travel enclosure?

[Cortana]

Well- I am going to a reptile expo this weekend to hopefully find my first BP! The expo is probably an hour and a half from my house. What should I take to bring the snake home in? It will be fairly warm here-75-80 degrees.
Also, any tips on questions to ask or things to look for? I will ask what it's eating and how often, also if it is captive bred.....anything else?

Thanks for any help, and hopefully I will soon be posting some pics!

[Nate]

most people have captive hatched at the shows...*most*...but it's still good to ask if it was hatched with them...find a reputable person to buy from.

as for the traveling, a pillow case and maybe a box, or a rubbermaid with some holes in it and some newspaper/cushion for the bumpy ride home.

[xdeus]

An hour and a half isn't too long, especially with those temps. A sack is always a good option for snakes as they feel secure in the dark, enclosed environment. If you can't find a sack, you can also use an appropriately sized sterilite or tupperware type container with a hide. The seller might provide something for you to carry your snake in as well.

First off, you should ask if it was Captive Hatched or Captive Bred, and if so, was the seller the one who produced it? Captive Hatched isn't necessarily bad, but they usually have to be treated when they enter the country and many sellers will not treat them before selling them. Those are usually pretty cheap (under $20) and can have a number of problems such as ticks, mites, or internal parasites.

Spotting mites is relatively easy. Look around the head for small specks, and also in the container they're stored in. If you rub your hand along the snake, you should be able to see some small specks on your hand.

Make sure the snake isn't too skinny. If it's showing it's spine or looks triangular, it is probably too thin. Balling up is a good sign as well as actively flicking it's tongue. It shouldn't be loose or "limp" in your hands. Another negative sign to watch out for is if it is opening its mouth a lot or keeping its head up for long periods. That usually a sign of a respiratory infection.

Ask the seller a lot of questions about the snake. If it looks like a good deal but the seller blows you off, keep looking... it probably won't be a good deal in the long run.

Good luck, and be sure and post pics when you get him/her!

[BPdad]

Swing by a "Dollar Store" or a discount store and pick up a pillow case or two. For your snakes you can even buy pillow cases that fit baby pillows, which are a little nicer for hatchlings or young juvies. We bought our BP at a Reptile show and the breeder gave us a small sac to keep and take home.

Good Luck!

[Cortana]

For some reason I had the idea that most of the snakes there would be produced by the breeders at the expo.. thanks for the tip.


Would a nice soft purple Crown Royal bag work? I have several of those

[Kizerk]

i'm not sure what a crown royal bag is, but as long it's not see through and has a secure opening, it should be fine

don't be afraid to ask alot of questions! breeders, the good ones, don't mind answering them all

[TheAudOne]

If you do buy your own pillow case double stitch the seams....BP's like to push and push and find weak threads...then you have a snake in your car lol.
And no a crown royal bag might not work being that its a draw string closure.....I dont know how I knew that

[kavmon]

a styro box like used for shipping is good to take to shows!


vaughn

[frankykeno]

We have a few of these in all sorts of sizes with vent holes melted in them. You can find them at dollar stores, WalMart, Target, KMart, Meijers, etc. You can pop the snake in a bag, snap it into the carrier and you're set to go (also very handy for vet visits, somewhere to put the snake while cleaning, etc.). We have used them for picking up live feeder rodents as well.

[Rapture]

^ Cool idea!