can you make a living?

[slimjim09]

Does anyone here on this board make a decent living breeding diff. morphs? Also i'm looking for a starter project for under $1500, does anybody have any recomendations on which snakes to start out with that will produce offspring that will still have value a few years from now? Thanks

[NickMyers03]

with 1500 you could go a few ways...a mojave and a spider and some females, or a lesser and 2-3 females depending on size the larger the more they cost, an albino and 1-2 het females ( if you get a deal) yellow belly pair and normal female...there are a few options. and yes there are people that make a living on breeding snakes and the rats they eat..

[slimjim09]

I was thinking about a mojave, spider, and a cinny, and maybe 5 or so normal females. Does that sound good to start off with? Or should i save up and buy maybe 2 high priced hets like a clown? Also do you think yellow bellys are a good investment since they can make a ivroy which can sell for $3000 grand now? And one last question, is it hard to sell baby morphs?

[West Coast Jungle]

My suggestion is to not to get into this thinking you're gonna make a living. There is alot of costs involved in owning and caring for these animals. Vet bills, feeder rodents, equipment, etc... Any of the breeders that make a living were hobbyists for many years and invested ALOT of time and $. They have spent more $ on one snake than most will spend on a new car. Even once your BP's becaome adults there is no guarantee they will breed sucessfully and illness and death is always a possibility. You should do this because you love the animals first. There is alot of poop cleaning, giving injections, rodent care. Look at the classifieds on KS there is always someone selling there collection because their make $ plans didn't pan out. Jamie did a GREAT post on raising theses animals that everyone should read. It's not all fun and games. Don't quit your day job. I have my own business(not breeding snakes) which pays for my hobby. I have well over $25,000 in animals and equipment and probably made in the $100's selling snakes this year. Not trying to be a negative, just realistic. I do it because I love my animals, I can afford to care for them correctly, I have the time and space to care for them, not because I'm trying to make a living or even a profit. It's labor of love and if one day it's profitable great, but I'm not banking on it.

[Sasquatch Art]

My suggestion is to not to get into this thinking you're gonna make a living. There is alot of costs involved in owning and caring for these animals. Vet bills, feeder rodents, equipment, etc... Any of the breeders that make a living were hobbyists for many years and invested ALOT of time and $. They have spent more $ on one snake than most will spend on a new car. Even once your BP's becaome adults there is no guarantee they will breed sucessfully and illness and death is always a possibility. You should do this because you love the animals first. There is alot of poop cleaning, giving injections, rodent care. Look at the classifieds on KS there is always someone selling there collection because their make $ plans didn't pan out. Jamie did a GREAT post on raising theses animals that everyone should read. It's not all fun and games. Don't quit your day job. I have my own business(not breeding snakes) which pays for my hobby. I have well over $25,000 in animals and equipment and probably made in the $100's selling snakes this year. Not trying to be a negative, just realistic. I do it because I love my animals, I can afford to care for them correctly, I have the time and space to care for them, not because I'm trying to make a living or even a profit. It's labor of love and if one day it's profitable great, but I'm not banking on it.

Lovely said!!

[slimjim09]

Ik breeding pythons will not make you rich overnight, and i'm also not trying to get rich overnight either. I already have a love for snakes when i got my corn 2 years ago. but i also have a love for animals in general. My house is basically a zoo right now. But i would like to breed pythons to eventually try and make a morph of my own and to support the care and well being of my animals. But i would like to get started in breeding in the next 4 years though.

[Nate]

my advice would be....don't quit your day job.

Can it be done? certainly, but you're talking about investing thousands of dollars and a LOT of time.

I think if you're getting into this hobby with the expectancy to make money, you're in it for the wrong reasons. I think a lot of the people that are living comfortably are people that have an out of control hobby that's not a bad thing tho...

[West Coast Jungle]

Here's Jamies post/thread.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=49580

He knows what he's talking about!

[slimjim09]

Here's Jamies post/thread.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=49580

He knows what he's talking about!

Yes i read that thread like a month ago. But i think i'm am willing to commit to the work involved in the care of ball pythons. Also if alot of the babys dont sell i think it is safe to say i have way more than enough space to keep them. My basment is 1700 sq ft. I assure you that i'm not getting into it for all the wrong reasons. But i think it is jsut wrong that people are trying to turn a potential ball python hobbiest away from breeding. I mean if a person wants to do something real bad there going to do it anyway. So why not teach the person the right way to do it instead of contributing to another bad hobbiest out there? But idk thats just the way i see it.

[RockSolid]

But i think it is jsut wrong that people are trying to turn a potential ball python hobbiest away from breeding.

I don't think people are trying to turn away a potential hobbiest, but what I got from the start of this thread is that you were trying to breed BP's for profit and not for the love of the hobby. That may not have been your intention, but that is how I perceived it and i'm sure I am not the only one.