I'm very new to breeding ball pythons. Over the past 4 months I've been purchasing random ball pythons with no intentions on breeding. One was a pet for my wife, one was for my daughter, and one was for me. The one I got for myself is actually what got me interested in breeding. He is a gorgeous male Bamboo pastel spider. Supposedly he possibly has a new gene that his breeder showed me pictures of (a sibling of his) so I bought an adult normal female to see if I can prove that out. Currently they've been together for 2 days but I've not witnessed a lock.

To be honest, I never had intentions on breeding but that's the story of what sparked it. Since then I've been down quite the rabbit hole, spending hours a day surfing morph market and trying to decide on different projects I would like to start. Yesterday I impulsively put a down payment on an adult pastel clown as it was a deal I didn't want to miss. So looks like clown is going to be a focus for me which is fine because I love clown and clown combos are pretty hot right now.

Now my dilemma is what to purchase next. I was hoping to find an adult female clown combo or het to pair with him. Unfortunately the market for adult hets is small and adult female clowns is next to none.

I'm looking to invest around $1500 - $3000. Logically, everything tells me I should just invest in babies. I can get one or two higher end clowns or a handful of hets. I also have many more options to chose from. I just hate the idea of waiting 3-4 years before I can actually see results, which is honestly my only issue.

I've got plenty of time to decide. My male won't even be here until temps are warmer. I guess I just want opinions. Would you go for an adult clown or het? Would you go for one or two higher end babies or a bunch of different hets? Do you think the market will be (more) oversaturated with clowns in a few years? Do you see them holding value?