First time breeder?

[therunaway]

Hi guys, and gals. I am looking into breeding ball pythons in the next season and possibly the season after, and I was curious as to what morphs are hot right now & which sire & dame make the morph. I am only looking to spend 200-300 dollars on each snake & then tubs, incubator, etc. Any tips & other advice are welcome!

[Rob]

I don't know how much prior experience you have with owning snakes, but I would highly recommend you have a few years in before breeding. You should assume that you will be keeping all the snakes you hatch out for life, because there is not guarantee they will sell. As for hot, white snakes seem to be very popular. So a lesser/lesser or lesser/mojave pairing could be a very economical way of producing "white" snakes. Whatever you decide good luck and do your homework.

[therunaway]

Thanks, I've been doing research for about a year. That is why I said, I'm going to wait until next season or the season after. (:

[Tempestas]

Go for what you like the look of Remember to look at Baby photos and adult photos ( some change dramatically when older and you might not like them )

Welcome to the jungle

[Royal Hijinx]

You will be at the bottom of the "game" so to speak as a new breeder, so I would go with what you like. Who knows what will be hot in the basic 2 gene combos starting at your price range for ingredients. Hot is a VERY moving target in this market. There are a lot of options in your price range. IMO Enchi should be one of them, and whatever else you like after that.

Look HARD at your budget. Food and upkeep are expensive, as is getting the proper housing. Also be prepared for vet bills. MANY folks are very poorly prepared for some or all of that.

I suggest:

Male:
Lesser

Females (pick 2 or 4):
Enchi
Mojave
Yellowbelly
Fire

That would make a hot breeding group for not a lot of cash. But, do not skimp on quality. If it means getting one less snake to afford to make your others higher quality stock, then so be it.

[h00blah]

X2 @ Jinx.

Think about what you want to produce, whether in the long run, or right now. Look at the current designer morphs, and decide which is your favorite, then go out and buy the best ingredients!

People will tell you to get "quality" which means go for whatever YOU think is the best representation for the morph. You can also go for whatever looks unique and cool to YOU.

How many snakes are you looking to purchase? Do you have enough space for them? Do you have a source to get both frozen AND live rodents of various sizes? I found this to be a huge problem for me when I first got started, and I don't see this question being asked to too many people.

[Andybill]

You will be at the bottom of the "game" so to speak as a new breeder, so I would go with what you like. Who knows what will be hot in the basic 2 gene combos starting at your price range for ingredients. Hot is a VERY moving target in this market. There are a lot of options in your price range. IMO Enchi should be one of them, and whatever else you like after that.

Look HARD at your budget. Food and upkeep are expensive, as is getting the proper housing. Also be prepared for vet bills. MANY folks are very poorly prepared for some or all of that.

I suggest:

Male:
Lesser

Females (pick 2 or 4):
Enchi
Mojave
Yellowbelly
Fire

That would make a hot breeding group for not a lot of cash. But, do not skimp on quality. If it means getting one less snake to afford to make your others higher quality stock, then so be it.

Here, here! This is exactly what I was gonna say.... even though I still need 4 of those listed I am going to be adding one of them probably enchi or fire here in the coming months... cant go wrong here.

[Andybill]

How many snakes are you looking to purchase? Do you have enough space for them? Do you have a source to get both frozen AND live rodents of various sizes? I found this to be a huge problem for me when I first got started, and I don't see this question being asked to too many people.

Agreed. You have to be prepared for a picky eater. Though I dont have a huge problem I do have one that wont take frozen thawed, so make sure you have a means to get live rodents

[therunaway]

You will be at the bottom of the "game" so to speak as a new breeder, so I would go with what you like. Who knows what will be hot in the basic 2 gene combos starting at your price range for ingredients. Hot is a VERY moving target in this market. There are a lot of options in your price range. IMO Enchi should be one of them, and whatever else you like after that.

Look HARD at your budget. Food and upkeep are expensive, as is getting the proper housing. Also be prepared for vet bills. MANY folks are very poorly prepared for some or all of that.

I suggest:

Male:
Lesser

Females (pick 2 or 4):
Enchi
Mojave
Yellowbelly
Fire

That would make a hot breeding group for not a lot of cash. But, do not skimp on quality. If it means getting one less snake to afford to make your others higher quality stock, then so be it.

X2 @ Jinx.

Think about what you want to produce, whether in the long run, or right now. Look at the current designer morphs, and decide which is your favorite, then go out and buy the best ingredients!

People will tell you to get "quality" which means go for whatever YOU think is the best representation for the morph. You can also go for whatever looks unique and cool to YOU.

How many snakes are you looking to purchase? Do you have enough space for them? Do you have a source to get both frozen AND live rodents of various sizes? I found this to be a huge problem for me when I first got started, and I don't see this question being asked to too many people.

I would most likely get four snakes, and yes, I plan on making a small rack system for the breeders & then a hatchling rack, I do have a source for frozen & live various size rodents. Should I do Mojo & Lesser or possibly try my luck at a Pastel & Fire, or even a Lesser & Fire?

[Royal Hijinx]

Of the pairings I gave you, Lesser Enchi is by far currently the most valuable. The other 3 combos are in the same ballpark (The BEL may be worth a bit more).

Honestly, I would no bother with Pastel unless it is already attached to one of the snakes you buy in combo (Ex: Pastel Lesser)