First find how many snakes were in all the breeding balls: 3 balls * 8 snakes/ball = <<3*8=24>>24 snakes
Then find how many snakes are in all the pairs: 2 snakes/pair * 6 pairs = <<2*6=12>>12 snakes
Then add the number of snakes in both types of groups to find the total number of snakes: 24 snakes + 12 snakes = <<24+12=36>>36 snakes
#### 36