Getting Ball Pythons straight from Africa.

Wow this was a very helpful forum! I was thinking about doing the same thing in hopes of getting my female numbers up. I was a little hesitant mostly because of the possible disease and I really don't want to encourage the importation of wild animals. I know it is the cornerstone of this hobby but for some reason I don't mind putting domestic snakes in the tubs but I feel guilty about taking the "freedom" of a wild snake. I know, I am hoping to get over it in the future.

I can tell you 100% for sure, there are ticks and mites on these imported snakes.

I got a huge gravid female from Josh, and even though they treated her for parasites, she still had plenty of mites and about a dozen ticks on her.

Now, because I practice good QT procedures, I'm not bad-mouthing anyone, I just want you to be aware. I treated her tub with PAM before she got here, I treated her with Reptile Relief. Picked off the ticks by hand, and she seems good now.

I ordered one of these bags last year. The babies were indeed normals, but nevertheless they had good patterns and colors. They also had mites.

Bottom line, practice good QT. Remember the PAM, and enjoy your new babies!!

Gale
Gale

I thought about doing that, but decided I will wait to see what they post from the hold backs and pick up a male dinker.
More likely to get something genetic that way. I got a bag from Ballroom South a few years back and it was nothing but normals.
Sold all but one female.

Also, one more point to make...

They're not really "Wild" babies.

Ghana highly regulates the collection of eggs.

Basically, people collect eggs laid by wild snakes. The babies hatch and are immediately put in bags and shipped out.
Every baby captive hatched animal I have gotten has been 100% healthy and parasite/tick free.
It's only if the babies are allowed to drink before being shipped that you really have to worry about anything. They pick up a lot from the African water.

Captive hatched and wild caught are two completely different things.
Captive hatched babies are just as good as captive bred.

Thanks for the replies and i know Im not getting morphs ex:a spider, but I have seen so dinker balls that people have gotten from africa that look really cool and i just want fresh bloodlines as well. And if even one has a genetic trait then that is awesome, if not then all well, no biggie. and yes they will be quarintined when they arrive here for sure.

Id worry more about them at outback then the wild.. Just sayin!:D

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Originally Posted by ChrisGant911

Id worry more about them at outback then the wild.. Just sayin!:D

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I got a nice bag of babies from outback that were indeed parasite free and full of great looking normals, granites, and one that looks exactly like every het red axanthic I've ever seen. Also I have over a dozen other snakes from outback reptiles that arrived healthy and parasite free. JUST SAYIN!

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Originally Posted by snakeman13

ya......no west nile either!!!:colbert:

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Yup no poverty, hunger,or aids either..

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Originally Posted by chaples84

Yup no poverty, hunger,or aids either..

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Great contribution for a first post on a 4 year old thread :rolleye2:

High Five!
Down Low..
Too slow...

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