Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone here have breeding ball pythons as their sole money making job?

It's a dream I'd one day LOVE to achieve. Don't get me wrong, I'm in it for love of the snakes as well, but it would be great to have my sole job be something I love.

I ran a publicly traded company in Las Vegas for 3 years until September 11th. We lost nearly all of our funding within a week of the attacks and I had to layoff 54 of our 110 employees within a month. We eventually completely shut our doors in March of 2004. My wife and I moved from Las Vegas to Florida in June of last year and I decided to take up my life long hobby into a full time career. I began adding to my collection in August once we were settled here in Tampa and added an albino male, het females, pastels and a spider to my collection before the end of 04. I'll be adding clowns, Mojave's and bell ghosts as well in the next few months.

After meeting Tom Carlton of Cypress Creek Reptiles at the Tampa show October 2nd and many phone calls to him (November - December) I began working with him on several projects in January and I'm currently working full time over at his place. Working with Tom as given me enormous insight into the day to day care and business of balls and I thoroughly enjoy each and every moment. Tom has been a great mentor and a good friend and I'm thankful to have the opportunity to work with him.

While I'm currently hemorrhaging money and dread Mondays (rat barn day) I've never been happier. Leaving Las Vegas and corporate stress behind has probably added 20 years to my life and marriage.

Follow your passion and go for it. The one piece of advice that I can give you came from Eugene Bassett (sp?) that he gave me at that same Tampa show, he said "if you look this business as a hobby that is all that it will ever be, if you look at this business as your future, you have to jump in"

Neil Golli
website in development.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That first step is often the hardest.

I hope it works out for you.
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Jay A. Martin

To all those that want to become breeders, let me tell you that if you have a large collection and no staff and if your doing things right, your really only a glorified dish washer....... Our combined collections consists of over 500 animals and each and every waterbowl and enclosure is washed by hand and cleaned each and every week and supplied with new bedding.

I always thought hard work = ruff calisted hands, it turns out that it = dishpan hands........LOL

Neil Golli

...has every been accomplished without passion!

I live by that saying.

I too came from that human eating machine called a corporation! 10 years of my life! Stress beyond belief. Nothing is ever enough. Long unpaid hours. They never focus on the 100 things you did great...just the one that went wrong. Endless politics and lies. You give your heart and soul and devotion beyond coprehension. Result...$50 Home Depot parting gift. Yeah!!!! Never again!

It's nice to see someone realize their dream and truly enjoy life! Good luck with all your projects.

Markus
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www.ballpython.ca