I didn't say you were talking about a puppy mill. I was just showing you that you might buy a few nice morphs now, and by the time you have babies to sell, they will be worth much less then what you paid, meaning you will not make a profit.
You might make enough money to support the hobby but that is assuming you can even sell all of the hatchlings you want to sell.
Wether you like it or not, the ball python market is pretty saturated. Just don't expect to make your money back.
Initial start up costs are going to be high. A nice rack is over $300. Combine that with heat and a thermostat and you are looking at around $400-$450 for a basic rack setup. Food is also going to be a major cost, probably about $25 a month if you go with frozen. If you breed rats, then you are going to need to buy food and bedding and housing for them too.
Then there is housing for the babies. The most cost effective route is another rack, but those are still going to cost you a bit. You also need to be prepared in the event you can't sell any of the babies. You need to be able to properly house them for their entire lives.
As for an incubator, there a lot of nice ones you can buy but again, they are very expensive. You can make your own with a mini fridge or freezer, but you will need another $100 thermostat and heating to go in there.
As for the egg laying box, ball pythons don't need a lay-box like a gecko does. They will just move the substrate out of the way and lay right there.
I am not trying to shoot you down, believe me. I have 5 ball pythons right now and all are "basic" morphs. I won't be breeding until this fall. I am very excited to breed these animals but I am not looking to make a profit. If anything, I will be extremely lucky if I break even. Don't just think that because you buy a couple nice looking snakes and breed them that you are going to make any money at all. You might not even make a cent. THAT is a business mindset.
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