Aspiring Breeder. Needs Tips, Advice, Has Many Questions :D

[Sammy Shadow]

Hello, I plan on getting in to breeding BPs in a few years, I would like any tips for a first time breeder. I plan on getting some nice base morphs soon like a Spider, Mojave(s), maybe even a Fire(s). I don't really want to get in t huge projects I just want to breed a few for my self ;p

Some questions I have are..
What are some books to buy for breeding BPs ? I have a book on genetics I got from vmsherps.
Rack Systems? How and Where can I find a decent one? Can I make my own?
Heating for all of your snakes? What kind of heating do you use?
How?where do you sell your babys?
Bringing up babys?
Incubators? Homemade vs Bought?
Where do you buy your supplies from?
How to tell when your snake is mature enough to breed?
Should I invest in female or male morphs?

If there is anything you would like to add that I didn't ask I would love to know!

[Annarose15]

I'm not trying to be un-helpful, but the search function is your friend, in this situation. Someone could write a book in every post just answering the questions you posted. Start with the stickied posts at the top of each sub-forum, and work your way down from there. If you don't find what you need by searching, then ask those specific (narrower) questions.

[Wapadi]

Wow loads of of questions!!

1. I love the book Designer Morphs by John R Berry. Absolutely worth the $90!!
2. We made our first rack out of 2x4s and peg board and 4 in heat tape. It was really heavy but it held the sterilight 15qt and 32 qt so was very multipurpose. We ued that rack for 5 yrs and the only reason I just replaced it last month was my husband is in the military now and we are moved off of weight!
3. Reptile basics is a good company and I bought my heat tape and thermostats from them. And DO NOT skimp on your thermo!! I repeat, BUY A THERMOSTAT! Our first ball got 3rd degree burns bc we bought a cheapo thermo and it shorted out!! I still ust the heat tape on my new pvc rack systems.
4. Kingsnake, BP.net, Facebook and word of mouth.
5. BRINGING UP BABIES? I dont know what you mean....
6. Make your own incubator. Very easy. Pick up a broken mini fridge off craigslist and there are DIY threads here!
7. Reptile Basics, and other breeders. Home Depot, lol
8. We all typically wait till they are 2 yrs old and over 1500 grams in weight.
9. Buy nothing but females first! Males can typically breed their first yr but females need TIME to grow. Yes I know that ____________ male is a good deal and cheaper blah blah blah but you really need to invest in quality females first!!

Must haves : Thermostat, scale, camera, great supplier of rats (since you did not mention breeding your own), a very understanding girlfriend!

[h00blah]

Hello, I plan on getting in to breeding BPs in a few years, I would like any tips for a first time breeder. I plan on getting some nice base morphs soon like a Spider, Mojave(s), maybe even a Fire(s). I don't really want to get in t huge projects I just want to breed a few for my self ;p

Some questions I have are..
What are some books to buy for breeding BPs ? I have a book on genetics I got from vmsherps.

http://www.vpi.com/publications <- many books by them are highly recommended. VPI is also a very respected and reputable company.

Rack Systems? How and Where can I find a decent one? Can I make my own?

You can buy them from other people. There are several companies that build and ship racks. Reptile Basics, Animal Plastics, Freedom Breeder. The costs will vary greatly. Some are extremely professional and EXPENSIVE, others are cheap and effective. Others can chime in on where they get theirs. I buy mine from a local place called Spideys Reptiles. You can also build your own, and there is a section for such projects here: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/forum...y-and-Supplies

Heating for all of your snakes? What kind of heating do you use?

Most people use heat tape, but others use heat pads. Another source of heat is called heat cable. All of these heating elements need to be controlled by a good thermostat as they can overheat and be a potential fire hazard.

How?where do you sell your babys?

There is a classifieds section in this forum, but the 2 main ones that I use are faunaclassifieds.com and market.kingsnake.com

Bringing up babys?

You mean raising? I have raised babies to adulthood, but I haven't raised one right out of the egg. From what I gather, they can be quite difficult to start on a feeding schedule, but it can be done with a lot of patience.

Incubators? Homemade vs Bought?

The incubators I see for sale in retail are extremely expensive. A LOT of people here build their own. Some of these people even create web page tutorials and create youtube videos for them. This could be it's own thread, or some people can reply here .

Where do you buy your supplies from?

What kind of supplies? For substrate, I use paper towels. I buy my hides from ReptileBasicsInc. I buy my water dishes from any retail store, and you can sometimes buy some from other people for cheap. A gram scale will also be an important tool so you can measure your snake's growth by month.

How to tell when your snake is mature enough to breed?

Most people will suggest getting your female up to 1500 grams and have at least 2 winters under her belt or 2 years of age. Males can be ready to breed much sooner at around 400-600 grams, and within a year of age. Everyone has their own way, but that's the general rule of thumb.

Should I invest in female or male morphs?

FEMALES. They take longer to raise up, so first get your females, raise 'em for a year, then buy a male. Alternately, you can buy breeder female normals for $100-$250, and buy a male to raise up to breed to them.

If there is anything you would like to add that I didn't ask I would love to know!

Welcome . From what I gather, breeding isn't something that you can do easily. It will take a lot of work and *PATIENCE*.

Hello! I am also an aspiring breeder, and I've answered some of the questions you asked based on my own research .

[RoseyReps]

Hey there! These are some links I have found pretty helpful in some of the questions you've listed

Rack DIY:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...r-s-Snake-Rack
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...(DUW-Big-Time)
Some of the rack systems I've seen used (bought)
http://www.freedombreeder.com/reptile-racks.html
http://www.boaphileplastics.com/rhinoraxx_choices.html
http://www.reptilebasics.com/reptile-rack-systems
Hatchling care
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Hatchling-Care
Breeding FAQ
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-Breeding-FAQs
egg tub / incubator diy's
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-up-an-egg-tub
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...bator-Tutorial

From what I've read, if you plan on raising your breeders from hatchlings get a female first, then in a year / year and a half get your male. If you plan on working with co-doms/doms you can get your boy first then in a year or so when he's big enough and ready grab a couple normal females to breed him to. (50/50 norm/morph chance) Unless you are wanting to make double gene/triple genes first season, then you could skip the normal step and get a co-dom female, then a double gene male in a year or so. Recessives, definitely get the girl first (girls take longer to reach sexual maturity than boys). Telling when your snakes are big enough to breed seems to be mostly weight related (and health of course). I believe that is covered under the FAQ.

As far as supplies, it seems reptile basics (link under bought racks) is a big winner here on bp.net

Selling babies, well, if you plan on shipping (thankfully much easier now days with places like http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/ ) then places like http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...play.php?f=499
and http://market.kingsnake.com/index.php?cat=32 are great. If you're looking for local sales, craigslist is an option, as well as talking to local stores that might be interested in wholesale buying some normals off you.

Sorry the answers are a bit jumbled. This is just me, a fellow aspiring breeder, trying to help another out. Hopefully some of the experienced keepers and breeders will chime in for you aswell This forum has a wealth of knowledge for us newbies, explore it and you'll find wonderful advice and information! Good luck and welcome!

[Kaorte]

Hello, I plan on getting in to breeding BPs in a few years, I would like any tips for a first time breeder. I plan on getting some nice base morphs soon like a Spider, Mojave(s), maybe even a Fire(s). I don't really want to get in t huge projects I just want to breed a few for my self ;p

Some questions I have are..
What are some books to buy for breeding BPs ? I have a book on genetics I got from vmsherps.
Rack Systems? How and Where can I find a decent one? Can I make my own?
Heating for all of your snakes? What kind of heating do you use?
How?where do you sell your babys?
Bringing up babys?
Incubators? Homemade vs Bought?
Where do you buy your supplies from?
How to tell when your snake is mature enough to breed?
Should I invest in female or male morphs?

If there is anything you would like to add that I didn't ask I would love to know!

I'll start this off with a disclaimer: Be prepared to spend all of your money (and more) on these snakes. This hobby is addictive and however many snakes you decide to have will never be enough!


My favorite book is the VPI book on ball pythons. "Ball Pythons of the World Vol II". It has everything (and I mean everything) about ball pythons. Every single detail you could possibly imagine. breeding, housing, problems, pictures, morphs, I could go on forever.

You could buy a rack, but if you are handy I would build one first. I build my rack and it works perfectly fine Heating kind of goes with this. I think almost everyone here uses flex watt heat tape for belly heat. You can buy this stuff by the foot for next to nothing... 3-4$ a foot. You can heat a rack for about 20-30$ which is about the retail price for one large heat pad at a pet store.

Selling babies, that is something I have not had to do yet. I'm lucky there are a lot of reptile lovers in my area, but I would have no problem shipping snakes through Shipyourreptiles.com if I needed to.

Bringing up babies is something you should probably try to do first before you start breeding. Get a few baby snakes and raise them up for breeding. Then you will know how to do it

I think most people use home made incubators. It's really easy to convert a mini fridge to an incubator with some heat tape and a thermostat.

I buy a lot of my supplies locally at a reptile show, but when they don't have what I need I buy it online. reptilebasics.com is a popular place to check out.

You don't "tell" if a snake is old enough to breed, you know. 1,500g is the minimum weight for females, 700g for males. Males have a little more wiggle room but for females, the heavier the better. It usually takes about 2-3 years to raise a female up to a breed able age.


Females or males... Well females are more valuable because of their ability to produce eggs. If you want some cool morph combos they are going to be expensive. A male will bring down the price a bit so if you want a double or triple gene I would go for the male and get some single genes or normals to breed with him. But that is my opinion. You can do whatever you want.

Hope this helps!

[WingedWolfPsion]

Hello, I plan on getting in to breeding BPs in a few years, I would like any tips for a first time breeder. I plan on getting some nice base morphs soon like a Spider, Mojave(s), maybe even a Fire(s). I don't really want to get in t huge projects I just want to breed a few for my self ;p

Some questions I have are..
What are some books to buy for breeding BPs ? I have a book on genetics I got from vmsherps.

The Complete Ball Python, by Kevin McCurley

Rack Systems? How and Where can I find a decent one? Can I make my own?

Animal Plastics. You can make your own, if you have the time, space, and know-how (and a router).

Heating for all of your snakes? What kind of heating do you use?

Flexwatt or heat cable controlled by a Herpstat thermostat.

How?where do you sell your babys?

Advertise online on Kingsnake, Fauna, Oodle, and everywhere else you possibly can. Vend at a local show.

Bringing up babys?

There's a learning curve. Read up carefully on tricks to encourage difficult starters, you will have a few every year.

Incubators? Homemade vs Bought?

I use Hovabators controlled by a Herpstat thermostat. Ball python eggs are amazingly delicate and you may get deformities and deaths if temperatures jump above 91 or fall below 87.

Where do you buy your supplies from?

Big Apple Herp, the Bean Farm, Spyder Robotics, RodentPro, and Animal Plastics, mainly.

How to tell when your snake is mature enough to breed?

Males should be 500 grams and have good body condition. Females should be 1500 grams and have good body condition.

Should I invest in female or male morphs?

Male morphs, and adult female normals, to start out. Later, you will want female recessive morphs, and other female morphs.

If there is anything you would like to add that I didn't ask I would love to know!

Don't let them tell you it can't be done, but do it smart--if it's a business, run it like a business, and pay attention to all the numbers. If it's a hobby business, pay attention to your numbers! If it's a hobby, expect to lose money. Never find yourself in a position where you can't feed your animals, or take a sick snake to a vet.

[iCandiBallPythons]

Man if it all were just that easy as it looks in black in white we would all have it made

[don15681]

best advice is to read read read on forums like this one. go to reptile shows and talk to breeders, most will talk to you and answer questions when they are not busy with customers. and the vpi book is second to none (my opinion).

[SlitherinSisters]

I agree, do a lot of reading and searching on this site. There is so much to learn.

The two pieces of advice I wished I would have listened to from day one are:

Don't buy cheap, if you are in this for real, start out with the good stuff, you don't have to get the best of the best, but you want good equipment.

Buy females, worry about the males later, maybe get yourself one really good male, but focus on the females for a while. You have a good two years for the females to grow up before you even need to buy a male. Or you could wait three years and find a breeder male.