Getting Into Breeding

[BoaObsessed]

Hey all!
I currently own a 2 year old Pastel Pied python with high white (gorgeous snake if I do say so myself) and I'm considering breeding her. Not too seriously yet, but if it could be done reasonable easily then I would really love to. So a few questions for anyone who has bred:

1) If I were to breed, would I need to purchase a male or could I just find someone with a male who is also interested in breeding without actually purchasing another snake?

2) How long would I be expecting to hold onto the babies if I were planning to sell them?

3) All over and done with, how much can I expect to spend assuming that I have everything necessary to very comfortably house the mother (obviously) but nothing for the hatchlings or male (if I don't actually have to purchase a male then obviously that wouldn't be necessary)? And how much would I expect to make?

4) How hard is it to sell that specific morph? And where would I go about selling them?

5) Is it reasonable to breed her without actually starting a breeding business?

Thanks for your responses and let me know if you've bred this morph! I'd love to hear about your experiences and how the coloring came out

[Stewart_Reptiles]

1/ A breeding loan is feasible however it can be a pretty big headache. Number one you would need to find someone you trust, typically the female is the one changing location for an undetermined amount of time. You will need to draw a contract even if you do a loan with a friend it is highly recommended, this contract will stipulate anything from quarantine, clutch split, who would be in charge should a vet bill occur etc. Split will be done based on the value of the animal entering the loan, not all loan are 50/50

2/ The hatchling need to be feeding before you let them go anywhere between 3 to 5 meals is ideal, so you need to count a minimum of at least 5 weeks after hatching, of course there are the exception that don’t start eating right away.

3/A rack for your hatchling will run you about $300 + a thermostat $100, Incubator about $150 (this is mainly for heat tape and t-stat the rest will depends on what you use to incubate)

How much will you make would only be a guess, you might not make anything for several years, I have a female that gave me her first clutch and she is 6 years old and I have tried pairing her for several season now, your female can also slug out etc. It will also depends on what you will hatch (how many hatchlings, sex ratio) Pieds right now are about 400/500 and pastel pieds around $800 (this is this year, who knows what they will be next year). Don’t focus on how much you will make right now focus on the experience.

4/ With one clutch selling online is your best bet, is it easy? Well it takes work that includes working on establishing a reputation.

5/You do not have to be a business to start breeding, many people are hobbyist not businesses.

[BoaObsessed]

Thanks so much for the info!

As far as holding onto the hatchlings I was more talking about how long they would take to sell. Like would I be expecting to hold onto all of them for a year or will they all sell within a week of their 4th/5th feeding?

And also how would I go about finding someone with a male to breed with if I did want to do a breeding loan?

Again thank you so much, your response was really helpful.

[BoaObsessed]

Thanks so much for the info!

As far as holding onto the hatchlings I was more talking about how long they would take to sell. Like would I be expecting to hold onto all of them for a year or will they all sell within a week of their 4th/5th feeding?

And also how would I go about finding someone with a male to breed with if I did want to do a breeding loan?

Again thank you so much, your response was really helpful.

[bcr229]

No one knows how much hatchlings will sell for. They could go quickly, or they could sit - you're asking us to predict next year's market. Right now a lot of money is chasing boas and retics in lieu of other snake species, mainly due to them potentially being added to the Lacy Act in the near future, which is something that I doubt many breeders considered last year when deciding what to produce for this year. I've seen BP prices drop over the last few years, but the drops in the past few months are crazy.

As for a male, if you want to try a breeding loan I'd find someone with a visual pied + another gene. Think enchi pied, black pastel pied, etc. Then find out if that person is reputable. Then work out a contract.

Or you could just buy a male and do everything yourself.

[BoaObsessed]

No one knows how much hatchlings will sell for. They could go quickly, or they could sit - you're asking us to predict next year's market. Right now a lot of money is chasing boas and retics in lieu of other snake species, mainly due to them potentially being added to the Lacy Act in the near future, which is something that I doubt many breeders considered last year when deciding what to produce for this year. I've seen BP prices drop over the last few years, but the drops in the past few months are crazy.

As for a male, if you want to try a breeding loan I'd find someone with a visual pied + another gene. Think enchi pied, black pastel pied, etc. Then find out if that person is reputable. Then work out a contract.

Or you could just buy a male and do everything yourself.

Jeez I wasn't aware the market changed that much/quickly. Are their any specific species that I could breed her with that would definitely increase the value of the hatchlings? I'm not really interested in making money as much as just breaking even, but given that the prices of BP are low and all..

[coldbloodaddict]

Jeez I wasn't aware the market changed that much/quickly. Are their any specific species that I could breed her with that would definitely increase the value of the hatchlings? I'm not really interested in making money as much as just breaking even, but given that the prices of BP are low and all..

You would probably have a harder time selling Hybrids!

[grcforce327]

Hey all!
I currently own a 2 year old Pastel Pied python with high white (gorgeous snake if I do say so myself) and I'm considering breeding her. Not too seriously yet, but if it could be done reasonable easily then I would really love to. So a few questions for anyone who has bred:

1) If I were to breed, would I need to purchase a male or could I just find someone with a male who is also interested in breeding without actually purchasing another snake?

2) How long would I be expecting to hold onto the babies if I were planning to sell them?

3) All over and done with, how much can I expect to spend assuming that I have everything necessary to very comfortably house the mother (obviously) but nothing for the hatchlings or male (if I don't actually have to purchase a male then obviously that wouldn't be necessary)? And how much would I expect to make?

4) How hard is it to sell that specific morph? And where would I go about selling them?

5) Is it reasonable to breed her without actually starting a breeding business?

Thanks for your responses and let me know if you've bred this morph! I'd love to hear about your experiences and how the coloring came out

1} obviously it doesn't matter,as long as you get the male.
2}Until you sell them!
3}Seriously?
4}As hard as you make it.Post it for $1 and sold! ...........The thing called the internet.
5}Define reasonable.

[brock lesser]

Simple answer ? Don't breed.
Breeder loans are a hassle and it sounds like you
expect your babies to disappear leaving a wad of cash behind.
Enjoy your animal and you won't have all the stress of breeding.

[BoaObsessed]

Simple answer ? Don't breed.
Breeder loans are a hassle and it sounds like you
expect your babies to disappear leaving a wad of cash behind.
Enjoy your animal and you won't have all the stress of breeding.

I don't expect the babies to disappear leaving a wad of cash. I'm really not interested in money, I just would prefer not to lose money in the process. The only reason I want to breed is because I think it would be an amazing experience, but I do realize my questions made it seem like I'm really interested in money. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I do want to breed her eventually, and I'm just trying to gauge how much I need to save if I am going to lose money. If I wanted to get rich, I wouldn't be going into the snake breeding business.