I don't know much about the business side of things but I know there are a lot of people like me who started out 2 years ago with 4 snakes and is now headed towards 8 or more. We're just people who like pet snakes!

As long as the government doesn't restrict me from owning as many snakes as will fit my office shelf, I'm going to continue providing the ball python industry with a customer. They are really awesome snakes that provide my family with the perfect "symbiotic" pet relationship - our inability to provide the snakes with constant attention makes it better for the snakes! I mean - if I just leave my dog in the house for more than 8 hours, he goes psychotic.

The more "common" ball pythons become (more in the lower price point), the more customers for the pet side of things (as opposed to the breeder side) are going to come out of the woodwork and continue to provide for a thriving industry.

The problem is - a lot of breeders get nervous when the piebald pair that they bought for $5000 3 years ago hatch out only 2 pied babies that they can only sell for $1,500 apiece. 3 years and they still haven't gotten their investment money. They don't face their $5,000 investment as a "real" business, calculating return on investments with the future market in mind. This is not a get-rich-quick-scheme. Sometimes it takes a long time for one breeding pair to see a profit. Breeders have to be in this for the long haul if they expect to make this their primary source of income.

We're just here for the love of snakes...