I currently have three snakes. I have two female ball pythons and a male California kingsnake. I have two Thayeri kingsnakes on order. The Thayeri is a kind of kingsnake native to Mexico. They don't become as big as most of the ones native to the United States, but they are pretty little animals and generally have great personalities. I also have a crested gecko that I believe is a female, but distinguishing the sexes is difficult until they reach full maturity.
My plan is to own at least one male ball python to breed to my females. Ideally, I might end up with three females and two males. That combination would allow me to practice some breeding. The two females are "normals" meaning that they have the typical markings of ball pythons found in the wild. Any future additions will likely be "morphs" which have mutations giving them a distinctly different appearance. Of course, I'd likely end up keeping one or two hatchlings over the years to develop some traits, but I'd mostly breed for the experience of having bred these snakes. I'd likely buy a second female thayeri to go with the male and female that I'm ordering. If I end up with two females and a male, I can do a little breeding of them. I might also try to find a female California kingsnake so that my male gets to breed occasionally as well. That plan would put me at ten snakes, and that's probably where I should stop.
In terms of lizards, I'll get a male crested gecko if my current gecko turns out to be a female. I'll do a little breeding of them just for fun. I've thought about getting a leopard gecko also, but I'm currently not as enthusiastic about that option.
Bill
Sometimes I think about getting another boa. The one I had was real pretty, and they're easy to take care of even if I have to be gone for a while.
I really love it in Alaska, and it is beautiful. If you ever get a chance to come up here for work, I'd highly recommend it!