Which morph would you suggest?

[M&J in NC]

What YOU like and what you can afford.

What is your budget?

We are not rich by any means. But if we find a snake that we both really liked, we would get it. We don't really have a price range. It just depends on the animal.

[Slim]

Slim,
Any idea how much a male spider of breeding age would cost at a show.

And...
With her not having any black, would a lemon pastel be something to consider? Would her babies be brighter since she doesn't have any black? And any idea on a price of a male of breeding age at a show?

M&J, Lately I've been seeing some early hatch 08' Spider males going for $325-$375. The ones I've seen for that price are in the 350-425 gram range, and should be ready to breed in a few months. I can't recall seeing anything larger than that recently. I'm sure others can chime in with what they've seen recently.

I think a Pastel would be an outstanding choice. Might throw some really nice looking hatchlings. A Pastel should be slightly less expensive than a Spider, but it will depend on the animal. Might want to give Adam at 8 Ball Pythons a call. He produced some nice Pastels this year, and might have some left. The one I got from him is a June hatch and could be ready to breed in couple of months.

[M&J in NC]

I just checked out Adam's site. He has some great stuff. I sent him a PM, now just waiting to hear back from him.

Thanks

[azpythons]

maybe a cinnamon/ black pastel?

[muddoc]

I would say to breed any Ball Python that has penes, and a paint job that you like. That is the good thing about a Normal female, she can be bred to anything. If it were my girl, I would breed it to a nice Pewter male.

Judging from the build on that one, it may be a male if it is that old. Have you had it sexed?

Just out of curiosity, what characteristics did you see in the "build" of that snake that made you deduce that it is a male? I am just curious, because I have never been able to look at a snake and tell the sex, but sure would love to be able to do that.

[MarkS]

Like everyone else says, pick the morph YOU like the best. HOWEVER. If she were mine, I'd probably breed her to a cinnamon.

[tdietz87]

I would say to breed any Ball Python that has penes, and a paint job that you like. That is the good thing about a Normal female, she can be bred to anything. If it were my girl, I would breed it to a nice Pewter male.



Just out of curiosity, what characteristics did you see in the "build" of that snake that made you deduce that it is a male? I am just curious, because I have never been able to look at a snake and tell the sex, but sure would love to be able to do that.

I am new to this, I'm not trying to pretend I know what I'm doing. But I did come across this the other day and it may be what you were looking for.

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/6...ythons-sex.htm

troy

[muddoc]

I am new to this, I'm not trying to pretend I know what I'm doing. But I did come across this the other day and it may be what you were looking for.

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/6...ythons-sex.htm

troy

Troy,
Thanks for the link. However, I am very aware of how to determine the sex of a Ball Python. I have been doing this for a while now. What I do not know how to do, is look at a snake and determine the sex without touching it. I was just trying to add a bit of knowledge to my never ending quest for more info.

[southb]

Make sure she is of breeding size and of good health......if you want something thats pretty fast you could by a co-dom. Pastel, Cinny, Pin, Spider, etc. I'd just get what you like the most.

[PythonWallace]

Photos can be misleading.
The albino girl in this one is an '06 and the mojave girl is an '08.
All depends on how good an eater they are.


Judging from the build on that one, it may be a male if it is that old. Have you had it sexed?

I understand, I just would have guessed that the girl in that picture was about 1,000-1,200g or so, so it would have to be a terrible eater for a 10 year old if it is really a female. If that was the case I don't know if I'd recommend breeding her at all. No one else has said anything so I might be over thinking this, but if it took her 10 years to reach a healthy breeding weight, how long would it take her to put that weight back on after laying a clutch of eggs. And I could be wrong about this too, but I remember Jasballs saying that he thought that older females who weren't bred were more likely to become eggbound than a young 1,200g female. I don't know whether or not she is already a proven breeder, so if she is none of that applies, but the weight would still concern me unless she's eating great and is just recovering from laying in '08.

I know the pic is a little deceiving, she's actually a 10-year-old. She is 4' long and 1587 grams.

KC261 had the word I was looking for; "complement". Which morph would best complement her colors and pattern? Thanks for the suggestion so far.

Cool, I was just wondering because she looked a little small for a girl that old. Do you know whether or not she laid eggs last year? I'd breed her to a cinnamon.