Hello, so looking to begin breeding my current collection in the next 2-3 years. I’m looking for another snake to add, preferably a female but very open to either gender, not really looking to get into bamboo any further. I don’t necessarily have any goals with morphs so I’m very open to anything.
At the moment I have:
Male ~ pastel pinstripe bamboo
Female 1 ~ pastave
Female 2 ~ cinnamon odyb
Overall, the ball python market is oversaturated right now. And not to sound mean, but the options that you have are a bit on the lower end of things.
You could be sitting on hatchlings for quite a while at times. And also remember that medical emergencies like prolapse or eggbinding can occur. So make sure you have a qualified reptile vet available.
Also really learn as much as you can about a gene before hopping in. Some can have issues when bred.
That said…
You should really look to see what YOU want to produce.
Take a look at the sales side of MorphMarket. See what gene sounds interesting to you. Look at what has been produced.
There really isn’t a cohesive goal with any of the snakes you have currently. So I would consider if you really want to breed these snakes or keep them as pets. If you decide to breed one, try plugging those genes in on the sales side and look for a combo that strikes a fancy. Then look for a compatible snake of the opposite gender with the genes you need.
I try to never produce a normal with my clutches. So I look for a visual recessive or an allelic combo for at least one of the parents. That way every baby has at least one gene to start. The rest is added bonus.
There’s a good chance that you’ll be stuck with the hatchlings for many months before you’re able to unload them, due to market saturation. So as long as you’re willing and able to keep them long term, I’d say go for it.
Bamboo + Mojave = BEL. With your Male and Female 1, you’ve got a 25% shot at a BEL with each hatchling. But you’ve also got a 3.125% shot at a normal with each hatchling. And a 25% shot at a Super Pastel with each hatchling.
I would do the paring above just to experience the breeding cycle. If you get a BEL, consider keeping it as a trophy. The rest try to sell. After that experience (including getting rid of all the offspring you don’t want to keep), then decide if you want to expand your hobby into some higher end (recessive) morphs. Or you can breed the BEL(s) back to the parents to make more BELs.
That’s currently the plan. In my location there is a lot of demand for snakes as pets, so I’m hoping the cheaper but still pretty morphs will work out in my favor in terms of selling them, and getting rid of them quickly isn’t a major concern. Thank you for the advice!
That’s interesting. Could you give a small hint to your location? I am not trying to be nosy but I am just curious……
And best of luck to you! 