Price you payed for your NORMAL BP...

I haven't read through this entire thread yet so someone may have imparted this great wisdom (?) on the readers already but.......

When I had my retail store "back in the day" it was not uncommon for someone to come in and look around and say something along the lines of "wow, wish I had come here first. I just paid twice as much somewhere else". 9 out of 10 times my response would be along the lines of "is it a nice, healthy animal that you felt was worth that at the time? If so you got a deal". Confused look........

Fact is in most case when not buying a "morph" for some highly elevated price you are going to (or should anyway) spend a bunch more on all of the supplies and housing than you will on the Ball Python itself. In fact in a relatively short time the food bill will catch or surpass the animal. So why not get the one you want that has all the right features. Good health, good color, good size, shape, temperment, sex, etc. etc. etc. and worry less about price? I have learned through my own experience time and again over the years to buy the best quality animal, whatever it is, I can afford at the time. Thats why I like to do the majority of my shopping at shows. There are seldom true bargains out there and nothing is free-especially if youre goal is breeding for fun or for profit. Spend the little extra and most of the time you will be rewarded down the line. Pretty, strong, healthy adults often make pretty, strong, healthy babies which will either sell faster for the same money and/or sell for more money than the "other guys" when the time comes. This holds especially true for the more expensive morphs or animals.

I don't advocate getting ripped off and there are certainly times when more expensive does not equal better, do your homework first! My point is once you get into the right market price range maybe sweat the details and the seller more than the price.

15 dollars each at an exotics store. Got them sexed right there after I chose.

$15 each for my two 65g hatchlings, and $15 for the 525g "rescue" (dumped off at Petco)

Just over a year old cost me $65. He's a great snake. Very friendly and loves to explore!

Most I ever paid was $90, least was $0.00 (free)....

Paid $15 ea for two 60 day old normal balls at all cleveland reptile show last weekend.

$3K for an unproven male but this hobby isn't exciting without taking the occasional risk.:D

I didn't 'pay' for her, per say... I traded for her. But if I had paid she would have been $40.

I got my first ball python online from AAA reptile supply (website doesnt work anymore dunno if they even exist anymore?) for $45, plus shipping brought it to about $80.

My second I got at the pet store I work at for $25.

I love them both dearly, they aren't "normal" to me :D

Uh i paid $80 for my normal baby ball...i think i got ripped off>_< all well shes a great snake only attemted (think it was more a scare because if she wanted she could got me easily)to bite me once during her shed when i held her at the store haha thats ok i hada snatch her up any way. But she seems nothing like the snakes you guys describe she loves roaming around exploreing EVERYTHING when i take her out