Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is there any reason for me to get into ball python breeding if I have to wait two more years to get into it? I mean I want to hatch out babies, but I also want to make money off of it as well. I feel as if I wait there will not be any great deal of money to be made from all the work and expenses that come from owning them. It's something I have wanted to do for a long time, but I am stand offish about it because I'm affraid if I invest my money into it later I won't make back what I put into it. Thanks for any advice or any comments.

As someone new to the breeding aspect this is my feeling on this subject and mine alone. I feel that there is always going to be a market for ball pythons. They will always be a popular pet. And with all the morphs out there coming down in price they will be more attainable for people looking for a really good appealing pet.
That being said.. I believe you have to be in it more for the love then the money. I personally don't expect to be rich. I buy what I like not what I think will be worth more money. I personally still like the look of the spiders and mojaves and pastels alone. They wont bring me as much money at the shows than some of the other morphs, but I still love them.
I've heard it said before.. you won't get rich with snakes, but you can have fun and earn a little play money. And how exciting is it to see what comes out of the egg on hatching day. I don't know about anyone else, but it's like waiting for Christmas! And I don't think you can put a price on that!

-----
This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

1.0 Basset Hound (Capone)
1.1 cats (San Quinton and Gracie)

You would be getting into this for the wrong reasons, I strongly advise that you invest your money elsewhere. Most of us that purchase expensive animals are quite happy in recouperating the investment in the long run, nothing short term with ball pythons.

If you don't have the passion above anything else, don't bother, you will fail, don't mean to be harsh but thats what it is...

Couldn't aggree more......don't waste your time if you are getting in to make money......it will just upset you, and it will not be fun........for example, this will be the first year that I produced babies from an investment I made 5 years ago, and will not recoup ANY of the investment I made.........I am down about $9000, and will make back about $500.......just an example.......don't do it for the wrong reasons.

Along with the animals you have expences of feeding, housing, electricity for heat, and incubation....etc., the only way you might be able to make your money back is investing in a project that hardly anyone is in, like bananas, but that is ALOT of money to invest to hope that the market does not fall out like it normally does in co-dom and doms.........just something to think about.......Personally, I would not do it if you are in it to make money......plain and simple, you are not gonna become a millionaire, and might not even make back your initial investment.

I have been in this for a LONG time, and have seen alot of people come and go, and I have seen prices fall from the sky.....trust me.......

Jason
-----
gabesexotics@yahoo.com

If you are thinking you will make money off it, you're wrong...

The only way to make money in this hobby now...if you're not already doing so, is to luck out and find something new in a shipment of imports and prove it yourself.
-----
"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

I'm not in it to make money really. I mean I would like to after a few years, but I know I'm not going to become a millionaire. I love reptiles and snakes are my favorite. Ball pythons don't take up alot of space and they are easy to work with. I just asked the question because my significant other says it's not worth investing in. I think it would be awesome to hatch baby snakes and offer some child the chance of owning cool morphs for not outrageous prices. I hope to be in the industry in the next couple of years and be able to meet some of you guys at shows someday. I hope you guys have a great weekend. Thanks for the responses.

If that's the case, do it up.
You can get some decent morphs and mixes for cheap now.
Good luck.
-----
"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

I would love to jump on the bandwagon here and tell you, no you can't make money off this blah blah blah. But guess what..... you can! But its like every other "Bussiness" that your going to start to with the goal of making money. First rule, you must spend money to make money... and your not going to be able to go out and buy 20 hatchlings and grow them for 2.5 years and strike it rich! But if you're carefull with your capitol you can buy now and breed in a few months.. it costs little to nothing to maintain a ball python if done right. The one thing you need to bank on is something going wrong (all your rats dying, snakes getting sick).. you know what send me an email ill share some tips..

Brian
-----
Brian Hettinger
480 Pythons
Contact us

I started two years ago acquiring snakes. I am going to have 5 to 6 clutches this year and if the odds are good I will make back about 25% of my initial investment. The thing about doing this hobby or business is that you will have to really evolve if you want to make money at it. If you have a ton of money and you love snakes it is very easy to do. If you don't have a ton of money and you just think snakes are OK, you will despise it in about 1 to 2 years. I spend easily on average an hour a day on my snake room. I spend about 3 hours a week on my rat and mouse room. That is a lot of time if you have a family and you like to go out. Every time you turn a corner with this venture you are writing a check to someone. It is time consuming and expensive to breed BPs for profit. End of story. Breeding for fun can be inexpensive and fun for sure if you pace your self.

Regards,
Bill
-----
2.1 Tripple Het Caramel, Orange Ghost, Genetic Stripe
1.0 Honeybee
1.1 Het Lavenders
1.1 Het Caramel Albino
0.1 Het Albino
0.1 Spider Het Albino
0.1 Het Pied
1,1 Pastel Het for Orange Ghost
1.0 Albino
0.1 Spinner
1.1 Super Pastel
0.1 Jungle Pastel
1.0 Pied 50 percent White
0.1 Clown
0.3 Normal
1.1 Kids (9) and (16)
0.1 Spouse (22 Years Married)
1.0 Chocolate Lab

LOL

hour a day minimum per mouse room...IF I feed water and run...and don't look at anything....which I do....usually 2 hrs...6 hours average on Sundays...cleaning

hour to three per day in snake room...

$80 minimum per week mouse etc feed...

trash $600 per year....3 times normal houses total....hundreds of pounds of mouse crap....LOL

dust mites and various other moths and mill bugs in mouse room....smell....mice smell.....house ...guess???...not potpourri....mouse....

vacation?...NEVER had one....you cannot leave and let 2000 plus rodents and 200 snakes at home alone (up too 500 )... or with idiots that are not you....only I know what to do...period....worked since 1972 without summer off...never on vacation...(1972 I was 12 by the way...I am now 50 )......

have at it....have fun....HAAAA.....new kids on the block....

(not you...you...yea...that guy....not this guy....I mean...yea...you)....LOL

...
-----
.......
.......
......JY

To be fair, you can compost the mouse waste if you have the ability. Less trash and good for lawns or gardens.
-----
"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

for years I piled it....first time I posted a "free pine mulch" ad in a cheaper paper...I got 300 phone calls for months straight....it was gone in 3 days....

second time...I had to pay to get it hauled....$500...

third time I piled it for 3 years I got a letter from the township telling me to get rid of it NOW!...LOL...$800 pile....

I got the totes after that.....

animals liked my pile....I fed hundreds of critters with the pile....you know how much mice waste...corn,oats,lab chow,dog food...I had all kinds of larvae in the pile...all kinds of birds loved it....even in winter for heat.......

piles gone.....wait...piles of leaves now but nothing can eat them.....do it to make dirt, not waste leaves, and to be a smartask for my neighbor who called me in on the mice piles.....

screw neighbors.....!

...
-----
.......
.......
......JY

If you are interested in ball pythons and want to do a little breeding in the near future, its a great idea to go for it. If you are thinking of producing some triple recessive combos in 5 years or so, its going to be pretty hard to break even, unless your combination is rather striking and appealing..

From what you have posted it sounds more like you want to do it for fun, and make a little money at the same time. Pieds are probably the best morph to get into as they seem to be holding their value pretty well. I haven't noticed any significant drop in their value in the 8 years or so I have been looking to get some myself.

Het pairs are not too expensive, maybe $1000...or buying some normal and het females and a male pied should give you some good results in a few years and not have the price of pieds dropped by 50% or more.

Grabbing up a couple co-dom and dominate morphs, like pastels, spiders and mojaves can also make a nice little project that has little investment upfront, but even if the price goes down more in three years for co-doms...you can still sell some nice morphs as pets without breaking the bank for the new kid in the hobby.
-----
PHLdyPayne

For us its never about the money.For what we put into it we are lucky to break even.It's all about hatching out cool stuff!We have been breeding for about 10 years now and never made back what we put into it.You have to love it for what it is.Just our opinion. Shane & Kim KSC Exotics

I have thought a lot on the subject of making money and not making money. I never really got on the bp bandwagon to strike it rich, and I still have a little bit to go before breeding and so on. I have a pastel and a spider that I purchased because my wife loves the bumblebee morph. I can't afford to buy one for her, so I opted to try my hand at breeding and having the snakes produce one for her. I like pieds and albinos. I am working on a deal to purchase a pair of 100% hets each. I can't afford to pay all out, and don't like to pay out over time (don't like to owe money). If I produce more than one of each morph, then yes it will be nice to have some extra cash. Either way I hope to make the right decisions in my purchases and in selling the products and fruits of my labor and expenditure. Do I want to be a millionaire?...No. Not in the least. I like animals, my wife likes animals. It nice to be able to buy the things you want, but it is nicer still to be able to work hard, do it on your own, and maybe have some extra money to play around with for whatever the reason. That's my take on it.
-----
1.0 red phase western hognose
1.0 100% het albino columbian
1.0 pastel columbian
0.1 hypo columbian
0.1 guyana
1.2 jcp
1.0 irian jaya
1.2 normal balls
1.0 spider ball
0.1 pastel ball
1.0 granite al burm
0.1 granite het al burm
0.1 albino burm
1.0 sunfire retic
0.2 tiger retics
0.0.1 sulcata tortoise
1.0 potbelly pig (Oscar)
1.0 pug (Frank)
1.1 pit bull terriers (Marlboro & Coco)
1.1 house cat (Kitty)& (Alice;pos gravid)
0.1 wife who puts up with me
2.0 rabbits (Paco & Zorro)

its nice to buy that pied, but how cool is it to tell people you produced it yourself! i guess in all that rambling i wrote thats what i was trying to say..
-----
This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

1.0 Basset Hound (Capone)
1.1 cats (San Quinton and Gracie)

If you are interested in getting into Ball Pythons to make money I can tell you right now you will be worlds ahead to just get a cardboard sign that says "Anything will help and God Bless". The money is about the last reason to get into them along with the hours of cleaning and feeding them every week. Now, if you are interested in making and having some of the coolest snakes around that would be a great reason for getting into them. I love to play the genetics game with them and make my own cool stuff but really if you want to do it for the money you should be looking for something else. Good luck with whatever you decide, Jay from Sunny AZ
-----
JEM from sunny AZ.

3.25 Normals
3.10 Pastels
1.0 Super Pastels(Thanks Dan Wolf for the best looking Super male I have ever seen)
2.7 Normal Spiders
1.1 Spiders 100% het Ghost(thanks Mark Petros)
0.2 Spiders 66% het Ghost(Thanks Steve Beamer)
1.3 Orange/Butterscotch Ghosts(BallPython777 Mark Petros)
0.6 100% het Orange Ghosts
0.3 66% het Orange Ghosts(should prove this year)
0.1 Pastel Ghost
1.0 Citrus Ghost(courtesy of Josh Hutto)
0.1 Super Pastel 100% het Ghost
2.3 Albinos
1.1 Caramel Albinos
0.1 100% het Caramel Albino
0.4 100% het for Albino
0.5 66% het for Albino(should prove this year)
0.7 Yellow Bellies
1.0 Pastel Yellow Belly
1.2 Ivories
1.2 100% het for Clowns(Mark Petros)
1.6 Cinnamons(Thanks Stan Ruppel)
1.0 Pied
1.4 100% het for Pied(Josh Hutto and Paul the Pied Peddler)
0.5 66% het for Pied(should prove out next year with my visual male Pied)
1.5 Mojaves
0.1 Pastave het Ghost
1.1 Beautiful Black Pastels(thanks Gulf Coast Reptiles)
1.2 BumbleBees(thanks for the AWESOME Bees Marc Bailey)
1.1 Pewters(Myself and Scott Priester of Brookside Reptiles)
0.1 Chocolates(Thanks Brandon of Priceless Pythons)
1.3 Lessers(Josh Hutto)
3.2 Fire's(Thanks Brandon of Priceless Pythons)
1.2 High White Calico's(Thanks Brent from BRB)
1.1 SpotNoses(Thanks Brandon of Priceless Pythons)
1.1 Enchi's (Me and Josh Hutto, Thanks again Josh)
1.0 Pinstripe
0.1 Pinstripe 100% het for Ghost
0.1 Lemon Blast
1.0 Vanilla Ghost(Thanks again GCR for all the great snakes)
0.1 Super Vanilla Ghost(Awesome Chris and Shelia from GCR)
0.1 Vanilla Yellow Belly
0.1 Vanilla(Another one from Josh Hutto,I must have all your snakes now...lol.) Thanks my friend, Jay
1.1 Stillwater Hypo Bull snakes(Brad Chambers)
0.0.1 Great looking Brown and Tan Desert Bull Snake)
0.0.1 Vietnamese Blue Beauty
1.1 Argentinian Black and White Tegus
1.0 Gotti Pitbull
2.0 Beautiful Bengals
14 Tarantulas
Last but most Important 2.2 Children

I couldn't agree more with what everybody has said so far.

I breed corn snakes myself, but I always browse around the ball python forums, too.

This is the first year I bred my corns and I have two decent clutches in my incubator and one not so great clutch. I'm not doing it to make a ton of money. Just about anything I make from these eggs will pretty much go to purchase mice, bedding, water dishes, etc. And then in the end, I may have a little left over to pick up another snake or two. I have no dreams of striking it rich with them. I love the snakes and their various morphs. And that's what I'm looking forward to. As was said previously, its like waiting for Christmas!

I may even end up seeing if any of the local schools would like a snake donated for educational purposes. Because yes, I do have room for all of the expected hatchlings that are on their way, but do not want to add 20 new snakes every year. The expenses would add up exponentially. Plus, it would also help kids learn properly about snakes instead of the usual "snakes are dangerous just leave them alone."

Just do it because you enjoy doing it. That's what a hobby is. I've never found any hobby that will make you rich really. Hobbies are supposed to be money pits, aren't they? =D

really...we don't need anymore people breeding balls...
you will have to maybe buy and resell them from people that breed well and hate people...we don't want to deal with idiots...cough.,...so you can buy all our stuff and run ads online and sell it all...and make cash....

or open a lemonade stand in front of a dorm and make alot off of County Time mix???...

...really.....

snakes...we do it for...the snakes....

.....
-----
.......
.......
......JY

I don't know if I was being referred to as an idiot, but im am not by any means an idiot. Snakes are my passion and have been since I was in second grade (8 years old). I turn 30 this year and this is the first time I have been living in a stable atmosphere where I can start my dream of breeding. It's hard to do though when you are out a job and the significant other is having to do it all because there are hardly any jobs and having to take care of needs. I would love nothing more than working for someone taking care of their snakes. I just love snakes and being in an atmosphere such as an exotic petstore thrills me and makes me happy. I never started this thread to referred to as an idiot or make anyone upset. I just asked a question. I will breed BP's one day no matter how many people are doing it. Thanks for all of your responses.

.......truck driver school...nurses aid,,,,gardener....cut grass.....I know...it suxx at times.....or move....???

....anyways......depending where you live...jobs suck ,,,snakes can suck worse to sell....

...
-----
.......
.......
......JY

Maybe at times they would be hard to sell, but it's like I've heard. If you don't like or love your job then you won't succeed or excel as you would if you did like or love your job. I love snakes and prefer them over any other animal. Yeah, dogs and cats have their good qualities, but you always end up expecting the best from them. Snakes are completely different. You don't have to expect anything from them. They stay in their cages and you take them out to mess with them. Sure feeding and cleaning cages may be frustrating at times, but doing all that is my happy place.