Well, I'm just getting into ball pythons, and yes I am picking my snakes with possible breeding plans in the future.
Why? Because I am looking for a hobby. I have always loved animal husbandry. I grew up in farm country and have been breeding and raising various animals since I was 6. Everything from rabbits and chickens, to horses and goats, all the way to bearded dragons and tarantulas.
I love the process of pairing parents and the rush of hitting the odds for that right genetic combination in the off spring.
I had to give up breeding and raising animals for several years while I was living in apartments. I'm in my own house now but it is in the suburbs. I also work from home on the phone. So I needed something quiet, that could be left in my spare bedroom. Snakes seem to fit the bill. I worked in a pet store for years and cared for all the snakes there. The balls were my favorite.
I have no intention of making big money in this. I'm choosing morphs that I like. My goals are to produce healthy snakes that look awesome from hatchling to adult. I am planning to work mostly with recessive gene combos because A.) I like them - What snake can't be improved with a bit of pied or some clownand B.)by the very nature of recessive genes, they do tend to hold their value better. Now that last part is less to do with me making money and more to do with me being able to find good homes for the offspring I produce. A $400 - $500 snake is less of an impulse purchase then a $50 snake. Less likely to be neglected.
On a side note, along side the snakes I am also getting back into Ts. Which incidentally I DID make good money on 15 or so years ago. I am NOT however looking to make a profit on them either this time around. I am selecting a handful of harder to breed species that are threatened in the wild and popular in the hobby. I want to help relieve the pressure on wild populations of those guys. So breeding for conservationplus I like me a good challenge!
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