Suggestions about getting started!

[randomdaydream]

You know what they say? You can't just have one ball python.

Right now it's just me and my baby, Angelina. I have had her for awhile and have been thinking about breeding her. Well, not exactly her. I fell in love with reptiles in general. I, however, am on a relatively small budget. I rescued Angelina from a bad owner. I have no idea if she has any recessive genes, but I'm going to go with that she's just a normal little girl.

Question 1) If I was going to start breeding ball pythons, which would be more likely to sell? Normals or morphs? I don't have a huge amount of space and don't want to be stuck with ten little darlings growing up into BIG darlings.

Question 2) What would I keep the little dears in until they went to new homes? Tanks and heating lamps and all that, or something a little more...ahem...basic, yet safe and healthy?

I know I have more questions, but those are it for now. I'm going to the reptile expo in Raleigh, NC September 1&2, so I would like to have a plan by then. *nods*

[Shaun J]

Well, if you are on a tight budget, I suggest you wait until you think you have more room and money to breed ball pythons. Normal Females and morphs usually sell the most.

Breeders usually keep their snakes in tubs. Tanks take up too much room if you are going to breed. If you have two pairs of snakes, then you have to have 4 thirty gallon tanks!! Not to mention, if you are on a small budget, tubs are good because their cheaper (by far!!!) and easier to use.

[NickMyers03]

like he said breeding takes money and time. if you are in it just for the money you have to have a large start to make anything back. tanks will end up costing you more and cause more problems than they will do good. if you bred her to a male and got 6 eggs then you would need 6 diffrent tank setups just for the babies and 2 for the adults. ( spent 100 for my first one ever so i would say 800 range). you could do tubs and get a UTH for each one and that will add up too. i would say go and get a rack system that can use smaller and larger tubs that comes with heat and tubs for under 200 and you can store the babies and the adults in the same unit.on the note of buying a morph that will produce what people want i would say a codom that fits your budget.

[elevatethis]

Question 1) If I was going to start breeding ball pythons, which would be more likely to sell? Normals or morphs? I don't have a huge amount of space and don't want to be stuck with ten little darlings growing up into BIG darlings.

Work with what you like. If you want to breed normals, morphs, whatever, just make sure you really like what you're dealing with because you will be cleaning and feeding them for years as you get them to breeding size and beyond.

Question 2) What would I keep the little dears in until they went to new homes? Tanks and heating lamps and all that, or something a little more...ahem...basic, yet safe and healthy?

I feel strongly that anyone interested in keeping a number of ball pythons should be using a rack system. It simplifies their care and provides for their basic needs more efficiently than any other style of setup. With a rack, flexwatt, and a proportional thermostat, you can not go wrong.

I know I have more questions, but those are it for now. I'm going to the reptile expo in Raleigh, NC September 1&2, so I would like to have a plan by then. *nods*

Reptilebasics is local to Raleigh and I would assume that Rich might be at that show. He provides thermostats, heating, and other husbandry supplies as well as a wide variety of rack systems and caging.

[randomdaydream]

Definitely NOT in it for the money, I just get very excited about snakes! It's a hobby for me and I wanted a way to expand it, not start a business.

http://www.gilaproductions.com/ral/exh.html This is the list of vendors for the Raleigh show. Who would you recommend?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

The questions you have to ask yourself before getting into this venture are

Can you house all the offsprings individually?
Can you prove for those additional BP (food, husbandry, vet if necessary etc)?
Will you buy a rack or make one?
Will you buy an incubator or make your own?
What will you do if they offsprings do not sell immediately; can you afford to keep them several months, years?
Do you have a plan for selling those BP will you have your own website? Can you afford advertising?

Those are not to discourage you in anyway those are some of the questions I asked myself before making my decision.

[kavmon]

i would grab some normal females and raise them up. it can take a few years from hatchling size. this will give you some expierence with balls and time to make choices. research and read alot, ask alot of questions.



vaughn

[Kagez28]

i would say if your on a tight budget i would hold off for a while. how old is your girl? you want her to be well established and good size before breeding, so that could take some time. i would start saving money little by little, then when you're ready to breed you'll have a nice stash to work with. now i am not a breeder but i have looked into it and come up with some expenses. all prices are approximate

first off you need a rack to house the hatchlings. this can be made or bought. $250
an incubator. can be cheaply made or purchased. $50-150
thermostats. on/off for the hatchling rack $75, a proportional for the incubator $130
you will also have miscellaneous items such as substrate, food, water, water dishes, hides, sexing probes (just a few off my head).

now if you are getting in to morphs, you're looking at a couple thousand dollars. you could go the heterozygous route which is cheaper. it's all up to you.

i just wanted to throw some numbers out there....

[Shaun J]

first off you need a rack to house the hatchlings. this can be made or bought. $250
an incubator. can be cheaply made or purchased. $50-150
thermostats. on/off for the hatchling rack $75, a proportional for the incubator $130
you will also have miscellaneous items such as substrate, food, water, water dishes, hides, sexing probes (just a few off my head).

Not to mention a rack for the breeding snakes.

[randomdaydream]

The questions you have to ask yourself before getting into this venture are

Can you house all the offsprings individually?
Can you prove for those additional BP (food, husbandry, vet if necessary etc)?
Will you buy a rack or make one?
Will you buy an incubator or make your own?
What will you do if they offsprings do not sell immediately; can you afford to keep them several months, years?
Do you have a plan for selling those BP will you have your own website? Can you afford advertising?

Those are not to discourage you in anyway those are some of the questions I asked myself before making my decision.

No, those questions are perfect! I am not going to get offended, trust me. Sometimes I jump into things, but mostly I plan way ahead. I'm asking questions now, then going to a few shows to ask more questions, read, soak up the knowledge from the people I work with at a pet store. One venue I have is the pet store I work at. They don't take morphs because they don't sell at the store. Anyway, thank you for those questions!

My female is 4 1/2 feet. I don't know how old she is because I didn't get her as a baby.