Breeding v Buying?

[azmodane]

So I've always been fascinated with snakes and Ball Pythons in particular. So I am looking to get my first ball python and want to make sure I have everything in order that way i don't freak out once he/she is here and am not prepared.... I was wondering if I only have 1 Ball Python would it be worth it breeding my own mice or would it be more hassle and cost that just buying from either a store or company? Trying to look at cost and work it seems like the upkeep of the mice would be just as much as buying mice from a store/company. Any suggestions?

[mr. s]

It all depends on what you have time and patience for. Personally, I considered breeding mice or asf for my 6 bps, and 4 colubrids, but it is just not worth it for me. I'd rather buy a bag of frozen ones a couple times a year.
I know a large breeder who lives near me who only breeds mice to feed his hatchlings. The rest of the food is kept in a huge deep freeze packed with dead rodents.

[azmodane]

Time I have, patience I have so I was just wondering whats gonna be more cost efficient, It would only be for 1 bp that i will be getting as a baby. So for that 1 baby bp that will eventually grow is it going to be more cost efficient to buy or breed? I see people looking at the post but no replies, ANY input is help

[RichsBallPythons]

1-5 snakes its not going to save you much if at all to breed your own. Your best off still buying in bulk or from petstores.


food,bedding,cleaning and time costs money and to do that for 5 snakes just isnt worth the work

[mr. s]

It will be significantly cheaper to breed in the long run if dollar amount is all you care about. (Other 'costs' include smell, space in your home, time, etc.)

So what you are really asking is, how much does it cost to set up a breeding group?

Buy mice, a container, bedding, water bottle, and food. That is your over-head, and for the next 20 years of the snakes life you just have to have food for your mice. Have you already searched the forums for this topic, I am sure it has been discussed in depth in the past.

[azmodane]

I tried searching but after like 5 pages and failed search words i gave up. But was doing some price comparison from here, reptile show and online and it looks like for just the 1 snake I'd prolly be breaking even or saving maybe 10 bucks every 6 months without the smell of the mice.

[SnakeSKIN]

We only have one BP, and we've tried breeding for awhile to see if it was more cost effective than buying mice, and to be honest we realized we are just better off buying mice instead of breeding them. Our BP only eats about one to two mice every week to two weeks, and where we get them is only $1.50 a pop. It was fun for the time being, but for us we felt it was better just to buy them at what they cost.

With breeding you have to invest in getting the tank set up, with water, food, bedding, cleaning, etc. It's actually quite easy if you just have one or two mating pairs, but really its up to you whether you want to find the time to do all of that. Either way can't hurt you, since you've only got one BP to work off of. It would be a good learning experience for yourself if you want to have more snakes in the future or to learn how to do it!

What I would suggest though is before buying from a local pet store for mice, search around your town for breeders or specialized reptile shops that have frozen or live feeder mice. The mice at pet stores where I live go for $2.79, but a specialized reptile shop we found in town has them for $1.50, and you might be able to find it for less if you look on craigslist for people who breed (sometimes they'll post their business).

[theturtlepond]

$6-8 Breeding Mice
$4-10 - Cage
$2-4 - Water Bottle
$5-10 Bedding for a few months
+ Food
+ Smell
+ Your Time

So would it be worth all of that for $8 a month for snake food. I would say no unless you plan to buy many more snakes.

[PurplePython]

I'd say it is worth it to breed your own mice veen if you only have 1 snake.

Think about it, you need a mouse every 5-7 days, so thats like 4-6 mice per month (about)

Go buy 2 males, and 6 females or 1 male and 3 females for a smaller breeding project. That will cost about $1.50-$3.00 per mouse.

Since you only have 1 snake I will assume that your going to start off with 1 male and 3 females.

Mice - $6-$12 (Total)
Bedding - $7 for 41 liters of aspen at petsmart (Lasts about 6 weeks)
Food - Mazuri rat/mouse diet $6 for a bag that will last you 5 weeks
Water - Barely anything.
Other things - excersize wheel, salt wheel, water dispenser, hide - $15 (make the hide out of a cheap dollar store plastic bowl)

Thats somewhere between $34-$45 for your startup cost. You can use cheap rubbermaid tubs (the big ones) to make a simple mouse/rat tub. Or use any spare 10 gallon tubs you have laying around. I made mine out of rubbermaid tubs (I made 4 of them for less than $30 total)

About every 6 weeks, you will need to buy more bedding and food, which will cost less than $15

After the startup costs, you will actually be saving money after X ammount of months. If you eventually have 2 snakes, youll be definately saving a lot....

BREED YOUR OWN MICE! It will eventually save money and it's a fun project.

Also, if you feed live mice, these people arnt even factoring in the cost of gas to drive to go get the mice.

[mommanessy247]

i was wondering the same thing... breeding vs. buying... i will only have 1 snake as well. mice at my local petsmart cost cost $7.99 ea. major ouch, thats $39.95 for mice for 1 month!
not to mention the rats cost $11.99 ea. thats $59.95 for rats for 1 month!
definitely better off breeding, in my opinion.