Who's Making Money Breeding Ball Pythons?

[Simple Man]

I got a D in accounting in college. However I still notice one thing here is a lot of you are counting the snakes that you bought and their cost as "money lost". Yes you spent the money by the end of the year but that is not money lost. You still have the snakes which will breed for you in the future years.

hungba is right! I love business too and have a solid background in it. The snakes are equity. They are also a constant revenue stream if they are healthy and able to produce for you. Done properly it is not difficult to run this hobby as a business. It requires smart buying decisions, thoughtful breeding plans, a discerning eye for choosing your initial breeding stock, time, and patience.

I think something people tend to forget is that it costs money to make money. I've saved lots of money by taking a DIY approach to caging, incubation, rodents, and other aspects of the hobby. The money I've saved doing things myself has allowed me to invest more in my animals. I'm heating the same room whether I have 2 snakes or 50 snakes. I breed my own rats so it is only time consuming to bump up my production. The trivial cost for an extra bag of rat feed is greatly exceeded by having quality rodents readily available in any size. I believe that both the heated room and quality rodents are key to my collection's health and substantial growth rates.

Investing in something beyond a handful of single gene animals and breeder normals is the best way to get into the black in my opinion. If you're trying to climb your way up with 3 or 4 single gene snakes it can be done. It is going to take a considerable amount of time and effort. However, when you start breeding 10+ clutches with the potential to hit 2-4 gene snakes + recessives it really adds up fast.

I'm only expecting 6-7 clutches this year and I should be even in term of actual cash invested. I will actually be double or triple my investment if you take into consideration the equity of my collection. Next year I should be expecting 20+ clutches and should be close to my dream of doing this full-time.

I've seen dozens of people exit and leave the hobby within the last year. This is not a "get rich quick" scheme. How far you go with it is up to you. Ultimately, you should be prepared for a solid commitment of time and money if you want to be successful. You can save time if you have money. Otherwise you can invest more time and still find success.

I would just like to close with the following thoughts if you are thinking about getting into Ball Python breeding.

It is your hobby. It should be your passion. And it can be your business.


Regards,

B