ball python hobby paying for itself or another hobby? i wish you the best of luck.
this is something you do for the love of it. i do not mean to discourage you, you obviously have good research skills which is a great tool to have, but i want to save you from disappointment if you expect a positive financial return. many have dreamed of all the cash flows from selling ones own hatchlings (guilty here), majority of those dreamers have quit, but a few of us accepted the fact that ball python breeding is not a profitable endeavor. yet we still do it because of the non-monetary satisfaction. i do make some money out of selling hatchlings, but it's nowhere near what i spent buying the breeders, feeding, caging expenses, etc. thank heaven's i have been spared from vet bills......

on a side note, you may still generate a some cash by breeding and growing feeders. if you have the right market, enough space, and a few hours of extra time, money from rodents could be enough to sustain the ball python hobby or even make it a little profitable.