What to purchase

hello everyone I’m new and I am interested in starting to breed ball pythons should I spend my money on a high end male and purchase a low in female or purchase a high end female and a low in male
What’s ya thoughts for a beginner
I really like bright colors snakes and albinos And do you have a particular morph that are easier to start with

Welcome to the forum! Purchase something that you’re drawn to visually, and care for it to see if that is something you really want to do. Have you ever had a snake before?

Yes I have had snakes before just pet snakes nothing extraordinary just the basic normal ball python

Oh okay awesome. I thought you meant beginner like never had a snake beginner, my bad lol. There are plenty of different morphs/projects to choose from. I personally would say find a nice female and grow her up, by the time she’s almost ready you can start looking for and invest in a male that is nicer or just as nice as your female. Remember that your male is going to harvest your crop. Do some research, learn the morphs and how they interact with one another, and have fun. Good luck in your search!

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OK cool definitely appreciate that so you think I should start with a juvenile instead of purchasing a full grown female Think that is the best way for me

I’d recommend purchasing a female that is 1-2 years away from breeding, so that you have time to get your husbandry perfect before breeding, but still have a head start. In the meantime you can save money for that very special male, who can be a couple of years younger than your female when he breeds for the first time.

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Well its really up to you. What I did in the beginning was buy nice subadult females In the 4 to 600 range because that’s what I was able to afford. And now that they are adults I dont need to spend the money I would have if i bought a adult with the same genes as them. Are you looking for more quality or quantity? Cause you could just get a bunch of adult normal female or a few very nice females for future breeding. You stated that you like albinos so I recommend getting a few het albino females and then a visual male.

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As others have stated, there are a few different ways to go about it. Just make sure you have a plan in place. :slight_smile:

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I second everyone’s comments.
If I was starting over and had time (what I really mean is patience) I would purchase my females first and then in year two my male. I would also say quality is key. Far less expensive to purchase hatchling female recessives than adults.

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Right now I would say quality I was just going to start with one female and one mail I have one male normal but he is a juvenile he won’t be ready for about a year down the road so that is a good idea

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OK and thank everyone for your support I’m definitely looking at everyone’s responses and going to go from there I will keep everyone updated on my journey thanks again

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A lot of people will tell you to get females first before males. This way you can stack your collection accordingly. Get animals that you are passionate about and work with those specific morphs. You don’t have to be doing what everyone else is doing. Make sure you do your research about ball pythons, breeding, morphs that aren’t compatible, check out the reputation of the place/person you are buying your snakes from, and remember this will be years in the making before you are able to breed.

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Quality is definitely the wise choice! :100:

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I would also recommend buying from a real breeder who produced the animal themself, as opposed to a business that buys and resells animals. You will get better quality, healthier animals and more information about the individual animal. You are also more likely to be able to receive support over the life of your animal.

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There is a real big premium you’ll pay for a ready-to-breed female. Most people snatch up good females as hatchlings with the foresight of what they want to breed years in the future. Then they put effort into raising them. Then with all that work put in, they hold onto them and breed. So there is just not much supply there, but there is always demand as people realize that 3 years ago they should have bought something for breeding ready to happen now.

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I’d suggest getting 2 or 3 of the nicest females you can afford. If they are young, wait a year to buy a nice male to go with them. You will be able to afford a nicer male a yr from now , spending the same amount of money, due to project depreciation.

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