Ball Python Pricing for non breeders

[buck_50]

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

[tttaylorrr]

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

[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

[B.P.'s 4me]

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. :-)

[AbsoluteApril]

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.

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!!

[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.

[buck_50]

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?

[Joelgriz8124]

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


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[Joelgriz8124]

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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[larryd23]

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.

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...