What to look for in a new BP

well, I'm HOPING to pick up a female pastel in the near future and was hoping for some guidelines regarding what to look for when purchasing. what would you say the minimum size recommended would be? no signs of old shed, clear of mites/ticks(how to best check for these at a sale?) other stuff I don't know about? Any help would be appreciated. :gj:

mites are little black dots, on a pastel would be easy as pie to see, if you see a snake like that at a show, not only stay clear of the snake so you don't carry them home to your own collection, stay clear of that breeder and let someone know so other peoples snakes don't get infected. I have yet to see mites at a show tho. that would be like bringing a bomb on an airplane.

old shed simply means that humidity isn't being kept up with resently, (tho most would frown upon a breeder who isn't keeping up with it) its really not a big issue, I would be looking for more IR issues, you can hear it when the snake breaths, they kinda click, its from the mucus in their throat snapping and if its a bad case you can even see it in the snakes throat. also if something just doesn't sit right with you, don't be afraid to just say no. saying always goes, if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

there is no minimum size, most people just want to see its eating regularly, wether that be 3 meals 5 meals 10 meals is up to the person buying it. its nice to see a feeding record with a snake thats eating solidly. but your trusting the breeder on giving true information.

as for pastels, most people look for the yellowest snake they can find, or the one with the most blushing on them (all the faded spots on the black parts) or a combo of both. but their color fades as they get older, so pick the best looking baby and hope for the best.

good luck

Also look to make sure the eyes are clear.
The body is filled out looking
The cloacea is clean looking without any mucous membrane coming out.

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Originally Posted by WesleyTF

well, I'm HOPING to pick up a female pastel in the near future and was hoping for some guidelines regarding what to look for when purchasing. what would you say the minimum size recommended would be? no signs of old shed, clear of mites/ticks(how to best check for these at a sale?) other stuff I don't know about? Any help would be appreciated. :gj:

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If this is your first snake, learn from other's mistakes. Read a bunch from this forum. We all made mistakes. Learn from their mistakes and don't repeat them.

Get your enclosure set up and running a week before you buy your snake.

Make sure you have a nice warm place inn the house to keep the enclosure.

Have a supply of food prey for your snake. What I mean is to make sure you have a pet store that will have the food prey available when you need them.

When you go to buy the snake, hold the snake, feel for anything that doesn't feel right. Any lumps where they shouldn't be. Look at the eyes for retained eye caps. Mites will cluster around the eyes too. Take a paper towel or two with you and rub the paper towel down the snake's body. You should see mites on the paper towel if they are present. I know you may have to have a little experience for this one, but make sure the snake feels as heavy as it should be. Look at the head, make sure there's no crust around the mouth or nostrils. Make sure the snake is flicking it's tongue as it should. Watch it breath, does it look like it is laboring to breath. Look for old retained sheds anywhere on the snake. Look at the tip of the tail too. Look at the belly scales, are there any off coloring in any one spot. Look for scars from llive prey bites.

As far as size. If this is your first snake, I wouldn't suggest a newborn. Too many issue may arise and cause you and the snake to stress. Look for something that's older, more established. A regular eater. If it's gotten to 250 grams, you know it's eaten. If you buy an 80 gram newborn, you don't really know if it's a good eater or difficult to get to eat regularly.

If you do buy a newborn, don't worry if it's a little bit nippy. This is actually a good thing. The bites won't hurt, even if they would clamp down on your hand. Usually they just strike at you because they are afraid. But an agressive baby can be a sign of a good agressive eater.

If you can, buy from someone you know or someone that you've been referred to. Be careful buying off of Craigslist, the internet or local newspaper. Many times you're buying from a flipper (someone that buys a snake and resells it for a profit). They won't have a real history about the snake.

I'm sure I've missed a lot of information, but if you read the forum's past posts, you should be able to come up with an answer to almost any question. If you can't find it, many here are great at helping.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

I had snakes as a kid and this one will be my third BP of recent years, but my first designer morph. My other two have been at least sub-adults off craig's list, so if it may be my first young one.

In anycase, I think I've got some good tips, so thanks! I've got an empty tub setup in a warm humid room and I'll be off to the supershow in a bit... wish me luck!

Sorry for the over simplified post. I didn't know if this was your first snake or naot. Good luck and I hope you find the exact snake you're looking for.:snake:

Jim Smith

no, it was great. It's always a good idea to go over even the most simple stuff before you let emotions get going...

thanks again for all the advice. I picked up a gorgeous spider, though I was EXTREMELY tempted to nab a few smaller/more risky snakes. I couldn't be happier with my choice!

Glad you were able to find a nice snake. Pictures please.

Jim Smith

Glad you decided to go with a Spider, you will find out very fast that you have an unlimited amount of combos to make with the Spider. Its almost like having a Super Pastel, cause you just can't lose. Also getting something bigger will help down the road with feeding and and issues the breeder noticed over time.