Quote Originally Posted by CapeFearConstrictors View Post
Let's do a little math with co-doms. Let's say you buy a single gene codom male for $5,000 in 2011. You get him to 800g and breed him in the 2012 breeding season. He successfully breeds three females, giving you 18 eggs. Out of those 18 eggs, you get 9 of the codom mutation. Prices have dropped 30%, so each one is now only worth $3,500. You sell all 9 for that price and make $31,500. Even if you take out expenses, you've made $25,000 from your $5,000 investment in one season. Think gold will do that well?

In the 2013 season, you breed him again, this time he gets 5 females to give you a total of 30 eggs. You get 15 of the mutation, but prices have dropped to $2,400. You sell them all for a total of $36,000. That's an even better return than the previous year.

Let's figure out the labor now. In the above scenario, let's say it takes you three hours a week to maintain that collection of less than 10 snakes. So that's 156 hours for two years of work. That earns you over $300 per hour of work.

This isn't including mixing that gene with other genes to make even more valuable animals. I think you can see where this is going. I guarantee your $5,000 investment in gold won't net you over $50,000 in two years. There are very few investments that can do that. It's true that the ball python market can be volatile, and there are risks associated with working with live animals, but if you spend your money wisely, you can make a very good return on your investment.

If you buy pastels and spiders and expect to make your money back in a season or two, you're kidding yourself. But if you spend good money on good investments, seeing a return in a single season isn't out of the realm of possibility.
"My boy is wicked smart!" -Good Will Hunting, haha