Getting My First Snake! Some Questions

Hi everyone! I've been lurking here and some other reptile sites for about a week in preparation for getting my first snake. I'm really excited, and a ball python seems like the perfect snake for me! I definitely want my snake to be as comfortable and healthy as possible, and thanks to the helpful posts I've found online I think I know how to so: I've ordered a double thermometer/hygrometer, a heat mat, and a good thermostat, and plan to set up a sterilite bin with 2 homemade hides, water bowl, and paper towel or aspen. I plan to make/setup the bin a day or so before i have the snake, and let the snake adjust for about a week before feeding/handling it.

So now my concern is where to get the snake itself--I'm not looking to breed, but I do want a healthy, friendly animal bred by someone who knows what they're doing. I just want a normal due to budget concerns (I don't want to pay more than ~$75 including transit) and because I think they're beautiful. There's a reptile show today in my area today but I work weekends and can't attend :( and I don't want to wait another couple months for the next one. So I'm looking to online breeders or breeders I can drive to (I use zipcar, and renting a car to drive to a breeder would probably cost about the same as overnight shipping).

I have a ton of questions, if anyone's interested in answering even one or a couple it'd be a huge help!!

#1 how can I tell a good breeder from a sub-par one?
#2 are big online reptile sites worth it? If I go for one of these I'm leaning towards BHB reptiles because I've been watching some of their youtube vids and they seem to run an honest business and really care about their animals--but does anyone have personal experience with them?
#3 how much should I expect to pay for a normal hatchling?
#4 how big is a "hatchling" anyway and what size/kind of rodent do they eat? Is it worth it to buy bulk frozen food for just one snake? What's a good place to get feeder rodents?
#5 what should a good breeder tell me about the snake--age, what they were feeding it? or will i just get the animal with no info?
#6 I see there's a sale section on this forum! How can I go about finding an affordable snake through here? Do most people ship or prefer pickup? are there other sites I should check out where smaller-scale breeders sell their snakes?

Thanks a million everyone!

I can't address all of your points, but if you're on Facebook, try seeing if there's a local breeder group in your area. I'm in one (not that I breed lol) but everyone is super nice and usually has plenty of normals they're trying to unload :) Or you could try Craigslist if you're brave haha. If you go that route, make sure you ask to see the set up and see that everything checks out, the animal is healthy, etc. Kingsnake, fauna classifieds are good to check online for balls. Keep in mind that you'll likely pay more for shipping than the actual snake when doing it online. If you're not opposed to an older model, I'm sure there are plenty of balls looking for good homes at a local rescue or humane society.

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Originally Posted by snickersnack

I have a ton of questions, if anyone's interested in answering even one or a couple it'd be a huge help!!

#1 how can I tell a good breeder from a sub-par one?

Check out the BOI on Fauna and the Inquiries/Feedback section on here for breeder reviews.

#2 are big online reptile sites worth it? If I go for one of these I'm leaning towards BHB reptiles because I've been watching some of their youtube vids and they seem to run an honest business and really care about their animals--but does anyone have personal experience with them?

BHB has gotten mostly great reviews, but I haven't dealt with them personally.

#3 how much should I expect to pay for a normal hatchling?

Normals run $20-50, depending on sex and the breeder.

#4 how big is a "hatchling" anyway and what size/kind of rodent do they eat? Is it worth it to buy bulk frozen food for just one snake? What's a good place to get feeder rodents?

Hatchlings range from ~70g+. A breeder should be able to tell you your baby's weight before shipping. Buying in bulk for one baby usually doesn't work because of the sheer number of rodents. A hatchling should be taking mouse hoppers up to rat pups, depending on the snake's size.

#5 what should a good breeder tell me about the snake--age, what they were feeding it? or will i just get the animal with no info?

A good breeder will send you hatch/feeding records.

#6 I see there's a sale section on this forum! How can I go about finding an affordable snake through here? Do most people ship or prefer pickup? are there other sites I should check out where smaller-scale breeders sell their snakes?

Just browse or use the search function. Most breeders don't list normals, but a lot have them. You can also watch for regular threads from people that sound nice to you. Check their signature line for a website link and go from there (lots of folks on here are hobbyist breeders).

Thanks a million everyone!

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lllreptile.com has them for $25 plus $40 shipping.

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Originally Posted by alykoz

lllreptile.com has them for $25 plus $40 shipping.

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I personally would not go to LLL, I have heard some horror stories about them. I can only echo what others have said, KS classifieds and faunaclassifieds are great, check sellers on the BOI. BHB is a place I would trust, from what I have heard Brian is a stand-up guy ad I love all of his work in the community. Te one question I have for you is: what the ambient temperature of the room you setup will be in? Tub setups are superior to tanks in many ways, but unless your room is already in the mid 70s, the in-tub ambient temp will be far too low for a BP. Best of luck,

Thanks for the great responses everyone!! I feel a bit more prepared.

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Originally Posted by brobertson

Te one question I have for you is: what the ambient temperature of the room you setup will be in? Tub setups are superior to tanks in many ways, but unless your room is already in the mid 70s, the in-tub ambient temp will be far too low for a BP. Best of luck,

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I'm on the third floor and right now/for the summer months the room is in the mid-70s, but it will probably be lower in the winter--what can I do about this?

In the winter, you could use a space heater to warm up the room, however they can be pricey on your electricity bill. The option I would recommend is to suspend a ceramic heat emitter or infrared bulb above the tub and put in on a dimmer (or a cheap t-stat, hydofarm is only $30) to regulate temp. I believe Zoo med sells a lamp stand that could suspend it very well. I will draw a little pic for an example.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/23/pagymegu.jpg

Behold my beautiful art :)

Hope this helps!

thanks so much for the diagram! I will probably do that when it starts getting cooler.

And thanks again to everyone else for the info