Female age/weight, Male weight/female Ratio? Estimating Profit of Pairings?

[meowmeowkazoo]

I'm always glad to see new people in the hobby, but I wanted to add a note of caution here.

From your question about the profitability of pairings, and your plans to get a pretty fancy male, I get the sense that you are entering ball python breeding with the hope to make a profit.

It is a lot of work, patience, and heartache. Ball pythons are picky eaters, and may go off feed for months, causing you to pull out your hair because you thought they would be ready this season. Or they might just not feel like breeding. If the deal is sealed, you may not get the best odds with your hatchlings, or you might miss the female ovulating.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the price of ball python morphs drops every year. A snake that you spent $5,000 on this year may end up being worth half that when you finally get him breeding.

I guess what I am trying to say is that this is not the best hobby for making money. If you are truly passionate about the animals you keep, then it might be worth it for you. But for just plain profit, you could probably do better working at McDonald's.

No offense intended, not trying to imply that you are not passionate about your animals. Just food for thought.