Quick Questions

Hi,

I have been avidly researching how to breed ball pythons for last several months and have decided that it is something I want to try. I would like to get maybe 3-6 bp's (morphs) within the next couple of months and try to breed them in 2010.

What are some good types of affordable morphs to start with? I don't want to invest too much in case it doesn't work out, but I can invest about 2k at this point. There are several het pied's that I am looking at online that I'm interested in, as well as some spiders.

So here are my questions:

1. What kind of snakes did you guys start out with?
2. What are some good morphs to use that are likely to express the morph traits? Am I better off buying morphs with dominant, recessive or codom traits?
3. Is there a website that shows all of the different morphs and how to achieve said morph? Or at least something that explains which morphs are recessive, etc?

Bottomline: I'll be happy either way with my future morphs. If they breed, awesome! If not, I'll still have some really cool pets :)

Thank you so much in advance!

-Kate

my first morph was a pastel male, they're inexpensive and produce nice morphs

Hey. I am no subject expert but I'll answer your questions based on my knowledge.


1) What you see in my Sig is what I started with.
2) With 2K you can pick up a couple Co-Dom or Dom males and a bunch of breeding sized females. Recessives are tricky but fun, my advice is find some 100%hets with paperwork and buy those. The offspring should be visual and het so those can be mixed around with your doms, co doms and parents to make more visuals as well as combo hets to make morphs like an albino pastel or something along those lines.
3)http://www.snake-zone.com/genetics/list

And lastly...welcome!!!

Breeder sized morph females are spendy, but you can usually get breeder sized normals for around $100 - 200.

Would a pastel male need a pastel female to breed with? Or can he be used with other morphs to create different morphs?

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Originally Posted by Turbo Serpent

Breeder sized morph females are spendy, but you can usually get breeder sized normals for around $100 - 200.

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I want to buy the snakes soon, but don't plan on starting breeding for another year so hopefully they will be close to breeding size by then.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Hey. I am no subject expert but I'll answer your questions based on my knowledge.


1) What you see in my Sig is what I started with.
2) With 2K you can pick up a couple Co-Dom or Dom males and a bunch of breeding sized females. Recessives are tricky but fun, my advice is find some 100%hets with paperwork and buy those. The offspring should be visual and het so those can be mixed around with your doms, co doms and parents to make more visuals as well as combo hets to make morphs like an albino pastel or something along those lines.
3)http://www.snake-zone.com/genetics/list

And lastly...welcome!!!

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There is a 100% female albino het for a reasonable price that I have my eye on. Should I go ahead and splurge for an albino male to breed her with? Or are there some other types of morphs she could mix with?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Hey. I am no subject expert but I'll answer your questions based on my knowledge.


1) What you see in my Sig is what I started with.
2) With 2K you can pick up a couple Co-Dom or Dom males and a bunch of breeding sized females. Recessives are tricky but fun, my advice is find some 100%hets with paperwork and buy those. The offspring should be visual and het so those can be mixed around with your doms, co doms and parents to make more visuals as well as combo hets to make morphs like an albino pastel or something along those lines.
3)http://www.snake-zone.com/genetics/list

And lastly...welcome!!!

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Also, by "breeder sized females" do you mean normals? Or hets?

Thanks so much :)

do you have any BP's yet? if not, then you need to get one or two and keep them for a year or more... then decide if breeding is something you might be interested in. Read during that year regularly, and you will be close to ready!

You could easily start out with a male spider and female pastel for under $600 and then when they are breeding size you can make some Bumblebees!

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Originally Posted by elevenphoenix

There is a 100% female albino het for a reasonable price that I have my eye on. Should I go ahead and splurge for an albino male to breed her with? Or are there some other types of morphs she could mix with?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by elevenphoenix

Also, by "breeder sized females" do you mean normals? Or hets?

Thanks so much :)

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Ok, as long as the Het Albino is truely het, then all you really need is a het albino male, and if she is truely het then you should produce 25% Visual Albino and 50% Hets and 25% normal. IF you buy a visual Albino male and she is indeed a het, then you should produce 50% Visual 50% het. She can mix with anything and everything, but you won't get an albino unless she is mixed with a visual albino or a het albino.

By breeder females I mean normal breeder females, you can find them from 50-125 a piece. The higher end of the spectrum are proven breeders and not just up to size.


As for your pastel, he is a co-dom and being a co-dom means 50% of a clutch should be pastel 50% normal. He can be mixed with other morphs, but if he is mixed with a recessive (albino) he has to be Het for albino in order to create said albino. Pretty much co-dom can create visual morphs with just one snake contributin the gene, and recessive has to have both. If you breed 2 co-doms together, and they both contribute a (for example) pastel gene, then you have a shot at a super form, or a "super pastel."

Here's a good site to check out along with that other one.
http://ballpython.ca/genetics.html

I would suggest learning to care and handle them before breeding.....and I know you plan on doing that thats why you have such a gap 2010......then the next step is own and or breed something that you like and enjoy and you want to keep.I would suggest getting a few normal females 1000+ grams and also for me i like co doms because you can breed them with other co doms and get a super form and also breed them to the normal......that way you dont spend all your money on just 1 pair and if they are not ready to breed or not interested then you have to wait another year.
there are alot of awsome sites that explain genetics and traits......i would suggest you research a little more then decide which one you want
just google ball python morphs i would link you to sites but dont want to promote other sites here.......

but if i had 2k i would buy 2 or 3 normal females
and and nice pastel or spider and a albino or pie bald male ......those 5 would run about 2 g's and your first year clutch you would hopefully get some nice codoms pastels or spiders which ever you go with...also some normals......then hets to breed back with your albino or pied you can even get a pair of albinos and the normals and the pastel............or albinos 1 normal and 1 spider............depends on how much room you have etc.............. hit me up email........ this will be my first season as well........and have quite a nice small collection going.........

ewestfall@gmail.com

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

do you have any BP's yet? if not, then you need to get one or two and keep them for a year or more... then decide if breeding is something you might be interested in. Read during that year regularly, and you will be close to ready!

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Yes, I have a couple normal bp's :)

i think what i would do,is get that het albino girl,and a hatchling albino male,basically,as your mroe likely each year to get the albino,but still no gaureentee,a friend of mine bred a pied to 2 het girls,one laid all pieds,one laid all hets,it happens,but from there i would pick up 4-5 800-1000 gram grams at local reptile shows,maybe a pastel girl,then i would get a couple morph males,a spider,a pastel,and MAYBE a pin,try to run 2 normal girls to each male,and use them morphs to go in trade to get more after they hatch,may have to add money as well,depending on what your looking to get

that is how i am getting my 08 cinnie,and my 09 spiders this year is through trades for blonde pastels,but if you have your eye on a certain morph,i would try to get whats needed to make that the first year breeding

I highly suggest getting sub-adult either codom or het simple recessive females, and a hatchling male. This way the males and females will be ready to go at the same time since the males can breed smaller than the females. If you want to breed for the codom mutations / combos, then you could buy pastels, spiders, pins, black pastels, cinnys, mojaves, butters, lessers, fires, and a few more. If you want to go with simple recessive, then buy het females and a visual male. You could go with albinos, ghosts, axanthic, and maybe a few others.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

As you can see the advice is as varied as the people giving it. For my two cents I suggest you pick a morph you like and begin there. Make it something you enjoy owning. Then research the genetics Co-dom, Dom, Rec etc. Fing a reputable breeder who will advise you and buy from them. Then enjoy the experience. Please keep in mind there are other costs involved in breeding. Incubation, additional caging etc. So take everything into account when you do decide.