I did 3 years of volunteering and researching before even purchasing my first ball with no intentions of breeding. Once i got everything set up and he was happy and feeding normally I picked up a spider female.
Your the type of keeper I am looking to hear from the kind that spends time learning about the animals before even trying to keep them. Bravo!

I had no initial intension's of breading but I got kind of bored keeping snakes after a short time. I learned all I needed to know about husbandry before keeping and I applied it. But cleaning once a week and feeding once a week loses its reward pretty quickly.
How can it get boring if you love ball pythons enough to learn all that about them prior to keeping them where does boring come to call. Was it visually looking at the same animals every week or was it that once the new wore off now keepers feel the need to move to the "next step".

Now I intend to learn everything needed to breed. Besides a little mishap that recently happened I am excited for the 08 season. I feel like i've gone way beyond the average keeper in these parts. Breeding my own rats, building my own racks. Even offering husbandry techniques to people on CL.
Fantastic the hobby needs more people like you willing to learn first then do.

I am not breeding to make money, but to trade what I have to diversify my collection. Id trade a killerbee if I had one to someone with a cinni if I needed it.
I understand expanding your collection 100% and have no problem with that in fact I have no problem with breeding for money hell I do it.

Turning your nose up to people who people who backyard breed then flake out before there first clutch is one thing I guess.
Not turning my nose up at it by any means. It just saddens me to see the new keeper get bored with their animals so quickly and feel that breeding is the only solution to fill the "New and Exciting" void. See I think once people get a routine of feeding and cleaning and handling and every thing is going smooth most will look at their pet and say "This is it theres got to be more to it than just this." Then they see breeders and go "Aha thats what I want to do" Fine great but what stops the "New and Exciting" from wearing off of that.

Where are the keeper that are content with their "pets".

I am one of them I have a Pet ball python. I have had this animal for years and years I don't even know the animals sex..don't care. I have no intent of ever breeding this animal for any reason. It is my pet and if I had to sale all my breeders it would be the one I would never even consider getting rid of. I spent years falling in love with the animal and thats what sparked me wanting to breed I wanted more I wanted to see the different personalities, I wanted to be surrounded by them have rooms full of them. I have spiders, mojos, several pastels, hets out the butt, but I still handle my pet every morning and even loads on the weekends. It is my favorite and my friend. My breeders are that breeders but the new has never worn off not even off my first one.