Please help us pick decide!

*This is NOT asking advise on proper husbandry, thanks!*

Quick background: So my boyfriend and I want to start breeding balls. We are beginning by collecting a few baby females of some morphs we like. Next year or so we plan to get most likely a super pastel male. We are new to ball pythons but I especially, have read everything I could on their care and breeding and have successfully kept many different types of herps. We also have a good friend who has been breeding for years helping us.

Anyway, at the last Tucson Reptile Show we purchased 2 hatchling females from a local breeder we know. One, a spider would not eat anything for us and always seemed very skittish and easily stressed (for a ball even). We tried just about everything you can try to get a finicky ball to take a meal. Finally the breeder offered to take her back and get her eating.

She still is not eating for him so he offered to either trade me out another female spider who IS taking meals readily. She is quite a bit bigger, around 200 grams vs the 60 or so our original baby was. She's also nice looking but is not quite as spectacular however, the first girl had very bright blushing.

The other option: He also has a female pinstripe (also around 200 grams) She's nice looking as well. The only thing is for her we would need to pay almost another $100. We paid $250 on the first spider and he wants $350 on the pinstripe but will go a little lower.

Alternatively, we could take the $250 credit and wait and see if he can get hold of a bumblebee or another cool morph.

So... take the larger and nice, but not quite as nice spider.
or
Pay another $100 and get a (also larger) pinstripe.
OR
Wait for something else?

The other female we purchased is a mojave, also gorgeous with very bright golds. She DEVOURS anything we put near her.

We do plan on getting a female bumblebee in the next few months which is the main reason I'm considering the pinstripe, so we don't have the same morphs coming out, breeding spider X super pastel AND BB X SP


Sorry for rambling a bit! So what would you guys recommend?

P.s. our breeder has assured me that our first spider girl will be fine, he just wants to give us a snake who will not be quite so finicky to start out with. I am quite aware that balls are frequently picky and may go off feed.

If you have the cash, go for the pinstripe since you're planning on getting a bee. Diversify your collection. Ask the breederif you could just add $50.

i would definitely go with the pinstripe since your planning on the bee also, and getting a lemon blast just sounds awesome imo lol. i also really like pinstripes and would personally rather have a bee and pin over a bee and spider. hope it all works out for you.

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Originally Posted by pbjtime8908

i would definitely go with the pinstripe since your planning on the bee also, and getting a lemon blast just sounds awesome imo lol. i also really like pinstripes and would personally rather have a bee and pin over a bee and spider. hope it all works out for you.

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Pinstripes never even have a chance of having the spider problems. If you bred the babies together (pastave x lemon blast), you could get jigsaws, jigsaw blasts, and super pastel jigsaws.

I agree with everyone else. If you can afford it, then go with the pin! It will give you more options in the future if you intend on getting a bee. :D

I would go for the pin if he comes down in price 350 seems a little much...

I'm a sucker for spiders but having a bee and a spider is redundant. For breeding you would be much better off with the pin.

Definitely go with the pin. I also have a female pin that I'm planning on pairing with my super pastel when she's ready, so maybe i'm just biased, but lemon blasts are really cool and a must have in a collection, in my opinion. Plus if you are planning on getting a bee, then you already have the spider gene covered. I was going to buy a spider female about a month ago, and decided against it. I could just pair my bumblebee to a normal and shoot for the odds of getting a female spider, if that's the route I decide to take. Much cheaper and much more satisfying if you ask me...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by richieboo

i would go for the pin if he comes down in price 350 seems a little much...

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x2

Go for the pin. He is being great offering it to you, even at $100 more. IMO