Advice on getting my first BP?

Also an issue i thought of with big chain stores is that multiple people care for the animals. Not all have the same motivation for proper husbandry. It's true that it depends on the individual store and employees but you don't know who is taking care of those snakes. People who work for breeders and the breeders themselves really care about the snakes they are caring for. Petstore employees (not all) work there because it provides them with a check not because of a passion for animals. Ultimately you can get a perfectly healthy snake from a big chain petstore and get an unhealthy snake from a breeder but I will be more willing to take my chances with a reputable snake breeder.

To the OP...At the end of the day this forum is just a bunch of strangers on the internet sharing their experiences. It's important to make up your own mind and stick to it. Do what you think is best. None of us have to live with the choice you make.

Thank you all very much :)

I was at Petsmart today to get some crickets for my wife's Veiled Chameleon. As I walked by I always look at the reptiles. In the Fancy BP cage they had a regular PB for $120. In the regular BP cage they had a snake that didn't look "original" but I couldn't see it very well in the hide, They wanted $90 but with the pet perks card or what ever it is called it was $45. I asked a employee to move the hide and it turned out to be a Pinstripped Female. Which they were polite enough to sell me for $45.

I got the feeding sheet they keep on the snakes, after I asked for it. First feeding they gave it a fuzzy F/T and second feeding a pinky F/T over a couple weeks. She was due to be fed, so when I got home I pulled a large F/T mouse out and she gobbled it right up. And has been enjoying her new home. Sad that the snakes pinkies and fuzzies when they should be eating large mice.

Has anyone else ever run into "Pet Stores" miss pricing their snakes like this?

Well before we were educated we got our first girl from petsmart. she has never had any health issues and has never missed a meal. We have had he for 4 years. I think we got lucky. We recently got a new boy and went to a local reputable breeder. I would def try to find a breeder before going to petsmart. Like I said, from all the terrible stories I have read We got really lucky! Good luck!

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