And the addiction begins..

[Opaque]

I picked up a 12 level rack tonight from a relative who had one for sale - he breeds and had an extra one when I mentioned I was looking at getting one. I moved my current two in their new tubs and they seem pretty happy so far. The tubs are more secure feeling in my opinion than the totes I had them in before. I will be picking up a couple of nice adult females in a couple of months also - I am pretty excited.

Sage & Xylo are settling in well - both are eating and seem to be happy campers. They are both beautiful and I am so happy to have them. I experienced my first snake bite also - Sage thought I was going to feed her when I changed her water. I am pretty sure I squealed loud enough all my neighbors likely heard me - LOL.

I just had to share - nobody I know in real life shares my enthusiasm. I can't wait till next year for my first clutches!

[Bogertophis]

Your thread is well-titled- empty racks NEVER stay that way. First snake bite is always a milestone- but I would caution you not to rush into breeding snakes until you get more experience (though I'm sure it helps having a relative that's also into breeding them). Talking about "first clutches" next year- For one thing, any snakes being bred need TIME to really settle in & prove they're healthy enough to risk breeding. I hope you re-think that goal. And there are SO many BPs available for sale & rehoming- it's a very saturated market & if you love your animals, please consider whether or not there is a place & a need for more (& for specifically what you're likely to produce)- & if not, please don't breed them. Consider that you may be stuck with what you produce...& I know first-hand that yes, there IS such a thing as too many.

[nikkubus]

Ditto what Bogertophis said. You want to take some serious time to plan a breeding project and get to know the market and morphs you want to work with. I can tell you right now as a kindness since you happen to have a combination of morphs I am quite familiar with, that breeding those two together isn't the best idea for a new breeder. Ivories are a dime a dozen when it comes to market value, which 1/4 of your clutch would end up. There 164 PAGES of them up on morph market as we speak, and while some might show hefty price tags, you have to understand how Super Yellow Belly actually acts to achieve slightly different color differences to understand how difficult it is to produce one that shows nice color, let alone enough color to display any other morph in the combo. Plain YB sell as poorly as Normals. Enchi and YB together can accomplish amazing, expensive things with the right other morphs. Ghost though? That is going to undo so much of the beauty that is achieved by that combo, while it can be so amazing with other combos.

If you are smart you will take a lot of time to research and think before buying any more animals you plan to breed so that you can have a project with something that stands out from the many animals flooding the market. Otherwise you are going to end up with a bunch of animals that either you won't breed or you can't sell the offspring and end up quitting out of frustration.

I'm not trying to diminish your excitement and passion for the hobby just so you understand. I'm trying to keep you from moving too quickly, to preserve those amazing feelings and avoid burnout. I am very familiar with YB complex, particularly with Banana and Enchi, so if you want to ask questions or bounce things off me to really come up with a solid plan, I'm more than happy to help so that you have the best chance for success. Feel free to drop a new thread in the "morphs and genetics" section or DM me if you like.

[Opaque]

Thank you for the information you two!

I am not doing any breeding this year - I hope I didn't make it sound that way. I will be waiting until next year at the earliest - I don't have any plans for pairings at the moment. I realize that the market is saturated at the moment - I am not looking to breed for profit and if need be I am prepared and have the funds to keep all my babies if I can't find perfect homes for them - and yes I realize they can have 9+ eggs at a time. All of my animals are spoiled - my snakes are no different. I am planning on picking a project that I like and going from there. Everyone has to start somewhere.

I've luckily met a few great breeders so far and my cousin maintains his business full time - so I have plenty of knowledgeable people willing to help me get started - thankfully.

I have had an interest in genetics for a long time now (I bred & showed English Angora rabbits for 10 years - that is what sparked my genetics fascination) and I think ball pythons are the perfect hobby for someone such as myself. I have been doing a lot of reading about husbandry, morphs, genetics, lethal breeding combinations, etc. I will be getting an incubator and what not - as well as getting a nice male and a few breeding age females this September - once I've decided what I want to work with. I am hoping to get some proven females from the breeders that I know, so in a year or two - I can hopefully pair them up. Again, this will be planned out and I am not even certain what I want to work with yet, lol.

This isn't something I have spontaneously decided to do (I was thinking about doing this a few years back to be honest - but I put it off until now, lol) - despite the fact I am definitely NOT an expert and very much a beginner, I have been doing all my reading and gathering as much information and knowledge as I can.

I very well might not even use Sage and Xylo in my future projects - it all depends on what I decide I want to work with morph wise. Regardless, they will be loved pets!

Also nikkubus I will be reaching out and taking you up on that offer - I appreciate it so much. Thank you for allowing me to inbox you. You are wonderful.

[nikkubus]

Oh okay, that makes me feel a lot better. When you said "clutches next year" I assumed you were getting ready to start pairing up at the end of this year and have babies next summer. Still, take it slow picking breeding animals and make sure they really are the best choice for your project because what sounds great now may not after you have really had time to hash out plans.

I wish you the best of luck and I'm excited for you taking a step towards your dreams.

[Opaque]

I should have made myself more clear - that was my bad!

I have been doing a lot of reading on morphs and going through the morph guide on morph market - it's quite informative in regards to all the different types of morphs that are currently available. I have started to make a list of what I might be interested in working on eventually and than I will probably narrow that list down and go from there. I will not be getting a bunch of snakes right away - I am ideally hoping to get one nice male and a nice female or two that will work with whatever project I decide I would like to work on. As I said I am hoping to find proven breeders ideally.


@nikkubus thank you for your kind words - I am very excited also and I will make a thread eventually here to keep everyone updated on my plans and what not.