Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I am 13 years old and starting a few breeding projects. Last year, I had a couple hi-yellow and hypo leopard geckos hatch. 2 of my females died from an unknown stomache virus.. So now I have 1.2 yearling hi-quality bearded dragons, that I hope to get started soon. I just recently bought 4 baby blairs phase greybanded kings, that are a good looking future project. They are by far the pride of my collection. And last, I am looking into corns. I have 1.1 breeding corns, but sometime in the near future I am thinking about expanding my corn collection. Anyway, I have been into reptiles my whole life and kept my first snake when I was four years old, and just kept adding on to the collection. Anyone want to give me some tips, or show me the ropes e-mail me. I live in Lexington, KY so if there is anyone in that area email me as well, because I don't know anyone even remotely interested in reptiles in KY. Kentucky has a terrible steriotype for calling everything a "black snake", or saying it's poisonous, and then blowing its head off. Believe it or not, I have heard way too many Kentuckians refer to a harmless colubrid as a venoumous cow-sucker. Also, I am looking to start a few more projects..Any suggestions? I am only looking to spend about $100 on a single small project so I want to keep it simple. Remember, I am thirteen and reptiles are burning holes in my pockets right and left. Thanks a lot! -Will

If your looking for small breeding projects try african house snakes. My female is gravid for the fifth time this year. Also hognose breed well. I currently enjoy breeding my ball pythons even if the clutches are small. If your up for the challenge of cooling before breeding ball pythons are a good start. Kingsnakes are too. Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to email me.
Sera
My Email
S and M Reptiles and Exotics

-----
3.6 ball pythons
1.2 king snakes (1 chocolate, 2 albino)
1.1 columbian red tail boas
1.1 pueblan milksnakes
2.2 african house snakes
2.2 striped albino applegate gophers
1.0 watersnake
1.2 burmese pythons (1 albino, 2 hets)
2.1 pygmy rattlesnakes
1.1 dumeril's boas
3.3 corns (miami, okatee, snow, caramel, 2 creamsicle)
1.1 jungle corns
0.1 american alligator
0.2 ferrets
0.2 degus

Will, WOW...sounds like you are off to a great start already!

My experience with reptiles has taught me several things. Mostly that SNAKES are the way to go. I didn't start keeping snakes as young as you but I was certainly in the field catching them. I think that lizards are great BUT as you get older and have more things going on in your life, you will have less time for actually caring for them. Snakes can be less maintenance than turtles and lizards and other herps. Plus, it can be difficult to find others to feed/care for animals while you're away, on vacation. With snakes, there is no worries if you are away for a week as long as the snakes have water.

Also, whatever you decide to keep, try to stay focused on the future. Visit some websites that explain genetic traits and maybe think about what normal snakes you can buy cheap now but may be able to produce desirable morphs later down the road.

Reptiles will always burn a hole in your pocket, at least for me it did and it will continue for at least another 3-4 years until most of my snakes are mature, breedable adults. However, even then I may never make back the money I spent. I will always try to keep reptiles as a hobby. As far as what snakes you should keep.....go with what interests you the most. Spend some time on this forum and in the classifieds and get a feel for fair pricing of different species or morphs and who sells them. Right now, ball pythons are the hottest snake on the market b/c of all the new morphs...HOWEVER, their prices are really high. Other snakes are just as popular like locality boas, given their variation in color and pattern. Hogg Island boas are really nice. As for corns....bloodreds, butters, lavenders, are the current favorites among keepers but its totally up to you....
-----
Sincerely,
Jason
-----
www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes

Thanks a lot! Your info was very helpful. -Will

Will,
Always remember one more thing.....ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE....think big with your dreams and they will come true if you plan and put in the hard work and time. There are no shortcuts. Think about why you are into herps in the first place.....is it for the money or business, or simply a hobby you enjoy. Most quality breeders in the business have worked very hard over decades to obtain their animals and a some success with breeding them. Few people start off with the most expensive animals and by the time your my age (in another 15 years) there will be even more morphs....newer ones that will be super expensive....meanwhile, the ones that are expensive today may be cheaper by then.....a piebald ball python for $100 ???? Who knows? Just keep that in mind and don't get discouraged with only being able to afford $100 snakes....in college, I could only afford a $20 normal cornsnake.lol. Anyway, once again...good luck....it sounds like we may see you on these forums for a long time to come.
-----
Sincerely,
Jason
-----
www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes

Thanks a lot Jason.I have been taking this search for suggestions just about everywhere. If you ever read the ball python or graybanded kingsnake forum, I took it there too. Out of this I havent recieved a whole lot of information, but a whole lot of encouragement. And I gotta tell you, encouragement definately outweighs the money issue and not being able to afford 2k projects. Let alone a 25k piebald ball python project. lol. Anyway, I have decided to start a butter corn project, 1 male and 2 females. And an albino ball python project. 1 50% het male, and 1 66% het female, and 1 normal female. I owe my entire ball python breeding project to a guy on the ball forum who offered me a free male het to get me started. I have also made it a life-long goal to someday breed eastern indigo's. Thanks to everyone! I guess I will be here a while. My email is: thegelatinousmonster@yahoo.com -Will

are awesome...its great that someone your age is into them. I fell in love with them while interning at the toledo zoo's reptile dept. I truly believe that they may go extinct someday soon simply b/c of their difficulty breeding them and their size in the wild. Very few breeders have them and it is such a pain to try and get permits for them from what I've heard....but they are fascinating... I may pick up a pair of black tailed indigos/cribos from a private breeder who had one of the adult parents at a herp show and I feel in love with them too....but nothing like a true eastern...my goodness...they really are on the top of my wish list...ah...someday.

ps...for 13 years old...its amazing you are aware of 50% and 66% heterzygous traits....WOW...I teach high school biology and I'm lucky if some of my students know what a 'trait' even means.lol....steal all the knowledge you can from people too ...... here is some stupid tricks I've learned along the way.....don't pay tons of money for supplies....you can get alot of stuff at home depot and walmart...for instance.... For snake hooks, I use a long handled paint roller but without the pad that you would use to roll the paint on a wall with. Also, I use a mild windex solution for cleaning my cages simply b/c of my fear of things like cryptozoodia.....bleach isn't as effective from what I've heard......but windex is better supposedly...who knows? Also, quarantine EVERYTHING......a small percent of people are sleazy in this business and if you're not careful, you could be buying animals infected with God knows what.... How can you quaranting easy? I get a Sterilite container at Target for $6. I always use paper towel as my substrate and a plastic 'crock' brand waterdish from walmart. I use a normal $10 heating pad with 3 settings from walmart (but not the ones with auto shutoff). To not waste time drilling air holes in the plastic container, get to a home depot and buy a sodering iron $10 (as someone for the ones that looks like a pen). They are great to use instead of drilling holes into plastic....takes too long and cracks the plastic...

Also, you may already know this stuff so sorry if I repeat or whatever but keep detailed records of all your snakes, such as when you bought them, for how much, from who....try to trace back the source for your new snakes...if you buy from one breeder, ask which breeder they got the parents from. Bloodlines are important to alot of people if you raise and breed your snakes. Also, records should be as detailed as possible...there are plenty of formats out there to choose from. Finally, take pictures of your snakes while they're young...capture their color and size now so when you breed them and go to sell them, you can use the old pics as a marketing tool....for instance, people often post pics of parents but sometimes a pic of what the parent looked like as a baby is nice to see if the one you're getting is similar....everyone likes pics. Finally, be careful with escapes...everyone has had them at one point or another so always follow a set procedure when working with your snakes....type it up and follow it as if it were written by God.lol....uhm....I'm rambling but its b/c I slept only 3 hours last night and I'm running on fumes....anyway, I'll think of another billion tips later I'm sure......that is if you're looking for practical tips vs. motivational tips.
-----
Sincerely,
Jason
-----
www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes

Thanks, I will be using those "tricks" pretty soon now... Yeah, I am still trying to figure out double hets.. If I breed a 66% double het snow ball python to a normal female, I get what kind of hets? If I breed those female offspring back to the original DH male, I get my homozygous snow, but what is in between? By the way, that is my new project. I also bought a 66% het for pie, that I plan to breed it out with a normal female. I am really getting into this ball python stuff. lol. Tell me what you know, I can use all the help on this I can get. Thanks! -Will

I’m assuming the parents of your 66% double het snow ball were two 100% snow ball hets. Therefore, I always think of it this way with a HET X HET breeding: IF four babies were produced, the odds are as follows: 1 snow ball, 2 Het for snows (known as 66% hets) and 1 normal ball python. Why do they call them 66% hets? Well, in theory, you have 3 normal looking babies but 2 may POSSIBLY carry the gene for snow therefore you have a 2 in 3 or 2/3 (=.66.6) chance of getting one that is het snow. HOWEVER, I still think it’s a coin toss….50/50 because you simply cannot tell. You could produce 6 baby ball pythons from a Het X Het breeding and 1 baby could be a snow, 1 could be a het and the other 4 could be normals…..its just random and hypothetical to think of it as a 66% chance.

As far as breeding a 66% dbl het male to a normal, it depends on whether your male is really het or not…….IF he is, then he is actually 100% het and the offspring would be either 100% hets (called 50% hets) or normals. It would be a half/half mix. I’m just curious….how much did you pay for your hets?

Also, if you are 13, I’m just curious where you get your herp money from?...when I was 13 I was given an allowance but never enough to afford those kinds of snakes.lol. I have a baby on the way so I hope he/she will be into herps b/c someday they will have a really nice collection to manage if all goes well with my future projects.

PS….Ralph Davis has a great section on his website called “the Matrix” that explains all you’ll need to know regarding genetics….but always remember that the unexplainable can still always occur.
-----
Sincerely,
Jason
-----
www.members.aol.com/northeastsnakes

Hi, wow that helps! Thanks a lot! I had to read over it a couple times but I understand it now. Thanks! As for my income....lol. Well, I don't get allowance. Like I said before I breed bearded dragons and leopard geckos. I sell sunfire, blood, and citus bearded dragons which are considered very high quality and I am able to sell offspring fairly expensive but still low. The highest priced baby I ever sold was $200 so I'm not at the top yet. And I also buy and resell reptiles frequently. I will buy lots and wholesale for lower prices and sell individually for regular price. I also purchase "non-feeding" reptiles, get them feeding and sell them for what they are worth feeding. Simple as that. I found my ball pythons at "last resort" sale prices, and I bought locally so it was less expensive..(minus shipping). After paying for food for all my animals, i usually dont have much left over, but that is herp money I had been saving for about a month. I just take a fourth or so of all my sales and keep it for future projects. I still have about 1,000 left (not all in one month lol.) but i am keeping that for a while. I am also a freshman in high school and plan on going to a university, but have no idea where or how... Thanks! -Will