Python Breeders Clashed With The City Over Family Business-Iowa Capital Dispatch |

The City of Manning threatened to fine its residents because they had too many ball pythons in their houses and sold them. (Photos and letters provided by Liz Waterbury)

Manning, Iowa-Adam Waterbury believes that his hobby is being transformed into a business of breeding ball pythons on the cusp of success.

For the past two years, 36-year-old Waterbury and his wife Liz have been raising small pythons in a simple house on the south side of Manning in western Iowa.

In a room of the house, there is a self-made cabinet with a pull-out box containing living things. There are as many as 50 pythons in the Waterbury family this year.

In another room there is a similar cabinet, which is filled with more than 100 mice-they also breed-to feed the pythons.

Although some of their pythons cost as high as $600, the operation did not make any money. This is cheap compared to the more exotic varieties that some breeders obtain through selective breeding. The correct combination of colors and patterns can net a net profit of $10,000 or more.

Adam Waterbury's daily job is to raise pigs in confinement rooms, and he believes that if they expand to the existing garage on their property, he has expertise in reptiles to make a profit.

Then a neighbor complained that the city government ordered the Waterbury family to close the business or face a daily fine.

"We finally found something, one that allows us to make money, and the other is that I am very good at it," Adam Waterbury said. "I don't want to work with pigs all my life, man. It's hard for my body."

Manning is a small town with about 1,400 people. There are no regulations on owning foreign pets, but its zoning regulations prohibit residents from operating businesses at home without special permission.

"We have been trying to work with them to find solutions," said Dawn Meyer, Manning's city administrator. "I have never dealt with the issue of exotic animals before."

The breeding business of ball pythons is basically unregulated in the United States because these snakes are not venomous and do not have their large python cousins in size. Adult ball pythons can reach a length of 3 to 5 feet. Other species grow to more than 20.

Despite this, some Manning residents worry that these creatures-including rats-will escape from their trash cans. Liz Waterbury said she also kept a small number of geckos.

This issue was the subject of the May meeting of the city's adjustment committee, which has the power to grant special exceptions to allow business to be carried out at home.

Adam Waterbury explained his breeding process to the board. He paired the pythons every three weeks until they mate and watched the female's body swell due to laying eggs. The females then shed their skins and lay eggs 30 days later.

Waterbury's snakes lay about 50 eggs this year. He hatched these tough eggs in a humid 89-degree container until they hatched in about two months.

They raise African fur rats to save snake food. This species is much smaller than ordinary mice, and they are the natural prey of African native ball pythons.

Rats purchased from pet stores cost $8 each.

The board weighed Waterbury's desire to expand its business and neighbors' concerns, and voted unanimously to reject this request.

"I find this annoying," Liz Waterbury said of the neighbors' concerns. "No one came to talk to us first."

The Waterburys refused to allow city officials to enter their house for inspection in August and continued to sell pythons online. They said that a breeder in another city was dealing with the sale of their snakes and hoped that this would appease the city.

However, the city’s lawyers issued a severely worded letter in September threatening to go to jail and fines.

"The City of Manning is very patient with you," the September 9 letter said. "There is no room for negotiation."

According to another letter from the lawyer on October 1, about two weeks later, a policeman and city administrator Meyer inspected the house and found as many as 30 pythons, many geckos, and more than 100 rats.

"In order to comply with the regulations, snakes and geckos involved in your business activities need to be removed from your home," the second letter said.

The city set the deadline for November 3.

Waterburys deleted their company's Facebook page and stated that they no longer sell reptiles.

Phil Gross, president of the American Reptile Breeders Association, wanted to know whether the city would apply the same standards to other residents who run sideline businesses at home.

"Will they hit people who sell crafts on Etsy or sell goods on eBay?" he said.

At a recent city council meeting, city officials briefly considered restrictions on the possession of exotic pets. Manning residents are limited to three dogs and cats, but there are no restrictions on other types of pets.

Mayor Joe Mars said of imposing further restrictions on the number of pets in the town: "It was proposed, but it was not well received." "I don't want anything to happen in this regard."

The Waterbury couple believed that if they did not sell, they would have complied with the city's law, not the new ordinance that applied to their reptiles. They did not allow the city government to inspect their house on November 3.

It is not clear how the city will respond. Meyer could not be reached for comment this week.

On Thursday, the city closed the water service to the Waterbury home due to non-payment of utility bills.

"Our whole family believes that they are doing this because we are fighting for our right to keep pets," Liz Waterbury said.

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Author: Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Scheduling November 11, 2021