New ball python over a year old and only 166 grams!

[JodanOrNoDan]

Another point I've been pondering.

We all agree, that without the "larger scale" breeders (and not talking of the puppymills for snakes here, just bigger then hobby breeders) we wouldn't have the availability of quality Ball Pythons and the affordability of many morphs. That is just a fact.

Unless one successfully runs such a larger breeding facility, the day to day challenges might not become clear until one grows to that size.

You have often said that you are rapidly expanding your collection of late, adding lots of animals to really take off as a larger scale breeder. Lets just say that you will have 35 breed-able females (all that just an example). Lets say they each lay a clutch of 7 eggs. You will have some with more eggs, some with less, some with none. But lets just say 7 eggs times 35.

You will have 245 hatchlings. Feeding them really is no problem once you breed your own rodents.

Lets say you feed them strongly, because you believe it raises their value and you like to feed them well. They grow rapidly, like strongly fed Ball Pythons do. While you are trying to sell them, you will have to quickly move them into Juvie tubs at the minimum. And they do not sell THAT fast. Many breeders have their hatchlings for a year OR MORE while promoting them.

Lets say despite aggressively promoting, selling (shows and online) you, like so many others, will still have quite a few left at a year old. Even if only lets say...100 of them. Remember, you are "new" and it takes a while for people to trust a "new" breeder with a un-known reputation. Selling is not as easy at all. Unless you start dumping them or their prices, which will cut into your profit and doesn't do a reputation well, either. So 100 of them will quickly need to go into adult tubs at the rate you fed them.

Do you have the space to house not only your adults, the hatchling racks but also adult racks for AT LEAST 100+ (most likely more) adult sized tubs for quickly grown juvies that reached 1000 gr before you could sell them? Plus some "juvie" racks...

Breeding animals at that level is going to be different then doing it as a hobby. That is why I rather not go into it full blown. But I have all the respect for people that DO do it, because it is thanks to them we have the availability and there are far less imports.

I do understand that there are challenges at that level, though. In order to do this "right" there is a LOT of time and investment, and I doubt the profit is as high as many that go into this think. At least not until they build up a reputation and a gorgeous collection of carefully picked out or home grown animals.

All it takes is bringing in one animal from a questionable source and not quarantine correctly. And an entire collection can be destroyed..

If a breeder (and I'm not talking about that breeder alone) has consistently and for many years produced and sold healthy and quality animals and has a slew of happy customers plus no drama/deception/lies and scams, then maintenance fed animals are nothing I worry about. Esp. with so many bad breeders around. Maintenance feeding is most likely far more "natural" to the snake, then the way we feed them once we bring them home, esp. the ones that get rushed along to get them up to breeding size.

Again, 166 gr. IS low, though. I don't think its typical for that breeder for them to be "that" low. At least not in my experience nor have I heard that complaint. That does not mean that Chris shouldn't have been concerned or disappointed in that fact. I'm not trying to downplay his right to be concerned. The breeder could have had more of an explanation since I don't feel that is exactly a "normal" weight for a maintenance fed yearling. Could it have been a late in the season '16 ? One that took off late? Again, that could have been explained better.

I'm happy for Chris that the animals appear healthy and beautiful and I'm looking forward to pictures. I'm sure he'll have them up to size in no time

This is a good summation of what is going on. At the end of the day, it is up to the buyer to decide what they deem appropriate. Feeding babies, even on a smaller scale, can become voodoo. This goes for both over and underfeeding. Overfeeding is known to cause problems in other species. I personally don't have this problem with ball pythons. Mine stop eating when they have had enough. I have yet to have an overweight one but I'm sure it can happen.

I will say this and leave it be I hope...

Underfeeding can cause many issues. At some point the immune system becomes compromised and anything goes at that point. I know this for a fact. When you buy an undersized animal you are taking a risk. A risk that can cost you a lot of money. I for one will only buy and sell healthy animals that are appropriately proportioned for their age. That does not mean they have to be monsters like I produce, it means within a safe average. This goes for adults and babies.