Ball Pythons - A money trap?

I've not had a ball python since 1994. I got my first in 1993. It was my first snake ever. It was very fun. I never had the feeding issues most do but it died around a year after I had it. I remember I was feeding on what I'll say "not one piece" substrate. It was Repti-Bark actually. At that time I obviously did not know the dangers of a snake swallowing such substrate (same can be said for Cypress, Aspen, and a slew of other things) but none the less a piece lodged vertically half way down it's back. It got backed up, it would not eat, it died... a few other husbandry mistakes were made on my part as well.

So I had decided to get another one in 1994. It was an adult, which I now believe was imported from the wild, and it had a tick , mites, and would not eat. Died within 2 weeks. So that was the end of my ball python experience. Even recently as I've resparked my reptile passion I did not really have any desire to get a ball, and not because they're "boring", but just because of past experiences.

As it turns out, ball pythons have come quite a long way since 1994, and I've become good friends with quite a few breeders whom I trust very much, so ... the debate has begun on whether or not I'll get back in to them. I decided a short while ago that I would really love to have a pied ball python. Of course, snakes being snakes you can't just have one... soon it's turned from a pied in to wanting a lesser, mojave, and the very sexy lucy ball python. Of course you know I want an albino ball python too.

Now, I've barely scratched the surface of the tons upon tons of morphs out there and I've begun wondering: are ball pythons a money trap?. I've spent untold thousands on my collection right now and I've barely started it. Not to mention, I've not researched ball python genetics yet either so anything I do like will have to be thought through for future breeding. ROI is very important to me on high dollar snakes but some balls can go for many thousands of dollars. I can see myself getting in to a ball python money hole I can't get out of with the endless morphs out there...

Here I thought boas were expensive, not hardly! But alas, my desire to get a few balls is a brewing but first I must finish off my boa collection. There are a few advantages to the balls; they can reproduce much quicker than a boa so the return will be quicker. Nothing will replace the boa as my favorite snake, certainly not a ball, but those short tails sure are becoming one of my favorites but that's a whole other post.

So as summer approaches I must reduce my spending on random crap so I can spend a few grand on some balls (sounds funny, doesn't it?). A money trap it may be, but in the end it's just money and I love spending it.

Steve, prepare for your pockets to get extra fat once you hatch out some babies because I'm coming for some of your babies!