Ball python breed business?

[dadspets]

It takes alot of work to breed and work alot of snakes. I think if you have more than 10 you should start breeding your own rodents/rabbits for food. That also takes time and money but can be well worth it in the long run because having alot of snakes can be very expesive come feeding time.

[GenePirate]

I have a question how much experience do you have keeping BP? Basic husbandry, problem solving when a problem arise (and it will), what do you know about breeding itself, genetics etc? How would you rate your knowledge, because I would think that before thinking business the first step would be hands on experience and then see how you like it.

As far as business go you can spend 10K / 20K and still not break even after several years (a few people will be able to tale you that ) so if you want to make this a business you will need some serious cash, a serious business plan and be willing to work hard.

I think the learning process is something you need to do on your own than when you have specific questions you can ask however no one is gonna just spoon feed everything from the basics of reptile keeping to genetics to business plan.

Yep. Deborah's got it down. We've been herping, reading, raising, and collecting for years (decades). We've invested several tens of thousands, and it will be awhile before we see dollar one in the black. But, that's not what we got into it for. Business licenses, red tape, and consumables keep us busy. So, it's a labor of love, and as someone said, a passion or obsession, before it becomes a business.

[Neal]

hi,

well i wanna know what do i need to start a ball python breed business, i have been reading and watching some videos but i wanna know your opinion... i wanto to start like a hobbie so im not asking for 50 snake from the start, i need racks? where i can find it? how much money do i need?.... and this a good or bad business...?

I don't think you could create any kind of a business, because from reading your posts, you know nothing about snakes. I would find a different hobby. Unless you actually listen to what people are saying and do research.

[Haydenphoto]

Or, instead of being spoon fed information, you could look it up yourself? Aye, there ya go. You're member of a mountain of information right on this here website.

Call me picky, but why in the world should anyone that wants to breed not do the homework themselves?

It's one thing to ask a question or clarification about certain aspects of breeding, but your sitting there on your computer asking for people to write you a book on how to breed BP's as a business?

Why not get off your arse and look it up your own dang self?

LOL well said !

[nixer]

It takes alot of work to breed and work alot of snakes. I think if you have more than 10 you should start breeding your own rodents/rabbits for food. That also takes time and money but can be well worth it in the long run because having alot of snakes can be very expesive come feeding time.

i can spend 200-300 a month on feeders really easy, which is why i breed.
also i never have enough feeders so i have to buy more anyway most of the time.
just in caging alone would cost thousands not including for the feeders.
i dont even want to figure what ive paid for animals and im not even close to even.
then you have to add in electric, water, cleaning stuff its just not going to happen unless you could dump a cool million into a hobby real easy your doing good if you make enough in a year to just cover your costs and perhaps a few more snakes to add to your collection

[Jay_Bunny]

I bred two of my ball pythons for the first time this past season. It started with the ball pythons exactly 2 years ago when I got my first two ball pythons. A normal female and a normal male het for pied. I spent $120 on the pair and over the course of 2 years, I have spent more money then I probably should have. In a few months we purchased our first morph for $100, a nice little pastel. A month later, we purchased a female pastel for $225. A few months later we picked up a spider male ($300) and a pinstripe female ($600) and later two normal females (I think it was around $300 for the two of them). So just in ball pythons, we have spent $1645. If you don't include the tanks we initially had for some of these snakes and just count the racks, then we have spent $1000. Other necessities such as water bowls, substrate, (sexing probes - I've bought two sets and lost both. They were $20 each), and food I haven't even bothered to add up. During the past two years I've spent a lot of money on food and right now I spend close to $150 per month in food for the snakes. Not to mention a vet visit or two. I've put myself well over $3000 in the hole and even with one breeding season under my belt I haven't made a single dollar back.

Even though I plan on breeding snakes on a far larger scale than I do now, I don't ever to expect to make a profit. If I can at least make some money to help with costs by selling some babies each year, then I'd be happy.

[Strtaylor]

Hey all..
I dont wanna take over this post but i wasnt sure where else to post it and because of this guys "great" business venture i figured i would throw my 2 cents in. Im a brand new ball python owner and probably researched for 5-6months about every thing from keeping to breeding to morphs everything and im no where close to breeding anything. Yes in a couple years after my lemon pastel ph axan. is ready i would love to breed her but only for my personal collection. My question is how does one go about selling the offspring/babies that you dont want to hold back. Locally i would say where i am at (Iowa City) it would be nearly impossible. Im not looking to become a big breeder or make any money at all. I just love ball pythons and am worried about having more snakes then i really want to keep at one time. Now ofcourse when this time comes (a ways from now) i will make sure i have room to house this many snakes. (2 adult balls and their offspring). Just kind of wondering how one goes about selling/giving away the others. Thanks very much all
-Steven-

[nixer]

Hey all..
I dont wanna take over this post but i wasnt sure where else to post it and because of this guys "great" business venture i figured i would throw my 2 cents in. Im a brand new ball python owner and probably researched for 5-6months about every thing from keeping to breeding to morphs everything and im no where close to breeding anything. Yes in a couple years after my lemon pastel ph axan. is ready i would love to breed her but only for my personal collection. My question is how does one go about selling the offspring/babies that you dont want to hold back. Locally i would say where i am at (Iowa City) it would be nearly impossible. Im not looking to become a big breeder or make any money at all. I just love ball pythons and am worried about having more snakes then i really want to keep at one time. Now ofcourse when this time comes (a ways from now) i will make sure i have room to house this many snakes. (2 adult balls and their offspring). Just kind of wondering how one goes about selling/giving away the others. Thanks very much all
-Steven-

well some ppl try to sell them on craigslistor other pet sites also on forums.
some sell to petstores and some just wholesale off what they dont want

[seclark]

Okay I have only had my ball since april which I adopted from a petco. I have always loved animals and have many different kinds of animals. Currently I also have a tank of african cichlids which has 2 breeding pairs (so far that I know of) that had babies for the first time this year. Now dealing with freshwater fish which are less expensive than balls. I have spent since I got interested in fish I have spent over 300 dollars and maybe 400+ so far I have made 26 dollars which bought me some filter cartriges and food.

Back to the balls. I have already spent 200+ on my one snake buying her, feeding her, and bringing her habitat up to par and it's not quite there yet. I have spent probably 20-40 hours in the last two weeks reading the threads on this site, trying to learn as much as I can so I can take the best care possible of my girl. I would like to breed on a hobby level some day (if I can convince my girlfriend possible future wife that snakes are cool.) To get there I plan on buying a baby morph to add to my collection of one adult female normal. Then when it is old enough perhaps I will have enough knowledge and experince to try breeding. This is something I would suggest for you who does not SEEM to have the passion for animals that the rest of us do. I apologize for the long post but I felt the need to share.

[I<3Dreamsicles]

Hey all..
I dont wanna take over this post but i wasnt sure where else to post it and because of this guys "great" business venture i figured i would throw my 2 cents in. Im a brand new ball python owner and probably researched for 5-6months about every thing from keeping to breeding to morphs everything and im no where close to breeding anything. Yes in a couple years after my lemon pastel ph axan. is ready i would love to breed her but only for my personal collection. My question is how does one go about selling the offspring/babies that you dont want to hold back. Locally i would say where i am at (Iowa City) it would be nearly impossible. Im not looking to become a big breeder or make any money at all. I just love ball pythons and am worried about having more snakes then i really want to keep at one time. Now ofcourse when this time comes (a ways from now) i will make sure i have room to house this many snakes. (2 adult balls and their offspring). Just kind of wondering how one goes about selling/giving away the others. Thanks very much all
-Steven-

well you could probably find some reptile shows, locally or within some distance drive. For me theres one every month really close, its smaller (in the amount of animals there) but theres alot of people. I was surprised how many people were there. Theres also bigger ones at fairgrounds but not as often. You could also try craigslist, make a website, or places like kingsnake.