Buying online vs Show

I understand wanting to talk to a breeder, and ask a lot of questions about potential snake purchases, and going to a show seems like the best option. However, don't be afraid to email breeders and ask them questions. I have 2 BPs, and they both came from Garrick from royal constrictor designs. I've asked him an embarrassing amount of questions, and he always answers. I've also spoke to him on the phone once, and he is more than willing to answer question, and give more info than needed.

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Originally Posted by hollowlaughter

Seconding checking into your local herp society. They show up at the expos and if you're worried about a child, adults are inherently less flighty and bitey b/c they're less terrified of everything. They'll have an established personality already, and you'll be helping out an animal without a home and it'll be a good introductory animal for family members who aren't as into the hobby.

Edit: Had a similar experience to Crowfingers with my BP's breeder (small scale). Gonna be going back to them for the inevitable hognose and/or KSB.

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I totally agree with this. We do have a reptile group in Ga (Georgia Reptile Society) and they do have rescue animals available. I think they had some adult BPs the last time I looked. You can check their adoptions page and see if they have any animals you are interested in.

Thanks for the input! I will definitely check that out.

In the meantime my 6yr old keep telling me she wants the white one with blue eyes. I'm assuming this is the BEL but not exactly sure which morph combos this is! I searched leucistic on some of the sites (MM, kingsnake and a few others but it's not coming up a bunch. I did see a few for $300-$400 but still not exactly sure of what morph combo I should be searching for. I did see a few on Craigslist from a few breeders and a really nice looking one about 250g that was described as eating FT and very friendly. But that seems larger than I was expecting - our setup is 24x18x12 ...wouldn't that space be a little small for something 250g?

No, that setup should be fine for a 250 gram snake. Just be prepared that reptiles grow quickly!

I pulled up the Georgia reptile society page and I will definitely be joining thanks for the info. I also saw where they have a link to a level one Venemous handling course that would be really cool come January I may do that also. Don't tell my wife.

Is there any inherent benefit of male vs female? Seems like most of the females are a little more expensive.....I think they generally get a little bigger ...any other pros/cons of the two?

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Originally Posted by The Night King

Is there any inherent benefit of male vs female? Seems like most of the females are a little more expensive.....I think they generally get a little bigger ...any other pros/cons of the two?

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Females are gernally more $ for breeding project purposes. As pets, it makes no difference.

There are a hand full of genes that when put together create a BEL. lesser x lesser(super lesser), butter x butter(super butter), mojave x mojave(super mojave), lesser/butter x mojave, etc. they are all pure white except for the super mojaves. They usually have grayish/purpleish heads. I think the most common is lesser mojaves.

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Originally Posted by The Night King

Is there any inherent benefit of male vs female? Seems like most of the females are a little more expensive.....I think they generally get a little bigger ...any other pros/cons of the two?

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Females on average tend to be better feeders (from what I've been told). and in BPs, being a good feeder is a plus lol. That is another question to ask a breeder... and if you're choosing between similar animals, similar ages, go with the bigger one that eats better. I've had my BPs go on hunger strikes for weeks and even months at a time and it is no fun. Anything you can to do avoid that and get an animal that feeds well and consistently is a good thing.

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Originally Posted by The Night King

Thanks for the input! I will definitely check that out.

In the meantime my 6yr old keep telling me she wants the white one with blue eyes. I'm assuming this is the BEL but not exactly sure which morph combos this is! I searched leucistic on some of the sites (MM, kingsnake and a few others but it's not coming up a bunch. I did see a few for $300-$400 but still not exactly sure of what morph combo I should be searching for. I did see a few on Craigslist from a few breeders and a really nice looking one about 250g that was described as eating FT and very friendly. But that seems larger than I was expecting - our setup is 24x18x12 ...wouldn't that space be a little small for something 250g?

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You can get Leucistic morphs of corn snakes, a few king snakes, and many rat snakes (texas rats to be specific) much cheaper than a ball python that offer the same look. A 6 year old isn't likely to notice the difference plus colubrids are easier to take care of.

How did your show experience go?