Quote Originally Posted by Suimaru View Post
Long time lurker, first time poster. I'll get to the point.

I recently decided that I wanted to get into breeding balls, so I picked up a few juvenile males (Pastel, Yellow Belly, Het Ultramel) with the intent of breeding them in the future. I picked up a Spider female to pair up with the Pastel and aim for bumblebees, and was going to pick up a female Yellow Belly to aim for Ivories.

However; I had the chance to grab three big normal females for next to nothing. They're 4,000grams, 2,200 grams, and 1800 grams. Now I'm at the impasse as to where to go from here. Should I try to pick up a 2-3 gene male to breed to all of them, and put the pastel/yellow belly projects on the back burner? Heck, should I sell off the Pastel and Yellow Belly to fund a 3-gene? If purchasing a 3-gene is a good option, what genetics should I look for in order to get the best bang for my buck?

Furthermore...As I mentioned, I'm new at this...how large of a male will I want to breed with the 4,000 gram girl? I just have this worst case fantasy scenario playing out in my head where I put a 1,200gram male in there to attempt breeding and wake up to a cannibalized snake...

So! Could I have some advice? What would *you* guys do from here?
Aswell "bang for your buck" it almost sounds like you expect some good income out of your first season!

Remember its a hobby with some nice incentives to 90% of the breeders here, This being my 2nd year i still am paying off everything iv purchased with selling off babies, From food/bedding/ARS rack/Snakes!!!

Aswell its not always this case, but many snakes will take time to settle in before breeding, So most people plan on a few month cooldown for new females.

This being the case, grab the 3 females, And relax on them, With your other snakes, Use that 4-6 months to Plan out what you want, plan out your finances, and plan out your goal in the end! Nothing with these snakes is quick, but everything often is slow/stressful/never to go as plan, From females not eating at the 1000g mark to that gorgeous 3-4 gene Stud of a male, being lazy and doesn't want any fun with the ladies...

So please step back and realize nothing here is a quick buck! Enjoy it, let it takes its time and embrace it with these wildly addicting animals!