Why Do Ball Python Breeders Get Out? | New Ball Python Breeder Mistakes 

I’m sure quite a few people are going to find a lot of this super helpful!

The info you give is so realistic & thorough for new breeders. Thank you SO MUCH for making these videos. 🙏

Nice video. I’m a new ball python collector (only have 1.2) right now. Bought as hatchlings as pets, but I really want to get into breeding once they get to size. All about scaling as you go

My husband and I are planning but we want to know the do's and don'ts and learning from other breeders' mistakes. It is just a hobby for us and plan on only doing 1 clutch for now to get a feel for the process and understand the market. Thank you for these videos and telling potential breeders the reality of this hobby.

Love this realistic approach. Some or no brainers but hearing them out of someone's mind, just amplifies their importance (doing it becaus you're passionate about a project, even if you don't make enough money. It's a hobby for me first. And hobbies cost more money than you'll make). Thanks again 😊

Really good vid! I think having friends with like interest is important too. I started really small. 3 animals. One pet and two project animals. Had my first clutch and lost all 5 eggs due to a unforeseen heat issue. After a year off. I produced my first successful clutch last year. My good friend, that has been in the hobby for a while, help me move the animals that didn’t fit in my project. He’s at the house every week checking in and helping out. This year I should have two clutches. One has already dropped and just waiting on the next (just a couple more weeks 🤞). I think passion and vision go a long way too, like you mentioned.

You are right! There are a lot of dumb sayings in the community. “Quality sells” “breed your passion” “only hold back females” I’d love to see a video on the “dumb sayings” for breeders. Some of it has merit but I don’t think people know when it becomes bad advice.

Would also like to add is great job team leviathen. 👏

For us, there's a definite lifestyle change in caring for 50 snakes and hundreds of rodents. We're not sure how to go out of town or go on vacation now. It would be easy to get burned out on spending so much money on the front end before seeing ANY return. Passion, hard work, and community will carry us.

Much needed video especially for new breeders. PLAN AHEAD DONT BREAK YOUR BANK AND KEEP BALLIN 💪 💪 💪

I love your guys videos. They're always helpful for putting things into perspective. I think I'm doing it right so far by just keeping it to the one project with seven starter animals and trying to market myself a little early. Hopefully it works like you said near the end and I have the best chance of success that way.

Great information about the business. There is definitely a big picture, when looking at this business. Steven, you really put the truth out there. Hopefully, some will listen and look at the ways you are suggesting.

Great video! Very informative as usual!!

I've got 5 children's pythons that are marbles, T+, patternless and hets for one or two of them. Only one male and female will be big enough closer to the end of the season to breed and then next year I'll have my favourite girl big enough. I really want a tarble but decided that I wanted to make one myself before I buy anything expensive like pied or mosaic. I'm doing this little project for myself and if I'm able to sell a few snakes along the way, great!

I feel like new breeders hop out because they look at the big breeders and think “how can I even compete with that animal “ and not everyone has a lot of money too just drop 1,000$ on a snake

Hey Steven, it’s friends!

I've made several of the mistakes mentioned, even after years of only keeping. I know I'll never be a kobylka or leviathan so I intend on staying very small with only 1-3 clutches per year. Of animals that is for personal fulfillment as you said. Fun!! Great video!!

Completely Accurate video! 100% FACTS!! Great video!

thank you for your opinion and tipps on this topic!

Very informative and educational videos. I always enjoy watching them.

I want to take it slow but it has always been my dream to breed them and I love these snakes so much. No matter what happens to the market, it would just be a hobby and selling some that i produce to help support it. It wouldn't feel like work because of how much i love the industry and hobby. Just my pov though.

I spent 6 months deciding if I wanted to make the move to being a breeder after six months my first purchase was for two projects I purchased a yellow belly Mojave male and a female ghi the combo is awesome but I wanted to see it with my staple gene I work with and that is ghost / hypo . From there I just purchased multi gene females and decide to buy visual recessive males to pair to those girls . That right off the bat is at least is a 6 yr project

This is a good video for newbies.

Wow! Very very accurate We’ll put

All very accurate points. This hobby/industry is a Marathon not a sprint. Do your best to plan accordingly and your chance of success has potential to be higher.

Tons of validity in this video. Id like to add another scenario that almost pushed me over the edge of no return. I had back to back seaspns where my first female to become gravid, both held onto clutches, needing medical attention. The second season (my third breeding season), out of potentially 10+ clutches, and after that first clutch bound female passed awa post surgery, i ended up with only one other clutch that season. It was disheartening and i weighed heavily on getting out. The unforeseen circumstances can also push breeders out for sure.

I was concidering getting in breeding reptiles.. im not sure what to start wth tho i like all of them😅. This video was really helpfull thank you.

There are times when it isn't a "dead market" for ball pythons, there are times when the market is flooded with breeders in a specific area. Also, regional pricing can affect the cost of breeding and animal prices for hatchling. The more established breeders there are in an area, the more snakes there are. For someone getting into breeding with the intention to sell, the more they're "behind the 8 ball" with established breeders in the area

Ok so your video that shows buying snakes to build a project for 1k is great but do you think if someone were to start there do you think they can build a great business from there?

The overhead is a whole different video for my collection I spend 128 a week to feed my snakes times that by 4 and the by 12 that's a hard swallow my best advice if you don't have cash to do it please do not use credit or loans

the most difficult for me is breeding the feeder rats , its a lot of work but so i know they have quality food 😉😊

Imo people get out cause they thought they could make money and when they didn't. They got scared and backed out. Imo.

56👍

Sorry just wanted to share some of my story

And...my comment got removed.