TheOddBall

<<<<——–Hey guys make sure to click on the follow button on the left so you can stay updated with everything that is going on! Thanks, Peter vonLehe Ruegner 

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Last summer I posted quite a lot about the state of the ball python market and figured I would offer some more opinions on it. For those of you wondering, no I did not get out of the game or vanish and I apologize for the lack of posts but I have been very busy.

Last May I started law school and in August I started taking a total of 15 credit hours, which has prevented me from posting here as much as I like to. Law school is far more work than I imagined that it would be and I have focused a lot of time into that. So the blog unfortunately fell to the back burner. Plus I just moved the entire collection, which consisted of around 300 snakes and a massive rodent colony.

Anyway, I see a lot of negatively in the facebook groups and at shows about the market failing or being over saturated with animals. I don’t think that is the case at all. I think a lot of people do not know how to sell animals and they get discouraged when animals don’t sell immediately. Selling a snake is difficult to do and it takes work to sell one. If your snakes don’t sell, it is not the other seller’s fault. It would be your own fault and you need to reevaluate your business model to see what can be changed to adapt to an ever evolving market. I sold quite a few ball pythons last year and am looking to have my best year ever this year!

[The photo below is one of my albino mojaves that I hatched late last summer. This combo is quite stunning!]

Personally, I think the market is the best that it has ever been and will only continue to get better.  With prices being in the several hundred dollar range for popular morphs, such as pieds and albinos, more people will come into our hobby. It is amazing that large retail stores are now offering pieds and other morphs to general public. This will cause our overall demand of animals to go up simply because more people will see the amazing color combos and get hooked, just like the majority of us have. I was in Petco not too long ago and saw a Pied for sale for $500. I can only imagine how many people will see that snake and then google “Ball pythons for sale in SC” and come across my blog. That tagline is one of the most searched terms that lead people to my site.

Anyway, being successful takes more than just producing snakes. That’s part of it, but an overall smaller part of the equation.You have to market the animals and yourself in a positive way. That is probably the biggest thing that will make you sales. It always amazes me how many people read this blog, even when I don’t post updates for months and this blog has helped secure countless sales since its inception. For example, since the last post in January, this blog has received nearly a 1,000 views.

As I type this entry, I have nearly 20 pairs out in the building that are breeding and I am confident that the babies will be sold for decent prices, as they always are. I am also planning to purchase several new males that I will be able to use in the fall of 2015.

The market can be as good as you make it. 

     If you present yourself and your business in a positive way, buyers will be drawn to your business and animals. Work to promote the market in a positive way and the sales will happen.