Wanting a new bp, should I buy a baby or adopt a rescue (reputable rescue)

[Gruba]

Ok, so I have, very quickly, fallen head over heels for bps. My husband and I just bought 1.5 yr old male for my son and now, I want one for myself. I love handling my sons and watching him just be himself. However, he is my sons snake and my son does most of the handling, under my supervision, of course, which means, when my son moves out eventually, the snake will be going with him. I'd like to get one for myself now. What are the pros and cons of buying a baby vs an older snake?
Pros and cons of getting a rescue?
Our local rescue is partnered with the SPCA and they are very reputable and have regular inspections by the SPCA.

[SylverTears]

Buying a baby snakes from a reputable breeder is probably the best option. The pros are you can get awesome color morphs, you will know your snake is healthy and well cared for, before purchase, and you can easily get the animal accustomed to being handled. Cons: Babies can sometimes be defensive or reluctant to eat and are a little more finicky husbandry wise.
Rehomed snakes, especially for a second snake and relatively inexperienced keeper, can sometimes be harder to care for, as they may be less forgiving. Getting a rescue with proper research and habitat can definitely benefit the snake, and you can often find older individuals with calm temperaments for free or little money.
I would not suggest rescuing a snake with physical health problems. You are really better off getting a healthy one at this point to start off on the right foot

[Mangiapane85]

It's up to you, but I prefer buying hatchlings. Just so I can see them grow and know that I'M in control of their health and overall well being... i will probably be buying a couple adult females though in the next 6 months or so though, just to speed my breeding project up.


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[distaff]

In my experience, rescue organizations are a pain to deal with. Additionally, they are not always up front about their policies, and the staff is at best, flakey.

The last person I know who who wanted to adopt a kitten from one, was given the WRONG cat when he came the next day to pick it up, and from their response, it was clear they knew, and hoped he wouldn't notice. Someone else had already taken home the cat he paid for.

I'd search Craig's List first, and practice strict quarantine after the sale.

Tiny hatchlings stress me out.

[redshepherd]

In addition to the above, it depends on if you care to get a morph or not. For the most part, rescues are all adult normals with maybe the occassional pastel or inexpensive single gene. The pros of a good rescue adult is if it's already been feeding on f/t rats, you won't have issues. And you can ask about the snake's feeding response, which I'd want a snake who has rarely missed an f/t meal, if I went with rescue.

While for breeder hatchlings, most breeders feed live mice or rat fuzzies, and you may happen to get a snake with a hard time switching to f/t or a hard time switching to rats. You can always discuss with the breeder what you're looking for, but there are no for sures with hatchlings eating live.

[Gruba]

Buying a baby snakes from a reputable breeder is probably the best option. The pros are you can get awesome color morphs, you will know your snake is healthy and well cared for, before purchase, and you can easily get the animal accustomed to being handled. Cons: Babies can sometimes be defensive or reluctant to eat and are a little more finicky husbandry wise.
Rehomed snakes, especially for a second snake and relatively inexperienced keeper, can sometimes be harder to care for, as they may be less forgiving. Getting a rescue with proper research and habitat can definitely benefit the snake, and you can often find older individuals with calm temperaments for free or little money.
I would not suggest rescuing a snake with physical health problems. You are really better off getting a healthy one at this point to start off on the right foot

Our rescue will not adopt out snakes with health problems of any kind! We have been there a spoken with them a few times. We are able to handle the rescue snakes that were interested in, to get an idea of how they react and each employee is specialized to a different species. I'm confident that they would help us find the right snake for us. That being said, there isn't really a selection in terms of morphs, they have what they have.
Quite honestly, my main concern with the babies is their size. I have 2 sons, 1.5 and 3.5, and they both love snakes. They are always supervised but the thought of the little snakes still makes me nervous, which is the reason we chose a 1.5 yr old snake as a starter instead of a baby. Cost isn't a main factor but, we're not breeders so I don't see the need to pay a huge amount for a fancy morph. Amy suggestions on reputable breeders?

[JAK Pythons]

I would go baby all the way. You know you can train them to know you and not be head shy.

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[Gruba]

In my experience, rescue organizations are a pain to deal with. Additionally, they are not always up front about their policies, and the staff is at best, flakey.

The last person I know who who wanted to adopt a kitten from one, was given the WRONG cat when he came the next day to pick it up, and from their response, it was clear they knew, and hoped he wouldn't notice. Someone else had already taken home the cat he paid for.

I'd search Craig's List first, and practice strict quarantine after the sale.

Tiny hatchlings stress me out.

The tiny ones scare me a bit just because of our home life. BUSY! I have young boys who love the snake and while they're always supervised, I don't want to risk it.
As for the rescue, I have a specific one in mind and we've been there multiple times to speak with them and see the animals. They are not strictly a rescue, they do also sell other reptiles and have an educational program with a large amount of animals, mostly illegal pets that were confiscated. We are able to see the rescues they have avaluable and handle them. They also provide continuing support and information after an adoption. Last time we were there, a lady brought the beardie she adopted from them in for a visit.
Either way, I'm hoping for a snake around 1 year old at the youngest. Eventually I'll get a younger snake, just not yet!

Also, I'm from Canada so we may have different regulations for rescues. Not that it really matters. I'm sure we have sketchy ones here too. I've done my research on this particular rescue and am comfortable with them and they way they treat their animals and customers.

[bumblebee1028]

Breeders often have older animals available for sale, too. But if you're comfortable with the rescue organization, I don't think you could go wrong either way.

Either way, make sure you quarantine the new snake for at least 3 months. No matter how reputable the breeder or rescue is, it's better not to risk exposing your son's snake to anything.

[Macropodus]

Ok, so I have, very quickly, fallen head over heels for bps. My husband and I just bought 1.5 yr old male for my son and now, I want one for myself. I love handling my sons ...

If handling is a primary motive then be sure to handle any prospective new snake, regardless of age, before taking it home. If you were to adopt a mammal from your local SPCA you probably wouldn't take one that attacked you or cowered into a corner. Any sign of fear or aggression then leave it and choose another snake. Good Luck!