Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Please forgive me for posting this, but I read all kinds of posts regarding "can I make a living breeding Ball Pythons". And I just thought I'd toss in an idea...

Pick three morphs that you really love and breed those three morphs.

Too many people are only breeding particular morphs in order to "trade up" for many more particular morphs. If you keep doing it this way, you'll be eternally reinvesting all your profit...until the market crashes and you're stuck penniless with a bazillion morphs you don't really care for. If you keep your eye on only three morphs, you'll hit your target breeding groups in a few years. After that...it's all profit.

Choose a lifestyle and be content.

It seems everyone wants to get rich off of Ball Pythons. Be reasonable. Decide on how much income you'd be content with and aim for that mark. Don't get greedy. Nobody needs to make $500,000 per year. If you really want to make that much in Ball Pythons, you'll have to keep reinvesting your profits year after year...until the market crashes and you're stuck penniless with a bazillion morphs you don't really care for. If all you need is $40K per year, you'll hit your target breeding groups in a few years. After that...it's all profit.

I firmly believe that if you keep these two things in mind, you'll not only start enjoying profits much much sooner, but you will also help strengthen the long-term market by not mass-producing a bazillion Ball Pythons...that will eventually crash the market and leave you stuck penniless with a bazillion morphs you don't really care for.

Keep it honest. Keep it simple. Don't be a "Jack of all morphs...master of none".

Just A Thought,
Chris =/
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"If only you would use your powers for Good." -- B. Russell Bethea

I here of so many people in this hobby trying to invest in the most expensive morphs and then turn around and say that they want to make a living at it. The turnkey is that those breeders that are the foundation of this hobby and industry are there for a reason, and will always be there..... I want to say a big thank you to all of them.

Thanks,
Wyatt

I think their is nothing wrong with buying morphs and taking that money and buying more morphs to eventually get the ones you want. I do not see the ball python market crashing any time soon. Their is so many more morphs yet be be found and many combinations yet to be made that the market will be going strong for years.Thats just my thoughts but i think they are pretty good ones. Buy the way look at pieds and albinos they have been staying at a study price for a long time. Thanks for your time and good luck with all breeding efforts. Mike.

I agree. There is absolutely nothing wrong with trading a few morphs for the ones you really want. You know me. I want one of just about every morph out there. And I hope to eventually have one of each in my private collection. What I'm talking about is trading up for more animals to breed in order to trade up for more animals to breed in order to trade up for more animals to breed...and so on and so forth without end.

If you're constantly reinvesting your profit, what have you profitted?

This post wasn't intended to illustrate any "correct" way to become a successful breeder. It was only intended as an ALTERNATIVE method to actual yield a steady profit. (Hence stop reinvesting once you get what you want.) It's basic Buddhism 101 -- we are unhappy because we can not have that which we desire. So...desire less and become happier.

There are many ways to play the Ball Python game, but the point remains...if you want to see a financial profit...you MUST stop reinvesting and enjoy the profit.

(Mike. I just heard my cell phone ring in the other room. Was that you?)

Chris
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"If only you would use your powers for Good." -- B. Russell Bethea

Thats understandable...but thats where budgetting comes in. Say you want a new morph....you make a few babies from the morph you have...and invest in the next morph you want...yet you save the rest of the money you make off the babies as your "profit". That way you've got your new snake...and a little extra money. I'm sure these people reinvesting their money into it aren't investing ALL of their money into it...they are budgetting what they make with what they buy...it shouldn't keep them from collecting new morphs/animals....
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Luke Martin
Bronze Serpent Reptiles

Budgeting implies a business plan...and that's exactly what I was talking about. Limiting yourself to only three morphs is obviously just an example. Pick four or five if you wish. But the point remains that you must have an end goal. Without a goal, you can not formulate a business plan -- a step-by-step procedure on how to reach your goal.

And by limiting yourself to only three morphs...with maybe a ratio of 1.3 each...you'll hit your target breeding groups in just a few years. You've fulfilled your business plan. You're a success. You're now making a relatively steady $40K per year doing what you love. Relax. Buy a big screen HDTV. And start building your private BP collection. If the market drops a little, hold back an extra female for future breeding.

With no target breeding groups in mind (business plan part one) and no set amount of desirable yearly income (business plan part two) you're flying blind in a market that may or may not be there when you land. And setting a yearly income goal of $500,000 is simply no way to make money. The man with the $40K per year goal will start making his $40k per year profit in just...say...five years. The man with the $500,000 per year goal will have to reinvest until...say...the ninth year. Only then will he see his profit...and I personally doubt it will be $500,000. =)

Maybe I should have explained that this was not intended for everyone. It is not for the people who want to get rich. It is not for the people who want to retire at 30. It's only for those people who dream of making a reasonable living doing something they love.

But like I said before...perhaps it's just the Buddist in me. I wouldn't want to run a million dollar reptile breeding business. That's too complicated for me. I'll take a small $25K business and the weekends off.

Chris =/
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"If only you would use your powers for Good." -- B. Russell Bethea

Your right, too many people ask about doing this for a living. I think i might have like 2 years ago. I realized what you said, find 2 or 3 morphs that i like and have fun with them. If for some reason the market does take a down turn, i will not have a ton of Balls that no one wants. I willhave 20 or 30 cool Balls i really like.

There are some people out there that go from one thing to another trying to find the golden pot at the end of the rainbow. They will try and sell crafts, buy junk cars and fix them up, make candy, breed snakes all because they see others do it and think "hell, i can do that and make big money". They are sooooo far from the truth. In more cases than not, you have to do something you like and truly understand to really make money. And most of all, got to really like doing what your doing.

How many people have read the books by Donald Trump telling how he did it? So many say the same thing yet can not. Its not how they do it, its really wanting to do it, something called desire. People have the desire to make money but do not have the desire to make money the way that works for them. They see others doing something they have no idea about and just do it cause they think they know it all. They say, "hey, i have the will and desire to do this". Wrong, they want to make money but do not truly know how to make money in that field.

Its not just buying 6 or 8 morphs and breed them and money rolls in. What happens when 2 or 3 die? What happens when they do not do their thing? What happens when money is tight and then need to sell a few snakes to pay the bills? You hear so much about people selling snakes to make money cause they are low on funds to take care of the family.Thats the problem with doing anything your in over your head in. Its called bad planning. Its called being a fool.

I laugh everytime i see someone ask if they can make a living selling Balls. I'm sure the spouse is saying no, but he needs the feeling that others believe in him. Then he risks the families funds and maybe his kid won't go to college because of it. If you got to ask, you more than likely can't do it.

I do this for fun, does not take anything out of money for the family. Its all my play money. If i make $0.00 off this i still will say i love doing it. If i make a few bucks, heck that's a bonus.

My opinion, who know's... John
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0.1 Albino
1.0 Pastel
1.0 (F1)Banded Ball
1.1 100% Het Piebald
1.1 100% Het Butterscotch Ghost
1.1 100% Het Yellow Ghost
1.18.1 Normal Balls

If you want to be happy, be happy with what you have.

I've started out this year with 1.1 pastels,1.1 het albinos and 3 normal girls. Why? cause I like 'em! Turns out it should be a good investment with the mix of co-doms and recessives. Strictly by accident. I plan to keep back some of my own hatchlings, get a few more het albino girls and unrelated pastels, and add a spider(much)further down the road when my original breeding groups are where I want them. Then I can work on bumblebees and albino spiders. Too cool! By 2010 I should have 17 adult breeders and I'll be able to get my spider that year for a total of 18, God willing. Beyond that I have no idea where I'll go with this but I want to hold my total at no more than 20 balls.

Make big bucks? I've been breeding corn snakes for the last 6 years. Do you think a price drop scares me? No way!

Yeah, I'd like to quit my job but that wouldn't take much since I work p/t and get paid peanuts. Won't take much to beat my currant pay! And the snakes are alot easier to get along with than most people I meet!

Cheryl

"If you want to be happy, be happy with what you have."

True. And I'd be happy making only $25K per year breeding snakes. But here's where my hypocracy kicks in: As Mike (piedman) can tell you, I'm at the point of selling my soul for a visual morph! LOL I've advertised my Het Pied sub-adults here and there just so I can buy an Albino (and pay a few bills, of course). Can you believe that? I'd sell both my girls that will someday soon yield several visual Piebalds. And all for an Albino or two. Crazy! And Mike's such a good guy. He keeps telling me to be patient and just buy a Pastel to tide me over. Very wise. He's still relatively new to this, but his grasp on the business is quite impressive. Talk to him sometime. He's my personal business therapist. =)

Chris =)
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"If only you would use your powers for Good." -- B. Russell Bethea

Chris - I've had my eye on your female - If my current deal falls through, I may be giving you a call!
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Tosha

1.1.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy)
0.1.0 Siberian Husky (Kita)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
5.4.2 Fish (1,2,3,4...)
0.0.1 Frog rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.2 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer

Okay. LOL =)

Chris =)
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"If only you would use your powers for Good." -- B. Russell Bethea