Beginner breeding?

[Freakie_frog]

So obviously I'm new here. I've had a male normal ball python for a little over a year now. I bought him as just a pet. However, as I'm sure you all know, the lil buggers are really freaking addictive. My friends agree and they all want one now too.

First of all having only had you snake for a little over a year I'd suggest looking real hard at your housing situation and your long term housing options. Where you live now may allow one snake as a pet but might get a little miffed if they find half a dozen or more over night..

I don't think he's old enough to be bred yet, but I think in the future, my best friend and I would like to breed my Ramses to her....well she doesn't have one yet. Anyway, we're hoping that selling the offspring will help make college a little more bearable. I'd rather spend time taking care of lil snake babies than party. XD

Breeding and hatching is allot of fun but it is also a lot of work. Baby hatchlings are not set-it-and-forget-it things something else to think about. Getting them feeding can be a challenge and finding the right size food for them every 5 days can be costly and problematic. What happens to the food when they don't eat, ect ect ect..

So I'm sure that breeding these guys is more lucrative than expensive, or else you guys wouldn't do it.

LOL I wish with the cost of feeders, bedding, housing, heating, marketing, shipping, ect ect you'll be doing good to break even in two - three years..

My question is, is it better to get a normal female, breed them and sell the offspring for $35 each until we've got enough, and then buy a cheap morph like a pastel? Or would it be better to just jump straight to the morphs? I've been doing some browsing and finding a female pastel under $150 (the most my friend wants to spend on the snake alone) is extremely difficult.

Thoughts?

What you breed isn't going to matter pastels eat the same food as a normal so pick what you like. But understand selling snakes isn't like selling cookies at a bake sale. You might have to house and feed and care for them for months before selling a single one..

Lets examine the costs Of breeding a pastel female to a normal in rough values..and can be adjusted but are simply an average..and assuming you don't raise your own feeder.. Which costs more for a couple of snakes than buying them..

• Pastel female: 200.00
• Food once a week; 1.50 for 156 weeks (3 years time it takes on average to get a female to breeding weight) X2 have to feed the male too
• Houseing; small rack 200.00 remember you'll have babies to consider..
• Thermostat and heating; 285.00 (roughly)
• Incubator with thermostat; 250.00 (roughly)
  Now after the babies are hatched assuming everything goes great!
  average of 6 eggs with 3 of them on average being Pastels.
• Baby food for three months (lets say you sell out in 3 months) 6.00 every 5 days = 18.00
• still feeding mom and dad mind you

Now you sell out great..
Invested over the last three years

Roughly

$1,421.00 invested

- $375.00 total value of animals sold at todays prices with no shipping

Leaves you

-$1046.00 in the hole