Getting A BP

I am planning on going to the Richmond Reptile Show on the 30th in hopes of finding a BP to add to my menagaire of pets :)

Can anyone tell me what to look for exactly and how to deal with the sellers at the show? Like- signs of sketchy dealers etc?

Also- this is going to sound stupid. But I was told BP's are no fun. They just sit and do nothing but hide(something my cornsnake does anyway so its not a huge deal) until you take them out and mess with them.

Whats your opinion on these cuties?

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Originally Posted by amcgltdchix

Whats your opinion on these cuties?

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Honestly, what do you expect from anyone at ballpythons.net? lol

BPs are shy critters, and young ones do often hide. However, once they are settled in, they will come out and crawl (also climb) around. They are also nocturnal so you'll see more action at night.

As far as buying a BP, make sure the snake is captive born.. not wild caught or farm raised. Check around the head/butt (but especially around the eyes) for mites (small white or red moving dots) also look for ticks.. they love to wedge themselves inbetween belly scales. Obviously do not buy a snake that has either!

Don't buy a snake that has shed skin stuck to it's body, and don't buy an underweight or lethargic snake. When you hold it, it should move around and actively flick it's tongue. Listen to it breathe and if it whistles/gurgles, it probably has a respiratory infection.

Thanks for the quick reply. I have had my eyes on these guys for a while. I'm an LVT, and I do understand that snakes are not cats, dogs etc.. they don't jump through hoop or respond to catnip, but they are so darn neat!

I am also a belly dancer, so along with my cornsnake, I am hoping that I can get my BP to really like to be handled to dance with :)

That's cool. You have to be patient with a young BP as they are easily stressed out, but older ones are usually very mellow.

Have any pics of your corn? Everyone here always likes to see snake pics.. lol. Is it a normal corn? In my collection I have a sunglow motley corn, and my mom has a snow corn.

they are all different, some are very active, some just hang out. the richmond show for it's size has some decent dealers ian g of outback, al zurich of hartford reptiles and carl gilmore of suffolk herps will probably have the best selection of bp's. i know another local guy that will be there but not as a vendor and he has some cbb babies (pastel sibs).


vaughn

per request! :)

http://www.amcgltd.com/archives/cat_snake.html just paste the link to go to his pages on my site:)

He is a butter corn from SMR :) I loooooove my little guy :)

Cute little corn.. love the name too.

Oh and that snake that 'I don't remember what this is...' is a madagascar tree boa.. sanzinia madagascariensis.

Our female balls range in temperment from ones that tolerate handling really well to one that doesn't care for it much (though is learning to relax more). She was bought as an adult female though with an unknown background so it's always best if you can purchase a nice youngster from a good breeder with full records, a good history of eating, etc.

They are shyer snakes in general but absolutely lovely to handle once they feel secure with you. They are a nice full bodied slower moving snake so for me anyways they are so relaxing after a busy day. Most are very docile in nature, inquisitive once they've settled in properly and a joy to keep really.

I too once thought balls were a bit of a boring snake. LOL! How wrong I was and now you couldn't buy my 5 females for all the gold in the world...I love them each for their individual temperments and their subtle beauty.

Best of luck with your first ball python purchase!


~~Jo~~