I’m looking into getting a BP. I have had smaller snakes over the years, but this would be my first. I’m definitely fascinated by the morphs and how different traits are visible and how different BP hatchlings from the same clutch can be. But I’m not sure I would ever be comfortable breeding. I am looking for a baby to raise and love, but I don’t want to close the door to the possibility of breeding in the future. I’m wondering if anyone can give me some advice about what kind of baby would be best for someone like me? I know that I need to avoid morphs that have genetic predispositions, but other than that, I’m just not knowledgeable.
I’m looking through the market here and am going to a reptile show at the end of the month. I know that giving advice can be a hassle for experienced folks, but I see how much knowledge is needed to do the right things for the snake. Thanks in advance.
Hello, and welcome to the community! The advice I have is mostly just personal opinion. If you haven’t been to morphmarket.com, I suggest you have a look there at the ball pythons listed there. Just in the United States, there are over 37,000 ball pythons for sale.
I suggest finding morphs that you REALLY, REALLY like based on your price range, and go from there. In the “ball pythons for sale” pages, there is a “filter” option where you can specify the sex, price range, traits, age, etc. Once you find some morphs you like, I suggest using the filter again. There is a place in the filter to select “maturity.” I think it’s a good idea to select “baby” and “adult” within that maturity section. The reason for this is so you can see how ball pythons change in appearance color-wise, because there are some morphs that are super bright and colorful, but as they age they kind of lose their color. This isn’t the case for all ball pythons by any means. In fact, adults may look even prettier as adults. It’s just something to be aware of.
Since you mention an upcoming reptile show, and because you know you want a baby, having an enclosure set up beforehand is a must.
To keep myself from rambling any further, please have a look at these links below. Read them thoroughly, because these are pretty comprehensive guides to ball python keeping, and they do a great job of covering enclosure needs, feeding, possible health issues, etc. Youtube videos are good to watch too, and there are some good ones to watch that are posted within the links below.
You’ve already made a great first step in becoming a responsible keeper! Feel free to come here to ask questions, post pictures of youur new baby when you get him/her, and converse with other members here!
Beginner’s Guide to Ball Python Care?
Take care!
Thank you! I appreciate the resources! I have a lot to learn and this helps!
I’d say especially if you plan to get a noodle from a show, where you have the advantage of holding/observing the animal in person before a purchase, get to know the signs of illness, malnutrition, physical defects, mites, etc, that way you can not only find a baby you like the look and personality of, but that you are also set up for success with a healthy little fella (doesn’t dismiss the need for quarentine, but being able to be confident you are starting with a healthy animal is a great start!)
I’m jealous! I can’t wait to go to a reptile show and find myself a noodle!
Good points already covered here but I’ll go ahead and do my due diligence lol.
Do a lot of research and have a solid list of plans set before you ever attempt to breed (theres a lot of good and bad things that can happen during this) and keep in mind what morphs you’d really like to go for and what is most popular/desired. For me personally I love Banana and BEL Ball Pythons so thats what I went for (just an example). Also keep in mind that there is a huge market to compete with out there, so have a contingency plan just in case your babies don’t sell! Make sure you have emergency funds and a trusted and experienced reptile veterinarian at the ready for when things don’t go right (hopefully not).
And don’t make the mistake of buying Normals to breed for selling just because they’re the cheapest option. If you want to do it because its just something that interests you go right ahead, but please don’t do it to sell you won’t get very far. Save up some money and buy something you like the appearance of but also has powerhouse genes that will give you desirable morphs to sell. Clowns, for example, are good additions to a lot of morphs and is a beautiful morph just by itself. They produce eye-catching offspring and are high in demand (as far as I know of right now).
Good luck attending the reptile show and I hope you can find something that suits you! 
To add to this, if you ever plan to breed, its a good idea to try to pair morph combos that genetically cannot result in a visual normal, as this will help not only give you better odds for animals you find visually appealing, but will also help sell any you want to let go of, compared to a visual normal with a ton of hets/pos hets
You should do as much research as you can before you buy anything. YouTube is a fantastic resource for this. You can easily do 6-9 months of research learning tons before buying anything. Research in itself can be a hobby.
This 
I’m well aware I won’t be able to get a snake for several more years, so I just research and research and research, helps scratch the itch briefly