Quote Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki
A couple of thoughts ...

1. Make sure you are buying what you like .... There's nothing worse than cleaning snake $hit for 3 years while you're raising up your girls thinking to yourself "I wish I had bought morph xxxx".

2. I have never had a male ball python not breed .... eventually. Some will go very young and some will take longer than others, but sooner or later they all come around.

3. As supply increases, prices will drop ... There is NO way around it. But if you think about it like this ... Your snakes will breed for 20+ years! ... Even if the price of those animals drops by 75% the day after you buy them, if you can figure out how to breed them you will make your money back plus a profit in time. If you're looking to get your money back as fast as humanly possible, then I'd say that you're probably going to get your feelings hurt.

If you're "investing" in ball pythons morphs, they are no different than any other investment .... For example, if you purchased stock in Microsoft 6 weeks ago and needed to sell it today, you'd lose money (about $3 - $4 per share), but if you bought Microsoft 7 years ago and stuck with it, followed that market, and sold on the highs and bought on the lows, you'd have a very nice nest egg right now.

The ball python market is very strong and if you have a plan and stick to that plan there is a good deal of money to be made no matter where the price of any individual morph goes. But, if you're just trying to make money, I promise you that selling second hand items and home made tie dye shirts on Ebay is going to be a LOT easier than breeding snakes.

4. Final thoughts ... females don't all grow at the same rate ... some girls are breedable at 3 years, others won't go until they are 5 and even later. Some girls, even with the proper age and weight, just won't lay eggs in a given year ... others crank them out like they are machines!! .... Sometimes females for no reason other than the fact that they feel like it, just take a year off. There's a reason that actors have that joke about never working with children or animals .... cause they have their own minds and right when you want them to do something, they'll make you look foolish.

As far as a back up male goes, it's definitely a good idea, but you have some time .... I think your choices are solid, but definitely definitely make a plan!

-adam
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This is why Adam is THE man. I have learned more from him than from a handful of books!

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I think that the most important thing he mentioned is breed what you like. Now Adam, send me a pair of het caramels. I love them!