Looking into breeding as a lifestyle.

[RockNRollProcelain]

First of all, do you prefer maternal incubation or using an incubator? (I would probably use an incubator, but I am quite curious about this one.)

- My personal preference is Maternal Incubation, as I feel that a mother snake is far better suited to know what is right for her eggs than I am. As long as I take care of mommy snake, then the eggs should be just fine.

What incubator do you believe to be the best for incubating BP eggs?

- This is all personal preference. I have friends that make incubators out of Styrofoam containers, Tupperware, UTH, etc and have great results. I have other friends who spend hundreds of dollars on top of the line incubators and have great results as well.

If you were to make your own incubator, what did you use and how did you ensure that it was perfect for the eggs?

- I've never made my own, as I prefer MI. Sorry! But I hear YouTube has some great How-To's for making incubators!

How many of you breed and make a reasonable profit from it? Do you believe that you made the right decision?

- Lol. A profit from breeding BPs. Unless you are able to have several clutches every year (and I mean like dozens) and the clutches give you higher end morphs, or morph combinations that people are looking for, there really isn't a profit. You basically just make back the money that you spend on the animals. After all, if you keep 10 snakes, that means that every week you're buying 10 meals. Even if your mice/rats are $1 each, that's $10/week and $520 a year. Add in housing supplies - Tubs, Racks, Substrate, Heat Tape, UTH, Heat Lamps, etc - for 10 snakes, and you're in easily over $400 or $500 (this is a super SUPER low estimate, where you basically make everything yourself). Then the cost of electricity to keep all those snakes warm. Let's just say that it costs $25/month just for the snakes alone and not the other electricity you use. That comes out to $300/year. So far, our total is about $1320 just to keep the snakes. This doesn't even take into account what you paid for your snakes, which makes the amount being paid even more. For 10 snakes, maybe you paid an average of $300 each (for lower end morphs). That's an additional $3000 you're trying to make up for. And when your snakes only cost about $300, the babies will only be between $3-500 on average, depending on the combinations. This is all hypothetical and estimates, but you can see how the costs quickly add up. The amount you make will depend on how many clutches you get, how many babies are in the clutches, what the morphs are, if you have a market for the babies, etc. And you can't forget that if you have 7 clutches of 6 viable eggs each, that's 42 new mouths you have to feed until someone buys them, which might not be for months, or even years. Or ever. So that's just more cost added before you make any money.

- Do I believe I made the right decision? Absolutely. I don't do this for money. I have started breeding because I think it's incredible to see the different patterns and morphs that can come about through breeding. I love seeing the way nature takes its course. I love seeing the incredible variation in the genetics of these incredible animals. I love building and shaping my collection through my own breeding, choosing which babies I want to keep for myself, and which I'm willing to part with. I love planning out various projects, and seeing what nature hands me, whether it goes according to plan or not at all. If I did this for the money, I'd hate myself a little bit. But since I do it for my love of the animals? Definitely the right decision.

What suggestions or insight can you guys give me into the world of breeding ball pythons?

- Breed animals that you enjoy and find beautiful, not animals that you think will sell better. After all, if you breed animals that you don't necessarily love, and then you were wrong about how well they would sell? You just got yourself new snakes that you're not crazy about. If you love the animals you breed, then when the clutch hatches, you're bound to end up with animals you will love as well, and if you end up keeping them all it won't be as much of a mental hardship. =] That would be my best advice. Oh, and don't ever EVER be afraid to ask questions. Email breeders who have been doing this forever (I know I do). People are SO excited about sharing their information, and love when new people enter the hobby. So always always ALWAYS ask questions. There's no such thing as a stupid question. =]

If you do decide to start breeding, GOOD LUCK! And have fun!