Curious about breeding, good idea?

[skinnyrascal]

I've been reading up on the different ball python morphs and am just blown away by some of them. I currently have a female pastel and it seems they produce some of the coolest morphs! If I ever got into breeding I would just want to make sure it was worth my time and efforts. I wouldn't sell them for crazy amounts but would still want to get a good chunk of pocket change out of it. Have any of you had good success with breeding? Would you recommend it to make money, or is it just a hobby that pays for itself? Are there enough people willing to pay a few hundred $ for ball python morphs?

[HerpsForDerps]

While I can't speak from experience because I have not bred yet myself, I'm sure most people will say do not go into it just with the hopes of making money because chances are you will be disappointed. You have to love the hobby itself first.

I would venture to say the vast majority of people do not see profits for the first few years, with a substantial investment being necessary first if you are really interested to make some money. The initial investment in thermostats, racks, snakes, care time, etc. usually will not be made back within just a few seasons of breeding. You need to grow your collection and breeding stock with holdbacks and new acquisitions each breeding season. It's a labor of love.

There is quite a large market for ball python morphs. There are plenty of people willing to spend a few hundred or a few thousand dollars on quality snakes. Strive to produce quality animals that are solid eaters and you will be on the right track.

Pastels are a great entry morph that can produce many amazing combos . Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck! This is the best community for learning and I'm sure someone with much more experience than myself will chime in.

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[Simplex]

If u want to get into breeding to make "decent pocket" change. Your doing it for the wrong reasons.

Tbh. Thats the exact reason i got into it.. However...
After having 20 snakes and not being able to sell them, i went to my first reptile show, didnt sell any there either. But what i did do is spend 2 days talking about snakes, educating kids, and having a blast. Now my opinion has changed. Im just as excited hatchling out a normal as i am a lesser. You need to love snakes, not money. Im lucky i learned it early on, but i know of ppl locally that only care about the money. And its not the right way of thinking imho. The snakes suffer

[4Ballz]

Well, I am over $2500 into it, and I have not even got into breeding. My largest female isn't even 1300 grams yet. So, if you know you have the time, money, and dedication, then read all the info you can before getting into it. Luckily for me, I've been off for 9 months, and this was a great time to be on here and study the things I need.

I breed my own rats and mice (I will be getting rid of the mice soon, as they did their job).

I only have two 5 pvc racks, but have 11 snakes. One is in quarantine.

Am I looking for abundance of money in this? No, because I think to even get abundance of money like that, you need to spend abundance of money.
I have a 5:5 ratio right now, but it would be better to have a 5:20 ratio in my eyes, but that means more money, more space, more food, and more time.

Are you able to plan everything ahead of time, and write down projected spending money to see where you'll be in 2 years?

I think to even gain all my money back, I would need to do this consistently for 5+ years. Depending on my clutches, and if anyone wants to buy what I produce.

Just like in the real world, people prefer "brand names", and if no one knows you, and your animals, they might not buy your product.

Keep in mind, females only produce once a year, unless they decide not to even put out, so you could go another whole year before she decides to give anything for you.

it's a lot of work to keep your animals safe, and healthy.

[Homegrownscales]

I honestly have never kept track of what I've put into my hobby. I love breeding but it's work and a half and that you need to be prepared for. I expect the worse situation. Which isn't the case for the most part ever, but I am prepared to keep and feed and care for every single hatchling for the Rest of their lives if need be. I've cared for babies for over a year before bc they just hadn't found their forever home yet. That in itself is a Job and a half.
If you are wanting to get into it for some pocket change I urge you to rethink. Seriously. You will put way more into this than you'll make. That I can promise you. For folks that are doing this to try and make more money it becomes frustrating and then you quickly lose your intrest and will to work hard in it. No matter what breeding, is something you need to think about carefully and do multitudes of research for. You need to be prepared in every way before you start. I thought and researched for 2 years before starting and then I started with 1 pair and went from there. Just my .02c


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[EverEvolvingExotics]

I don't keep track of what I've spent. I have a good idea but not exact totals. This year was my first year producing. Out of 3 clutches of eggs I produced around 4.5-5K in hatchlings at average market value. I'm only keeping back 2 females from the 26 eggs my girls produced. I am no where near paying off my intial and on going investments. Is that dissapointing? No way! I don't like people saying you can or cannot make money doing this. It will all come down the individual breeders dedication and wise investments or un-wise investments.

I love breeding, but it's not for everyone. That will be up to you to decide.

[h00blah]

Lets see who is making money:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t=making+money

Here is someone who is making money, giving some advice:


I have no idea how difficult it will be for me to sell my baby snakes. Some people have no problem because they're very well established in the industry and/or they consistently produce excellent examples of morphs. I suggest you focus more on what morphs you like, and what EXACTLY you like in that morph, then go for the best of the best. I plan on breeding for 2 to 3 consecutive years to see if it's something I can continue to do. It sure seems like a lot of fun . I've always wanted to work with animals, but I'm terrible at science/math to become a vet or a zoo keeper. Breeding seems like a perfect alternative haha .

[skinnyrascal]

Thank you very much for the responses! I doubt I will end up doing it but it is good to hear second opinions. I do love snakes and would probably be ecstatic over producing my very own morphs, but sadly I am close to broke and it will probably be a long time before I'll have a job (at which point I wouldn't have much spare time anyhow). I'd never start a breeding project if worse came to worse, the babies didn't sell nor could I afford to keep them all. If anything I will probably just breed (f/t) feeder mice and sell them as I was planning to breed them for my own bp anyhow. Mice are easy to keep and don't require extra expense for heating.

[h00blah]

If anything I will probably just breed (f/t) feeder mice and sell them as I was planning to breed them for my own bp anyhow. Mice are easy to keep and don't require extra expense for heating.

They cost money for clean water, bedding, chow, and housing =p. I know it's not too easy to come by live and frozen feeders consistently so it's always great to have more options .

[skinnyrascal]

True that they need bedding, but that's about it. My rats mostly lived on leftovers and garden scraps (I eat healthier than what's in most rodent food anyway).

And I know it sounds crazy but I was recently thinking how awesome it would be if ball pythons could be bred with boas. Probably not possible, but they'd look sweet.