can you make a living?

Does anyone here on this board make a decent living breeding diff. morphs? Also i'm looking for a starter project for under $1500, does anybody have any recomendations on which snakes to start out with that will produce offspring that will still have value a few years from now? Thanks

with 1500 you could go a few ways...a mojave and a spider and some females, or a lesser and 2-3 females depending on size the larger the more they cost, an albino and 1-2 het females ( if you get a deal) yellow belly pair and normal female...there are a few options. and yes there are people that make a living on breeding snakes and the rats they eat..

I was thinking about a mojave, spider, and a cinny, and maybe 5 or so normal females. Does that sound good to start off with? Or should i save up and buy maybe 2 high priced hets like a clown? Also do you think yellow bellys are a good investment since they can make a ivroy which can sell for $3000 grand now? And one last question, is it hard to sell baby morphs?

My suggestion is to not to get into this thinking you're gonna make a living. There is alot of costs involved in owning and caring for these animals. Vet bills, feeder rodents, equipment, etc... Any of the breeders that make a living were hobbyists for many years and invested ALOT of time and $. They have spent more $ on one snake than most will spend on a new car. Even once your BP's becaome adults there is no guarantee they will breed sucessfully and illness and death is always a possibility. You should do this because you love the animals first. There is alot of poop cleaning, giving injections, rodent care. Look at the classifieds on KS there is always someone selling there collection because their make $ plans didn't pan out. Jamie did a GREAT post on raising theses animals that everyone should read. It's not all fun and games. Don't quit your day job. I have my own business(not breeding snakes) which pays for my hobby. I have well over $25,000 in animals and equipment and probably made in the $100's selling snakes this year. Not trying to be a negative, just realistic. I do it because I love my animals, I can afford to care for them correctly, I have the time and space to care for them, not because I'm trying to make a living or even a profit. It's labor of love and if one day it's profitable great, but I'm not banking on it.

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Originally Posted by westcoastjungle

My suggestion is to not to get into this thinking you're gonna make a living. There is alot of costs involved in owning and caring for these animals. Vet bills, feeder rodents, equipment, etc... Any of the breeders that make a living were hobbyists for many years and invested ALOT of time and $. They have spent more $ on one snake than most will spend on a new car. Even once your BP's becaome adults there is no guarantee they will breed sucessfully and illness and death is always a possibility. You should do this because you love the animals first. There is alot of poop cleaning, giving injections, rodent care. Look at the classifieds on KS there is always someone selling there collection because their make $ plans didn't pan out. Jamie did a GREAT post on raising theses animals that everyone should read. It's not all fun and games. Don't quit your day job. I have my own business(not breeding snakes) which pays for my hobby. I have well over $25,000 in animals and equipment and probably made in the $100's selling snakes this year. Not trying to be a negative, just realistic. I do it because I love my animals, I can afford to care for them correctly, I have the time and space to care for them, not because I'm trying to make a living or even a profit. It's labor of love and if one day it's profitable great, but I'm not banking on it.

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Lovely said!!

Ik breeding pythons will not make you rich overnight, and i'm also not trying to get rich overnight either. I already have a love for snakes when i got my corn 2 years ago. but i also have a love for animals in general. My house is basically a zoo right now. But i would like to breed pythons to eventually try and make a morph of my own and to support the care and well being of my animals. But i would like to get started in breeding in the next 4 years though.

my advice would be....don't quit your day job.

Can it be done? certainly, but you're talking about investing thousands of dollars and a LOT of time.

I think if you're getting into this hobby with the expectancy to make money, you're in it for the wrong reasons. I think a lot of the people that are living comfortably are people that have an out of control hobby :D that's not a bad thing tho...

Here's Jamies post/thread.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=49580

He knows what he's talking about!

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Originally Posted by westcoastjungle

Here's Jamies post/thread.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=49580

He knows what he's talking about!

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Yes i read that thread like a month ago. But i think i'm am willing to commit to the work involved in the care of ball pythons. Also if alot of the babys dont sell i think it is safe to say i have way more than enough space to keep them. My basment is 1700 sq ft. I assure you that i'm not getting into it for all the wrong reasons. But i think it is jsut wrong that people are trying to turn a potential ball python hobbiest away from breeding. I mean if a person wants to do something real bad there going to do it anyway. So why not teach the person the right way to do it instead of contributing to another bad hobbiest out there? But idk thats just the way i see it.

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Originally Posted by slimjim09

But i think it is jsut wrong that people are trying to turn a potential ball python hobbiest away from breeding.

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I don't think people are trying to turn away a potential hobbiest, but what I got from the start of this thread is that you were trying to breed BP's for profit and not for the love of the hobby. That may not have been your intention, but that is how I perceived it and i'm sure I am not the only one.

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Originally Posted by RockSolid

I don't think people are trying to turn away a potential hobbiest, but what I got from the start of this thread is that you were trying to breed BP's for profit and not for the love of the hobby. That may not have been your intention, but that is how I perceived it and i'm sure I am not the only one.

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uhh yeah i agree with that. That certainly is the impression I got.

Oh, sorry if i came off the wrong way. But I would just like some help on choosing and how to properly care for the snakes since they are a life time commitment. I also want to make sure i have all the knowledge to care for them before i jump into buying one on impulse.

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Originally Posted by slimjim09

Oh, sorry if i came off the wrong way. But I would just like some help on choosing and how to properly care for the snakes since they are a life time commitment. I also want to make sure i have all the knowledge to care for them before i jump into buying one on impulse.

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oh OK.

I don't think anyone can tell you how you should do it. Only you can determine that. The path I've chosen is a path that I feel is wise for myself. I don't expect to become rich off of my snakes. It's just a hobby i'm enjoying at the moment. Would I like to make money? certainly...but I don't have the time or the money to invest in what it would take to make a huge company. So what I have to do in the mean time is work my 9-5 job and make that paycheck. The money I make goes towards my bills and care for my animals. It's a slow and painful road but I believe that it's the right path for me... me

My advice is to take things slow. Buy a few snakes and work with a clutch or two every year and determine that this is what you really want.

Everyone has their own path, their own way of doing things. You're the only one that knows your own financial situation and style of living. Do what you think is best for yourself and the animals. Don't get in too deep too fast.

Good luck.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to westcoastjungle again.


dr del

I don't know that I have anything new to add about the possibility of making some profit from this hobby, but I would like to re-emphasize what others have said. Even a small breeding colony requires a lot of start up costs and then maintenance costs for the 2-3 years you will be growing up your females. That doesn't take into consideration the time and energy "spent". My family based small ball python business takes up almost all of our time away from work. You have to really love the animals to give that much time and energy to one thing without ending up resenting the very snakes you loved.


In regard to your question about that starter project for $1500 or so, you could probably buy what you mentioned (mojave, spider, cinny and 5 normal females) if all the morphs were '07 hatchlings and the girls were '07 or '06 and you bought the package from one breeder so he could give you a deal. It would require some good negotiating though and the quality might not be the best. I would suggest that you look at a couple of '07 male co-dom morphs and 3 sub-adult female normals. Raise them for a year and then you should be ready to breed next season if you are still interested. If not, you should be able to break even if you have to sell you normal females and you may not lose too much if you sell your males.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

A wise person once said to me, 'You can make a living doing anything you want as long as you have a passion for what you do, the business sense to know how to market yourself and your product, and the drive to see the job through'. Selling snakes is like any other business venture and should be treated as such. Raising and breeding snakes is the fun and interesting part but it seems that many people have difficulty with the business side of things. If you want to make a living selling snakes, look into taking small business classes at your local community college.

Mark

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Originally Posted by slimjim09

Oh, sorry if i came off the wrong way. But I would just like some help on choosing and how to properly care for the snakes since they are a life time commitment. I also want to make sure i have all the knowledge to care for them before i jump into buying one on impulse.

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I don't think anyone is trying to deter you from becoming a breeder but want you to look at the bigger picture. Anyone that has been in this hobby long enough has seen their share of fly-by-night breeders. You can see them all over KS classifieds and a business you see today, may not be around next year.

You seem to understand some of it but I think you do not fully grasp the complexity of what you are after. It takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to make it to the top and become well known in this business.

I can tell you that a noboby selling snakes will have a lot harder time than somebody that is known in the community and been around for a while.

It may just be me, but I see a lot of this younger generation looking for quick answers on forums like this and expecting results. Asking people what they should buy, what is a good investment, etc. Most have no simple understanding of genetics but expect to "produce" the next high priced morph.
It may be callus, but I would suggest buying some books and do some reading and research on the snakes and their husbandry before I ever would think about "doing this full-time". I have an extensive collection of books and magazines and and still to this date, learning new things.

As a side note, pick up a couple of nice females and raise them up. ;)

I agree with all the posts. I've always had a bad twitch in my leg whenever I read about people trying to make a living out of BP's that were intended for pets. It's a shame that it's come to this because with selling BP's comes a lot of corruption, lies, and devious schemes. On the other hand, there are MANY helpful people out there who don't do it for the quick buck, but for the satisfaction of benefiting other people and the projects they wish to accomplish (ie. Adam from 8ball, Muddoc of B&B and many more).

My first priority would to keep the reproduction of BP's as a hobby on a free-time daily basis, because it isn't a 9-5 job as it will probably be a 8-12pm job. And selling would only come when it's beneficial to both people. My 2cents - an opinion that people may freely disagree with.

Sure, you can breed and sell rare morphs that will still be rare a few years from now. If you have maybe a few hundred grand to invest in them.

Well every one has given good points. Heres my two cents. Would 1500.00 get you started????? Maybe.. you have to think just cause you can spend 1500.00 on animals doesn't mean your set. If you spend your whole 1500.00 on animals and say get 5 animals thats great good start right? Then theres housing cost not just onetime expense of racks and tubs but substrate. Rack will run you 300.00. There is far more cost other than animals.

Give you an example. I started out with a 10,000.00 start up and with equipment, racks, animals, thermostats, and so one it pretty well killed my start up money.

Think three years from now will you still be able to or even want do this??

Is it get rich quick? NO
Will you even make a profit your first year? maybe.

Alright, i think i see what everyone is trying to tell me. But no matter what i still want to buy ball pythons as pets. Now a few years down the road i may want to breed them, i'm not sure. I just have to wait till the time comes.

I like to breed the "played out styles". If that makes any sense, it's like how my girlfriend waits for the year annual sales at Gucci in December, and buys all the 40% off bags that are "out of style". Her thinking is, it's a Gucci bag! They never go out of style~!

That's how I feel about my BP's. I would breed them, JUST to breed them. For my own collection. And I usually buy the ones that are 40% off. I don't intend on making back my money. Just so I can do it. They may not be the hot thing at the moment that used to sell for 12k. But it's a Bumble bee! or an Ivory! They NEVER get out of style!

No one here is attacking you. We are sure you are a great owner, and will make a great breeder. I think everyone is just letting you in on the info, because they may have more experience (I know I don't!) and say it's nothing to make a living out of!

I agree with all the above posts. More than likely you will not turn a profit. Sure you might, anything is possible. But if you get into this with the intent of making money, you will more than likely be let down.

I've been breeding snakes for 12 yrs now, and the most I've ever made is maybe a couple of hundred bucks; it was enough for a weekend getaway with the g/f. Even that was lucky. I pretty much always end up in the hole, as I'm sure most do. But I love snakes and I love the hobby and I can afford it, which is why I keep doing it.

I just want to make enough to get a new morph pair or two every year. I want them all :D:D:D:D