BP investments.

stephanbakir · 05-14-11, 04:42 PM

My cousin has 1000$ that he wants to invest in BP's and hes trying to decide what to buy, anyone have any ideas?
He has someone who wants to sell him 1 male and 3 female lessers, but hes not sure he wants to breed the same thing over and over (all four of them are 500-800 grams)

Max713 · 05-14-11, 05:48 PM

If he's planning on actually making money off breeding balls, he's dreaming

Very few actually end up making money from breeding snakes.
As fo a response to your actual question, I don't have one, just throwin in my $.02

mykee · 05-14-11, 07:55 PM

Quote:

"If he's planning on actually making money off breeding balls, he's dreaming "

??!!

Disregard that last comment, it's rubbish and comes from someone clearly with zero experience or knowledge in the business of ball pythons.

$1000 will get you a lot more than it did when I started. With $1000 in 2002, you could buy one half of a male pastel. Enough of the waxing poetic.
$1000 can get you a slew of lower end babies that will give you eggs in three years.
Pastels: $100-$200 each
Mojaves: $200-$350 each
Lessers: $250-$400 each
Het clowns, het ghosts, het albinos: $50-$250 each

If your cousin is looking to turn around and start breeding sooner, he'll need bigger stuff, and with larger animals, comes a larger price tag. a grand won't get you much if you're impatient and aren't willing to sit on your babies for a few years to get them up to breeding size.

Shmoges · 05-14-11, 08:41 PM

I can't find the video but BHB has a great one that shows some good starter bp's to get for certain amounts of money for breeding. Its very informative but they have to many videos lol I recommend watchign them all.
ps. get some popcorn and enjoy

SnakeBytes TV

Max713 · 05-14-11, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykee

??!!

Disregard that last comment, it's rubbish and comes from someone clearly with zero experience or knowledge in the business of ball pythons.

$1000 will get you a lot more than it did when I started. With $1000 in 2002, you could buy one half of a male pastel. Enough of the waxing poetic.
$1000 can get you a slew of lower end babies that will give you eggs in three years.
Pastels: $100-$200 each
Mojaves: $200-$350 each
Lessers: $250-$400 each
Het clowns, het ghosts, het albinos: $50-$250 each

If your cousin is looking to turn around and start breeding sooner, he'll need bigger stuff, and with larger animals, comes a larger price tag. a grand won't get you much if you're impatient and aren't willing to sit on your babies for a few years to get them up to breeding size.

No, I do not have any personal experience, but I believe my statement holds true with most trying to breed herps.
As you said, $1000 will not get you much in trying to start, and one shouldn't expect any income from said operation for some time.
Sure there is plenty of opportunity to make money eventually, but the simple truth is most will never make money attempting to breed and sell herps.

stephanbakir · 05-14-11, 09:33 PM

He mostly wants to do it for the fun, and his goal is to more or less break even while doing it.

citysnakes · 05-14-11, 09:57 PM

Stephan, if your cousin doesnt buy those lessers let me know...

stephanbakir · 05-14-11, 10:06 PM

If he doesn't ill be buying them I love lucies and hatching them would be a dream:P (i would only be buying 1 male and 1 female, want me to send you a PM for the other two if he choses not to buy them?)

Shmoges · 05-14-11, 11:02 PM

Well as far as making money from breeding snakes I had an oops with my corn snakes and a local pet store will buy them for $10 each. I was considering giving them away but I'll take $170 for a very cool experience and it more than pays for the reptibator that was $100. I hope to have my snakes work for there food and self sustain themselves financially which I think will be quite easy.

stephanbakir · 05-15-11, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shmoges

Well as far as making money from breeding snakes I had an oops with my corn snakes and a local pet store will buy them for $10 each. I was considering giving them away but I'll take $170 for a very cool experience and it more than pays for the reptibator that was $100. I hope to have my snakes work for there food and self sustain themselves financially which I think will be quite easy.

Thats more or less what hes trying to do.

Shmoges · 05-15-11, 10:44 AM

If he develops a good relationship with local pet stores I am sure he can work with them and get some money. Otherwise, This fine site, kingsnake.com or fauna classifieds would be the place to sell babies IMO but they are much more complicated with shipping and payment. I wouldn't rehome or sell my animals on ebay classifieds or craigs list though way to much hastle and scammers. Local is the way to go until he gets more established.

stephanbakir · 05-15-11, 01:13 PM

I have some experience shipping reptiles, shipped some geckos and some retics back when i bred them. Never tried shipping to the states though.

Shmoges · 05-15-11, 02:10 PM

I think its illegal for animal shipments from Canada to America

stephanbakir · 05-15-11, 02:17 PM

Don't you need a C.I.T.E.S permit and you're fine?

Dehlida · 05-15-11, 04:05 PM

There is an amazing amount of money to be made from the reptile hobby, period. You need a basic understanding of the market, economics, and your animals, and you will do great.

For Ball Pythons- invest in what you like, if he's not in it for the money, he could honestly buy a normal male and female pair as babies for $50 at an expo. Raise them and breed them, even if you only get 3 viable babies, all of which are male. You can still resell them for $20 each at least at an expo, or better yet, sell them locally through various means as pets, for $40-$50, as it's still cheaper than a pet store, and they are captive bred (unlike most stores).

In a couple years you can turn that $50 pair of snakes into a few hundred dollars with relative ease, even easier if you use some money to invest into breeding your own feeder rodents.