Breeder vs. Pet Store

Well now I am a lot more comfortable buying online and know for sure not to buy from a store.

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful info.

I've already received 2 PMs from breeders.

Thanks for that Ohio reptile show info! I've heard of a few. I just checked and luckily I don't work that day either. I'll probably go up and check it out.

What's the best way to transport if I happen to buy from a reptile show?

Any advice on buying from a reptile show?

There is a difference between CB (captive bred) and CH (captive hatched) however either one should be fine. With a CB animal, the benefit is that the breeder you purchase from would be able to tell you the history of the parents of that particular animal. If you get a CH, that means that the gravid females were taken from the wild, but the babies were hatched in captivity. Typically, either CB or CH should not be at risk for parasites or feeding issues that you might see with a WC (wild caught).

I would say to check out some of the big breeders like 8BallPythons, BHB, Ralph Davis Reptiles, NERD, just to name a few. If you're looking for a normal BP, you will likely be able to find one for less than you'd think. And a lot of the big breeders won't list their normals online, so you may want to email them to see what they have available and what kind of deal you may be able to get. I'm sure you'll find normal males for next to nothing if you just pay shipping. You'll be sure to get a healthy, feeding bp that way rather than taking your chances on a pet store snake.

Be careful at reptile shows... if you have someone that knows a good deal about reptiles I'd take that person with you. Reptile shows are full of breeders with healthy animals and also resellers with less than healthy animals.