Where'd yah start...where are ya now?

[kevinb]

So I'm curious to the responces to this question. Everyone has to start somewheres with something or another, but this is a BP forum so let's talk about that.

The questions:
1.) When starting with bps what did you have?
2.) Where are you now/feel you are now (what's your collection like, do you know more than you did, what do you see in the future?)


I will start since I'm beginning this thread.

I started with a 2011 pastel after months of looking into it, I then proceeded to get a Mojave pos het for OG in the hopes of breeding. I just recently had to let them go, but as soon as I have a place that allows them I will be back into them. I feel I have come a long way knowledge wise in the short time I had them, from keeping my temp and humidty levels right to keeping records of everything they did or didn't do. After my christmas shopping is over and I get my cat neutered I will be saving for when I can have them. I won't be starting out with the normal morphs this time, but the more high end base morphs. I plan to start my new collection with a pastel phantom female and a pastel spector male, along with a leopard, tiger, and het puma if I can find one for under $5k. I also like the idea of crystals and mystics so those are on the list as well.

So guys and gals.....answer away!

[pbjtime8908]

i stated in may with a week of research and a normal from the pet store. he was in a 10 gal aquarium with a heat pad on bottom and a heat lamp above and temps/humidity that went all over the place constantly. now i have 10 bps and a boa in a rack with temps/humidity that stays rite where they should be. i have definitely learned a lot and 95% of it from this forum and i think all my snakes would be happy to say thnx bp.net!

[Skittles1101]

I started with my male 2010 normal Julius. I've always loved reptiles but was never allowed to have them growing up, then I got married young and my EX husband never allowed it. It took me almost a year to recooperate after my divorce, where I finally realized there was nothing stopping me from getting a ball python. I only intended to get one, so I got a normal male, and it escalated from there. Now I have 9 ball pythons, a boa, 2 pet rats, a leopard gecko, a crested gecko, a tortoise, and two tarantulas lol. I am planning on getting more, I am expecting a female pinstripe from Patrick (Action Reptiles) and am hoping to add a yellow belly pair and a female fire, and hopefully a lesser (either sex) in the near future. I am also expecting more Ts

I've learned a ton. I thought I knew a lot before, but I had no idea. I've since signed up at URI to go to school for zoology, and I want to work with reptiles for a living

The start of it all...

[Munizfire]

My first (and only, FOR NOW) is my Female Pinstripe. I am quite happy with her alone, and since I know that more than 1 BP will be a burden for now, I plan to keep her alone for a couple more months (maybe a bit more).

However, once I get settled in, I plan on buying a male Bumblebee (nice possibilities on that pair) and maybe an Orange Ghost or a Pied or a couple of Black Pastels, or something like that...

I don't dream of High end morphs (like the banana /drool) because I'm realistic and I acknowledge that most of my money (try +/- 60%) goes to my guitars/amps and also I have other expenses (like an expensive Girlfriend >.<). To be more real, I really doubt I could feel ok with parting of anywhere from 3k dollars on a snake for now (however I can spend it in guitars )

But, yea, I do visualize myself in a couple of years with a presentable collection






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[mattchibi]

Those sound like awesome projects, are you gonna be able to afford them though? Also, do you have any breeding experience? I am a new snake owner too and I will be investing in some mid-end single gene females and double gene males to start off breeding. All of them will be hatchlings so I really get the hang of ball pythons before I fully dive into breeding. Another thing to think about, after calculating every cost per year of owning it, plus the cost of the snake and possible medical bills, it really adds up. I really dont know how some people afford to keep 30+ snakes, but it sounds like the dream to me. If you have the money to start up already, then dont mind me Either way, good luck! It sounds like youre super stoked!

PS: oops forgot to answer the question, I have a normal female now who is what started my love for ball pythons. I have no plans on breeding her because shes really small for a 3 year old because of her previous owner. In the near future, I plan to pick up a Lesser, Pastel and possibly Albino females. The males can wait another year before I make that investment. hope that answered it heh

[Kinra]

I haven't been doing this very long. I got my first BP in October of last year. I had wanted one for a long time and I ended up getting a normal from a pet store. They said they couldn't sex it for me and it certainly wasn't a hatchling. It turned out to be a small female.

I've come a long way in terms of husbandry. For about 4-5 months I didn't take very good care of her until I stopped to re-evaluate everything. Now, while I still can't say everything is perfect, it's a lot better. I have a rack setup, thermostats, proper heating and humidity and I'm actually feeding correctly. The thing I'm still working on is my documentation. Paper doesn't work so well with 30 snakes.

As for my collection, I think it's almost complete for a while. I have 2 more males I have to add to my collection and probably another female or 2. I'm really happy with my collection and I have most of the morphs I want to work with. I hope in the future to get some nice hold backs and make trades for other morphs I want to work with.

[mainbutter]

Pythons in general have come many years after my first experiences as a reptile keeper.

But since you're focusing on BPs

1) It started in 2008 with a normal. I was out of college and could finally have pets again without worrying about travelling across the country every 10 weeks.

2) I never dove in head-first into ball pythons specifically. Right now we only have a pair of morphs that will hopefully score us a SPOG in the 2012-2013 season.


If you asked me about where I started with herps and where I am now, the answer is more complex:

1) It started with catching anoles in my backyard as a 5 year old, however my first 'pet' was a corn snake at 7.

2) In the past 18 years, I have kept over 20 species of snake, lizard, gecko, and tortoise. My girlfriend and I currently keep about a dozen species of animals (mostly snakes) that includes one fish species and two mammalians. I have active breeding projects that have produced animals for multiple years in a row, though the majority of my interests are in slower-growing animals that are all about a year or two away from their first breeding seasons. In 2012, projects that may come to fruition are:
- albino to 400+g normal w. hognose
- POG bp to pastel het OG
- rainbow boas
- ambilobe panther chams
- REALLY hoping I can get my bullheads to breed in captivity.. that's going to be the trickiest one. No broods are quite as cool as a thousand tiny catfish in a big bait ball

[L.West]

My addiction started when I took my son to a reptile show to buy a lizard. I was walking around looking at all the snakes and realized I just had to have one. I went home, bought all the stuff "I thought" I needed and went back to the next show and purchased my first normal bp.

She was kept in a 29 gallon aquarium with a heat mat and dome light. What a nightmare that set up was to keep accurate temps and humidity. I quickly purchased her a RBI cage with an RHP and she was styling then.

Since then, I now have 6 bp's and 1 milksnake all kept in RBI racks. I have a designated snake room in my house - I love to spend time with my snakes.

My first girl - the normal bp is still with me and went from 175 grams all the way to 1,800 grams. She is my first baby and will always hold a spot in my heart.

[zeion97]

Owing a snake was always a dream for me. I was never allowed to have one as a child, and my mom was terrified. So the years passed, I volunteered at pet stores and worked with snakes on and off, anything from balls to boas and even a yellow anaconda.. but shortly after culinary school I came home, still trapped and unable to leave beneath all my schools bills I began looking around. One day after work I went to PetSmart.. I looked Down in to the Aquarium with the ball pythons and made eye contact with one.. It started at me, for what seemed like eternity. I looked at it and said, "you want a home don't you?" And it just tilted It head to the side like it was answering me. After this.. I knew it had to be my first. I picked him up and took him home. Not even 3 days later I got my second. A mean one.. a Super Black Pastel, a gorgeous girl.. shortly after I went to the NARBC in Tinley park and bought 3 snakes, a Burmese, a Super Pastel and a normal. I started with 1, and in onlly 6 months have 5. (Well six...our first Burmese passed...) it's an obsession that I can't stop. I love my Pythons.

[kevinb]

Great posts everyone! Keep them coming!

In responce to my high end list. The short answer is no, I won't be able to afford them all at once....but they will end up in my pocession at some point. I will be a LPN by this time next year which where I live makes decent starting money $13-15/hr....compared to my $8/hr I make now. I am then going on to get my RN which makes even more to start. I may eventually become a Dr.....not sure yet, but it would be nice to have the title and paycheck. :p

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