Ball Python Morph Breeders Market View !
Investing ?
You hear this term allot on many forums with lots of ideas and opinions. Do the prices drop almost every year ? Do you have the passion to stay focused and stay with your projects? will you get rich overnight ? do I really care about the animals or the almighty dollar ? I will give you my take on the subject , it may or may not be your opinion but that’s OK.
I’m going to get rich!
If you read on someone site or forum “invest and make a pile of money ” remember the old saying if it sounds to good to be true it probably is. There’s allot of truth to that saying , I still believe you can make money for your hard work. If you are considering ball python breeding as a get rich quick project, think again. You really need to have that passion and love for these amazing reptiles first and foremost or you will never succeed. There’s more to it than buying a couple morphs and breeding them and selling them for a profit. I don’t mean to pop your bubble I just want to be honest about what to expect.
Just a short list of cost to consider
- Feed Production
- Caging
- Substrate
- Electricity
- Veterinary care
- Time , Lots of time
- Website Development ………More Time
- Advertisements
- Reptile Shows
- Incubator
Breeding isn’t for everyone but it might be for you
OK did I scare you off yet ! if not than you may be passionate like me and will have those cost regardless. I love walking into my reptile room and get that I’m at the zoo feeling! I would keep and breed ball pythons weather i made a single dollar or not. If you have this same attitude you may as well make a few bucks and use it to pay for your hobby or build some supplemental income. will it happen overnight “No” , Can it happen “yes” it certainly can. the more effort you put into your projects the better your chances of success will be. Be aware of the market and plan accordingly for success.
The Price drop
The ball python market over the last few years has adjusted and many morphs that were high dollar morphs have really dropped in price. Some wine and moan and complain but its a market like any other market. The supply and demand drives any market and it will always be that way. Some feel tho drops in prices are bad some think its good. Here’s my take on the dropping prices! Lets use pastels as an example of a market swing. It wasn’t that long ago pastels were $5000.00 and basically the only sales were being made to breeders. How many people were able to lay down $5000.00 ? The prices have dropped to $200.00 and everyone that paid those big bucks are depressed. The drop in prices has made the demand grow because the guy with a couple hundred to spend can now grow his collection. would we all like to be getting $5000.00 of course. Would we make as many sales ? (Probably not)! The production of all the pastels drove the value down but drove the demand up which is a good thing. The ball python market is growing every year and we haven’t even touched the overseas market yet.
Co dominant vs Simple Recessive
Co doms are the quick morph and quick buck but as you can see from the pastels the market will adjust ! In my opinion the simple recessive morphs will hold there value just due to the time frame. With a Co dom like spiders you can get a baby male and a handful of female adult normals and be producing morphs in 1 year. Simple Recessives and double hets are the ticket for the long run! They take longer to produce therefore the production is lower and the demand stays high. I feel the simple recessive morphs under $1500.00 are the best market. You have to try to buy morphs in the highest bracket you can afford to produce babies that have a decent value after 3 years. Lets say you can afford a male and female Lavender Albino pair as babies. It will most likely be 3 years before the female is ready to breed . You can produce hets with the male in the first year or maybe two. The time factor is something you really need to consider and realize the market will change in 3 years.
To be continued !