Help a clueless dad.

Just saying hi and seeking advice. My 15 year old son has the Ball Python Bug. He wants to get one as his Christmas Gift. This is where I can use some advice. What would I need to get him started right?

This is the plan, This weekend is Repticon here in Houston. Even though its a Christmas gift i'm going to let him get it early, that way he can choose for himself. I figure buying at the show would save me a few bucks since I won't have to pay for shipping. I figure it's better to get it at the show to avoid stressing the the snake.

His favorites are the Banana ones. I plan to pick up one or two snakes. He wants to get into breeding snakes in the future. Any suggestions what would be a good match for the banana BP. I have picked up a bit of knowledge from the forums but I can use some help. He's determined to create new morphs:rolleyes::rolleye2:.

Please Help! I have included the list of vendors, if you have any personal experience with them or can make any recommendations please let me know. Thanks

ACW Reptiles
Aguamigos Axolotls
All God's Creatures Reptile Rescue
Animal Ark
Barmolly's Place
Bay Area Exotic Pets
Crested Gecko Emporium
Crossbone Corns
Debbie's Handmade Happiness
Deer Park Animal Hospital
Designs by Reptiles
DNA Reptiles
DownUnder Dragonz
East Texas Herpetological Society
Exotics By Nature
Feeder Source
Full Spectrum Reptiles/Reptile Passion
Gecko Element
Genesis Exotics LLC
GmansReptileSupply.com
Heart of Gold Reptile Rescue
Herps Up
High Scale Enclosures
Jungle Jewels Reptiles/
Dragon Reptiles Cages and Racks
Knights of the Iguana
Locbox
Loving Reptiles
Maui Wowi
Mona's Corner
Nature's Exquisite Creatures
NightGlow Reptiles
On the Ball Pythons
Priceless Pythons
Python Pros
Rainforest Pets, LLC
Rancho De Tortuga
Revolution Reptiles
S & S Exotic Animals, Inc.
Sandman Exotics
Sandra Wolf Face Painting
Scentsy by Shirley
Shores Enuff Snakes
SoutheasternExotics.com
The Leather Garden
Trey's Turtles and Tortoises

Start with females. Remember they take several years to be ready to breed.:gj:
Might make it easy and try to do the all in one at the show, Find a rack, thermostat and both snakes while at the expo.
JT at On the Ball Pythons and Brandon at Priceless Pythons are both good people and have some great animals.

You're a great dad. I wish I had mine like you when I was 15.

Banana looks good in almost every combinations, but I like specially the banana clown combos. That can be a longer project for your son.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Start with females. Remember they take several years to be ready to breed.:gj:
Might make it easy and try to do the all in one at the show, Find a rack, thermostat and both snakes while at the expo.
JT at On the Ball Pythons and Brandon at Priceless Pythons are both good people and have some great animals.

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As always, Pit has good advice. you need to be ready to house the snakes properly as soon as they get home. Don't make the mistake so many make by purchasing an animal you are not ready to care for, no matter how exciting it may be. don't get suckered into buying some silly exo-terra or similar set up. your new snakes will almost certainly be hatchlings and will do fine in small tubs. you may even consider purchasing the snakes and have the breeder hold them for later delivery/pickup while you get set up.

Unfortunately, only Mother Nature can create new morphs. it's unlikely, but remotely possible, she will utilize your son's snakes for her next experiment. even the likelihood of creating a "world's first" combo is slim unless you are buying rare/high end morphs. Don't set the bar too high and I'm sure your son and you will not be disappointed.

here are some useful links for "clueless" newcomers. there are numerous other "stickies" on this forum that will be very helpful; get reading! ;)

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...Husbandry-FAQs

Here's my two cents: get him a bannana female and see how he does with it. Have him learn more about proper care and all that jazz. If he doesn't get bored with the BP in a year or two then he can think about breeding. It also depends whether you're going be both interested in the hobby.

At 15, his interests might change very quickly so unless you want to be stuck taking care of all the snakes your son tries to breed, I suggest starting with one and going from there. You also have to think about what will happen if he leaves for college.

Depending on how much you want to spend, you can either get a glass or a plastic (PVC) terrariums. With PVC terrariums you're going to have an easier time with temperatures and humidity but the cost a bit more than a glass one.

I think a BP is a great gift and it's awesome you're learning about them as well. I'd hold on the breeding plans for now though.

Seconding everyone one the thread so far, but also reiterating Dennis' first post wrt breeding: don't go into breeding snakes thinking you're going to get the next hot combo. That's an extremely difficult goal to go after, and the big breeders have a huge advantage over you what with having tens or hundreds of snakes producing clutches every year, and connections with importers that are getting new snakes and possible morphs straight out of west Africa. What you want to do is select morphs that YOU LIKE, do some research and shop around for quality versions of those morphs, and stick to improving lines and producing even greater quality animals.

Now for basics: Here's the stickied threads about how to set up each type of enclosure. The cheapest and most effective enclosures are tubs. They not only inexpensive but they're easier to heat and maintain correct humidity with than a glass terrarium. Glass tanks are a bear to deal with stats wise, plus they're heavy, but they can be decorated and made to look nice. PVC caging combines the best of both, but it's the most expensive option.

PVC setup
Tank setup
Sterilite tub setup

Likely the most expensive piece of equipment you're going to purchase for you animals is a Thermostat, aka a tstat. This is the most important piece of equipment, and I know it's really temping to skimp here, but you'll be better off in the long run of you don't, especially if you plan to breed in the future. Spyder Robotics actually has a holiday sale on their Herpstat thermostats right now, so it would be a really good time to take advantage of that. Unless you're going with PVC caging, literally everything else can be grabbed at Target, or Walmart, or one of those kinds of places.

Most importantly, each snake needs its own enclosure, you should never cohabit them, especially when you aren't experienced with keeping herps. Take that into consideration when buying equipment: if you have two tanks that each have a heat pad to create a warm spot, you'll need to regulate both at the same time, so you'll need a tstat that can run more than one heat source like a Herpstat 2, VE-300x2, or Zoomed tstat, or you'll need multiples tstats, each running its own zone. If you have tubs on a row on a strip of heat tape, one tstat can control the whole shebang.

As for vendors, since you can see and hold the snake you're considering purchasing, you have an advantage! Things to look for in a healthy, well kept snake are: Good body condition, animals who's sides and back form a triangle are underweight; no stuck shed; no whistling sound when they breathe; and no mucus discharge (those last two can indicate a respiratory infection). Beyond that, what makes a good quality snake varies by morph and for some people it's a matter of opinion (pieds for instance, always look stunning, but people differ on whether they prefer animals with a lot of white, a little white or somewhere in between). Do your research and pick animals that catch your eye. If you see a snake that you just can't walk away from, even if it's something as simple as a pastel, that's the snake for you!

Last thing to be aware of is ball pythons can easily live for 30 years or more. It sounds like you're already on board with your kid's hobby, but if there comes a point where he can't keep the snakes (say, if he moves away to a dorm for college) you're going to have to take over managing and keeping the collection, so make sure that's something you think you'll be willing and able to handle.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Start with females. Remember they take several years to be ready to breed.:gj:
Might make it easy and try to do the all in one at the show, Find a rack, thermostat and both snakes while at the expo.
JT at On the Ball Pythons and Brandon at Priceless Pythons are both good people and have some great animals.

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Thanks Pit . Actually those were the guys that I researched and was leaning toward buying from. Thought it was a good idea to get something from someone "Local".

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You're a great dad. I wish I had mine like you when I was 15.

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Appreciate the kind words Felidae

Thanks Mr Misha and Lizardlick for the advice on the game plan. Much Apreciated.

I understand the probability of producing something spectacular are low should he get into breeding, but I like the idea of him researching and learning about genetics. I will try and keep him grounded but I wont tell him its impossible. Ya never know. I must say I am impressed, you guys on this forum are very kind,genuine and helpful. I look forward to being a part of this group. I will update as needed. Thanks

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Originally Posted by Mr. Misha

Here's my two cents: get him a banana female and see how he does with it.

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I agree with getting a female, but not so much on the banana, even though it's the kid's favorite. It's a higher cost of entry into the hobby and the prices on bananas are going to be going down in the next few years. I would recommend a one or two gene female. Then if he's still into it in a year then pick up a banana male. Instead of spending 500+ on the female banana now you can spend 300 on a hatchling female lemon blast and then in a year or so if he's still into it and wanting to breed then grab a male banana. They're like 200 now so even if they don't take a big hit in price you'd be looking at spending less money over a longer time to end up with the same thing.

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Originally Posted by stxman

I like the idea of him researching and learning about genetics.

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Once he gets his snake, you should encourage him to create a profile on this forum (and explore others) so he can ask questions, go through previous threads and grow his knowledge.

There's a lot of knowledgeable people here who are always willing to answer questions.



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