Quote Originally Posted by zues View Post
Welcome to BP.net. You can learn a ton of info from the people on this site. I grew up in Naples. Been gone for about 12 years but still visit family there often. I think you are on the right track with starting off with females. No need for a male for probably two years or so. You didn't say what kind of budget you are working with so that makes giving ideas a little hard. Spider and pastel females would be the cheapest morphs to start with is money is a huge concern but I would go a little higher end if you can. If you can afford 800-1000 dollar range I would suggest a lesser and a bee female. Lessers give you many possibilities down the road, and the bee gives you both the pastel and the spider gene. You also have one of the top breeders in the country, in my opinion, right in your back yard. Mark and Kim Bell are located in Naples. They own Reptile Industries and are a big time breeder. Not sure how much they deal with the public now days but you could give them a call when you are serious about buying and see what they have.
haha actually Mark and Kim live a couple streets down from me. I actually contacted them when I was looking to get my first ball python--they really don't deal with the public very much, its all through their website. I am hoping to get in contact with Kim again now that I am more interested in breed and not just buying a single snake. I heard their facility is amazing, there is a youtube video giving a tour, it's amazing.

I found a thread called "I've been bit by the bug" and whoever wrote the initial post sounds just like me! There was a lot of great advise and information. I haven't really decided on a price range actually...I know that sounds ridiculous but I'm not sure if I would rather spend $200-300 per female and get 3-4 females....or.....go drop $600-700 on a really nice male (like the bumblebee that was suggested in that other thread) and then buy a couple large female normals.

I don't have thousands to spend to start out....but I am willing to drop $1000 or so to get a few nice snakes. I understand this is a long process...but the thought of perhaps getting a high quality male and get a couple large females ready to breed and then breeding this coming season excites me to no end! I was thinking I would get 3-4 morph females....wait a year or 2 until they are adult and ready to breed and then find a male.

Are there any other considerations such as the male bumblebee being bred to some normal females?

I have two young het pieds right now but they are a long ways away from being large enough to breed. And I have a normal male that I wasnt planning on breeding (just don't see the point I guess). But yes please any advice on combinations would be greatly appreciated! I am hoping to find a reptile show/expo in Florida within the next month or 2 (there used to be on in Orlando every summer) and I hope to have my "plan" on paper so if I go I know exactly what to look for.

I am so very excited and thrilled to have found such a great forum which such wonderful information! Thanks again!