying you do....

I'm sorry you find my question to be condescending, but a mature adult would have understood that it's actually a FANTASTIC question.

If you allow one little question to derail your "budding passion" that's on you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mikeshrews1

I've been growing up the ones I have for 2.5 years (females). I thought I could ask a simple "hey what would you guys do?"

Red flags of what exactly?

I didin't say profitability, I said marketability. Not considering marketability is irresponsible breeding

So your telling me that if your talking with your friend and you tell them " yeah I've got these 3 nice females and two males and I want to add a couple more females, but there are so many combinations, I just can't decide, what do you think".......... your friend should call the aspca, because you have no direction and are overwhelmed with all the options

I'm sure all of you do homes visits before you sell hatchlings to anyone, to make sure everything is perfect

*On a side note: Are we all supposed to be working right now, but really just online talking snakes?

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Now you're just being ridiculous. Nobody said anything about calling ASPCA, nobody said anything about home visits.

And here's the best part....you still haven't answered my question, WHY do you want to breed. If you can't answer that question, you shouldn't be breeding.

And as jmcrook mentioned, the BP market is ridiculously over saturated. There are over 15,500 ball pythons for sale just on morohmarket right now, that's just one sales platform. As a breeder with no reputation it may be extremely difficult to sell your animals. Are you prepared to keep all 6 or 8 babies?
Are you prepared to cull babies with birth defects? Are you qualified to determine if a defect is life threatening?

All things to think about....and then maybe you'll be able to answer a simple question....

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

Wow, talk about turning a simple question into an issue.

Nope, you don't need a direction because I said so. But you SHOULD have a direction since these are living animals and not Pokemon collectables that you collect while it's fun then throw in a closet.

And now you're contradicting yourself, first saying you don't have a direction, now saying you do....

I'm sorry you find my question to be condescending, but a mature adult would have understood that it's actually a FANTASTIC question.

If you allow one little question to derail your "budding passion" that's on you.



Now you're just being ridiculous. Nobody said anything about calling ASPCA, nobody said anything about home visits.

And here's the best part....you still haven't answered my question, WHY do you want to breed. If you can't answer that question, you shouldn't be breeding.

And as jmcrook mentioned, the BP market is ridiculously over saturated. There are over 15,500 ball pythons for sale just on morohmarket right now, that's just one sales platform. As a breeder with no reputation it may be extremely difficult to sell your animals. Are you prepared to keep all 6 or 8 babies?
Are you prepared to cull babies with birth defects? Are you qualified to determine if a defect is life threatening?

All things to think about....and then maybe you'll be able to answer a simple question....

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I'm being ridiculous? You guys are the ones asking me to explain my passion with a full report. I was 100% honest from the beginning. I had 3 females and two males. I'd like to have a 3 female to 1 male ratio and add a couple females but am having a hard time finalizing my last females. should I just try for a bunch of albino pieds or is there something I'm missing that I might not even know about? It seems like a very fair and innocent question. You guys turned it into an interview to see if I was even worthy of breeding 5 female ball pythons.

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Originally Posted by Mikeshrews1

I'm being ridiculous? You guys are the ones asking me to explain my passion with a full report. I was 100% honest from the beginning. I had 3 females and two males. I'd like to have a 3 female to 1 male ratio and add a couple females but am having a hard time finalizing my last females. should I just try for a bunch of albino pieds or is there something I'm missing that I might not even know about? It seems like a very fair and innocent question. You guys turned it into an interview to see if I was even worthy of breeding 5 female ball pythons.

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Obviously you can do whatever you want to do. But the fact that you still can't answer my question tells me you'd rather just ignore it. So since I'm basically talking to a wall I will wish you well and move on.

We're a passionate community who's seen animals dumped at pet store doors, dropped in dumpsters, left to die, etc...etc... So when we see people who can't answer WHY they want to breed, yeah, that concerns us.
I'm not saying you're not qualified or passionate, just asked why you want to breed. I didn't discourage it or try to tell you it's a bad idea. I just asked why....

Oh well, hopefully you get the help you want, but when you can't answer question #1 most won't take you seriously or bother to reply.

since you want to see if I'm worthy of your world

I have no close friends and a teenage daughter who just started dating
I've wished I was dead for years
I have wanted a hobby for years, but nothing interested me
I had anxiety and depression so bad I couldnt leave my house for 6 months and almost lost my job, at one point I was in the hospital because I hadn't slept for 3 weeks more than 2 hours a night
Before 3 years ago I was terrified of snakes. I bought my first female on a whim at a reptile show and fell in love
I slowly became addicted to ball pythons and for me they were a miracle
I used to go to bed at 9 at night and now I stay up till 11:00 looking at forums like this one learning as much as I can
I could have tried breeding three years ago, but didn't want to rush into it. So I bought a few snakes slowly over time
My girls will be ready next year so I am trying to prepare
I was just telling my brother that I feel this hobby is an answer to prayer
Since getting into the hobby I’ve had hope and been able to look forward to the future

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Craiga 01453

Obviously you can do whatever you want to do. But the fact that you still can't answer my question tells me you'd rather just ignore it. So since I'm basically talking to a wall I will wish you well and move on.

We're a passionate community who's seen animals dumped at pet store doors, dropped in dumpsters, left to die, etc...etc... So when we see people who can't answer WHY they want to breed, yeah, that concerns us.
I'm not saying you're not qualified or passionate, just asked why you want to breed. I didn't discourage it or try to tell you it's a bad idea. I just asked why....

Oh well, hopefully you get the help you want, but when you can't answer question #1 most won't take you seriously or bother to reply.

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This post made me understand your position a little better

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mikeshrews1

since you want to see if I'm worthy of your world

I have no close friends and a teenage daughter who just started dating
I've wished I was dead for years
I have wanted a hobby for years, but nothing interested me
I had anxiety and depression so bad I couldnt leave my house for 6 months and almost lost my job, at one point I was in the hospital because I hadn't slept for 3 weeks more than 2 hours a night
Before 3 years ago I was terrified of snakes. I bought my first female on a whim at a reptile show and fell in love
I slowly became addicted to ball pythons and for me they were a miracle
I used to go to bed at 9 at night and now I stay up till 11:00 looking at forums like this one learning as much as I can
I could have tried breeding three years ago, but didn't want to rush into it. So I bought a few snakes slowly over time
My girls will be ready next year so I am trying to prepare
I was just telling my brother that I feel this hobby is an answer to prayer
Since getting into the hobby I’ve had hope and been able to look forward to the future

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Ok, nobody asked you to qualify yourself, and I don't have a world, I just live here with everyone else.

Hearing your story and how positive an impact snakes have had on you and your quality of life is awesome. They have the same impact on me. They're my tranquility in an otherwise crazy world.

Since you spilled, I will too...
I got into this hobby over 20 years ago, I love these animals. I unfortunately went down the wrong road years ago and fell into a deep dark drug and alcohol addiction. I rehomed my animals when I knew I couldn't take care of myself, let alone them, who relied solely on me to survive. That was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but in hindsight, one I'm proud of.

Fast forward to a little over 7 years ago...I decided I wanted to live and got clean and sober. Easily the hardest thing I've ever done, but if I hadn't I'd be dead by now.
After some clean time I got back into the hobby and reignited my passion.

Unfortunately, that's not the happy ending. It turns out just getting sober doesn't kill the demons. The depression and anxiety came back ten fold, but this time I couldn't drown everything by self medicating. So I'm currently learning how to "live" again. I was diagnosed bipolar and I'm in the process of working with my doctors to find what works for me. I may also be agoraphobic, so I very rarely leave the house. I lost my job cause I couldn't leave the house to go to work. Unfortunately we're still trying new things, no improvement so far...

I guess I told you all that to show you I'm not on a pedestal worthy of my own world or worthy of you qualifying yourself to me. I'm just passionate about this hobby. You and I are probably a lot alike.

jmcrook mentioned in his reply that we're a passionate bunch and often don't sugar-coat. He's right. We're happy to help, I love helping people enjoy the hobby I love so much. But we've seen hundreds of "what should I breed with my snake?" threads and unfortunately most of those people come and go as the dad passes. Collections go up for sale, animals are abandoned,etc... So that's a topic we tend to maybe be a bit "protective" about.

Please don't mistake our passion for discouragement. We're not trying to discourage you, just hoping you're in this for the right reasons and the animals are your top concern.

Hopefully now that we've both spilled we can move forward and enjoy these amazing animals together.

Ok, all the previous discussion aside.

There are a few things that may interst you depending on the timescale you are envisioning.

Personally, I love dreamsicles - adding lavender albino into your plans is feasable but, obviously, doesn't take account of your albino pieds.

Another long term goal could be clowns.

Or you could go down the co-dom route to add extra genes into the albino pied project - I'm thinking more of leopard, pastel and yellow belly rather than things like spider. Black pastel is also a gene I'd consider for the look alone.

But all these are built around what I like - your tastes may differ greatly. Best possible advice? Head to world of ball pythons and find the combo that totally blows your socks off - then work out what you need to add to get there.

Add you current genes into the search bar and see where others have taken thier albino pied projects.


del

Best of luck, hopefully something beautiful will come from this thread. Peace. I too have some serious health issues (terminally ill). Had kept snakes most my life, I have four now. And they bring me great happiness. I think Craig is a genuinely good guy, just trying to do and advise what’s best.

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

Best of luck, hopefully something beautiful will come from this thread. Peace. I too have some serious health issues (terminally ill). Had kept snakes most my life, I have four now. And they bring me great happiness. I think Craig is a genuinely good guy, just trying to do and advise what’s best.

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Thanks man. I try to be a good guy. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Mikeshrews1

I have 2.1 albino pied and .2 albino het pied right now. I want to pick up two more females over the next couple of weeks. What two females would y’all pick up to add to this group?

I think it would be interesting if I could get your guys top two higher end females ($1000 ea) and top two lower end females

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The two females I would add would be 2-3 co-dom gene and be het for either albino or pied, whichever you would like to make more of. It will add a ton of variety to your clutches and allow you to make some really nice multi gene recessive animals. Picking the co-dom genes is more of a personal preference but for albinos I like the darker genes like leopard, black pastel and black head. If you go the pied direction, I like the ones that will make a big difference in color like yb, od and enchi because I like low to medium white pied over high white. But in the end you have to make what you like so it's best to research what has been made and decide what you like the best. Good luck!

Thanks guy. Sorry I went so serious

i was a bit hostile.
i appreciate you guys and your commitment. Also thanks for the ideas.

Craiga: from your story you sound like a very strong person. Keep fighting the good fight, and thank you