Recommended Herp. Vet in Kern County, CA

I'm pretty new to the Ball Python world, and last time I owned any reptiles I lived around the corner from the local zoos herpetologist, but now I'm in Bakersfield and don't have any idea who might be a good vet around here.
This isn't because I think anything is wrong with my snake, but because I believe a good pet owner should establish themselves with a good vet in case something does end up happening. It'd also be nice to know my snakes gender.
I contacted the local zoo(ish) place and asked for any references they could give me, but the woman who answered didn't have any information.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

If you want to know the sex of your BP I would get in contact with a local breeder-they could also help you find a good vet. I'm sure there are breeders in your area, they are pretty much everywhere. There are three of us in a 40 mile radius here in Iowa, and it used to be four back in July ;) You can find local breeders by looking around on this site. There is a forum section by region at the bottom of the forum list page, you might have some luck there. As for finding a good herp vet, I can't really help you on that one. There is a website you can do a search for herp vets, but I don't remember the site, if Deborah sees this, she'll link the site for you. Just be aware that some herp "expert" vets are just putting that in their name. I went to the only herp "expert" in the area and he sexed my BP by the spurs. He said a few other things that were a bunch of bull. Do some research on BPs before you go to the vet to make sure they actually know a thing or two about BPs. Not all vets can know everything about every species, but they should have a pretty good idea about herps if they claim to be experts.

The fear of a vet just saying they know reptiles because they saw a lizard in their garden is exactly why I posted here.
I will follow your advice and seek out a breeder to follow up with though. Thank you

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Originally Posted by karb0n13

The fear of a vet just saying they know reptiles because they saw a lizard in their garden is exactly why I posted here.

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:rofl: Exactly.

I just found this with a quick search, it's pretty neat because it has reviews of people who have taken their animals there. This one has several in Iowa, all almost 2 hours from me, but the other site I've looked at didn't have any herp vets in Iowa. http://www.herpvetconnection.com/calif.shtml

If you find a breeder they should know a vet in the area, or a least a vet in the area that can get you the meds you need for various infections BPs commonly get.