I'm in the market for a BP

On second thought...the PVC cages are a bit pricey for me right now. I would rather spend that money on a morph because I can always change the cage later.

I will be building a tub for the snake. A few quick questions concerning the items to be placed in the tub. I still have a pretty new UTH for a 20 gallon tank. If I attach that to the tub with a thermostat will that provide enough heating without the use of a light? As for the substrate what would you recommend so that the tub will receive enough heat from just the UTH?

I was looking at the morphs and I am particularly fond of the Spider morph. Can you recommend any breeders in the West Coast (or is distance not really of concern when shipping the snakes?) or any breeder on these forums that breed Spiders?

Once again thank you very much for all of your help.

With overnight shipping, distance really isn't a factor. Especially if you arrange to pick up your snake at the nearest FedEx hub, the transit time is minimal.

There are many great breeders on the west coast, including several members here on BP.net. Look for their information in their signature lines.

Many keepers will tell you that Spiders are their favorite ball pythons and they have a great reputation for being good eaters. Just be aware the all Spiders and Spider combos have a neurological issue that can make them do what we call “wobble”. It’s a motion they make with their head. If you look it up on Youtube, you can find several videos. Except in extreme cases, called “Train Wrecks”, the wobble does them no harm, and some find it a charming part of their personality.

For substrate in a tub, I prefer paper. Doesn't really matter if it's news print, corrugated or Kraft paper. It's easy to use, cheap to replace and heat transfers through it well.

Slim beat me to it, but here's all the information he gave again:

Tubs won't give you any ambient temps. You'll need a space heater to get the room (or at least the area around the tub) at least to 75, though 78 or 80 is better. If you can run the heater and the tub in a closet with a door, that would be prefect that way your entire room doesn't have to be heated for a single snake.

Distance isn't much of a concern except it might up shipping with some breeders (if they don't charge a flat rate). Snakes should always be overnighted to your door or to a Fedex/whatever near you.

If you're going to get a spider, I have to ask if you're aware of the wobble? It's not a bad thing, but I know some people don't know about it then get a spider or something with the spider gene in it then panic when it starts corkscrewing or stargazing. I would make sure of ask any breeder you buy from about the snake's wobble - if they do it all the time or only when they eat... Sometimes it's hardly noticeable and sometimes spiders can be trainwrecks.

If you're getting something with the spider gene, I would invest in a bumblebee. They're super pretty and a bit flashier than a regular spider. They're a little more than a spider as they're a two-gene animal ($500ish as opposed to $300ish).

Also if you're not going to be getting more and end up breeding (though chances are the snake bug will bite you bad and you'll want to get more) you can save money and buy a male instead of a female.

I've heard of the wobble and had looked at YouTube but the results were varied slightly. Is it just when the snake has its head tilted and doesn't seem to be able to move in a straight manner?

I have always had a fascination with snakes so I'm sure the snake bug will undoubtedly take its toll on me as well. If I do end up breeding in the future would a female be a better investment than a male? Would I have to worry about eggs being laid at all if I had a single female for a few years? Also what morphs would be the best investment for possible future breeding? I was looking to keep my budget around $250 if possible for my first snake.

There aren't any cutting edge morphs in your price range, but a Pastel or spider female would be your best bet as anything you pair them with looks great.

You want to get a female first because it takes longer for them to get up to breeding size/age. No if you don't have a male you aren't going to get susprise eggs.

Here is a website that you might find interesting.

I am going to give you 2 links. The first is a list of morphs, and the second is a calculator to find out what you would get if you paired 2 snakes together.

http://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/

http://www.worldofballpythons.com/wizard/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HerpsForDerps

I've heard of the wobble and had looked at YouTube but the results were varied slightly.

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So does the wobble. It varies from snake to snake.

Those websites are cool! Breeding definitely looks like something I would like to get involved with in the future.

What would be a good price for a female Pastel or Spider? I found a female Pastel hatched 7/8/11 feeding on f/t mice for $195 before S&H right now. Is that a pretty reasonable price?

Here's a link to her picture. I'm not entirely sure what to look for in terms of coloring and/or markings.

http://www.vmsherp.com/images/ForSal...s/K010-03F.jpg

That's what I would consider an average Pastel, and the price is ok.

Here is a thread on Pastels:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ot-...-Pastels

These are my 2 pastels (one male, and one female)

Female

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...a/IMG_0002.jpg

Male

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMG_0100.jpg

Hm...after reading that article I see what you mean. Thank you for all of the helpful links!

By the way your snakes are beautiful. I hope I can find one like them! What times of the year do Ball Python's clutches hatch? Is it normally better to look for a BP during the timeframe that all clutches are hatching?

A member had mentioned in an above post to look at the signatures of any post to see whether they breed or not. What is it that will identify those individuals as breeders?

It will be easier to find a really nice Spider female, and that will give you time to hunt for a awesome male Pastel. I am VERY picky about Pastels (well everything in my collection for that matter), and you will (and should) pay a bit more for a spectacular example.

I submit that you get the Spider girl and in a couple of years get a male Calico (the price will be down and availability up).

This smokes any Bumble Bee out there IMO:

The Calider is one of the best 2 gene morphs out there IMO.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...DSC01620-1.jpg