10 year old Axanthic

I know their are different lines but what would you guys pay for a 10 year old male axanthic?

Personally I wouldn't buy a 10 year old Axanthic.... But $400-500 if he is decent.

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Originally Posted by Sarin

Personally I wouldn't buy a 10 year old Axanthic.... But $400-500 if he is decent.

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Why not? Ball Pythons live 30+ years...

What would I pay? Is he a proven breeder? Is he a A+ quality Axanthic? Can YOU tell he's an axanthic? These are all important questions that need answering.

I agree with Aaron.

After a point, age is but a number...

It's not like the Penes fall off after 8 years old...

Does he look good? Is he proven? Does he know what he's doing?

Sure, I'd buy it if it was an excellent example of the morph...

It is just a personal opinion. I'd rather go out and buy a 2 year old then a 10 year old, ya know?

And like others have said there's quite a few factors in determaning a price.

For a male I wouldn't pay any more for a ten year old snake than I would for a yearling.

hes for sure an axanthic. yes he is a proven breeder. his weight is around 900 grams, 4.5 feet long.

The most I would pay would be around $600 if it was a nice one that didn't brown out too much.

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Originally Posted by pfan151

The most I would pay would be around $600 if it was a nice one that didn't brown out too much.

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If it's 10 years old and didn't brown out too much it's worth more than $600.

900gr seems a little small for a snake thats 10...is it just me?

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Originally Posted by sum182

900gr seems a little small for a snake thats 10...is it just me?

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Ehhh depends on the snakes eating habits Id say. Some just dont fill out as much as others do. I an 04 Albino thats only 900 grams....sooo It happens.

right now he eats one frozen rat a week

At four and a half feet he is absolutely too skinny. I have a scrawny mouse eater who is that length and he weighs 1975 grams empty. If he looks skinny at that length 900 is emaciated. Eating rats and weighing that little means something is wrong with him. I am thinking worms.

My only concern would be knowing which axanthic lines he is compatible with. If you bred him to an axanthic or a het, you would need to know exactly which type he is genetically compatible with.

Not all the axanthics lines out there are compatable genetically with eachother.

Age doesnt matter. If he is truly an axanthic with no color pigment anywhere on his body then yes buy him. But get his background history. They do live 30 plus years in captivity if healthy and parasite free.

But you know what... The others are right about his weight... Id want to get a good look at him. Being that old he's probably an import. Was never vetted for parasites and that could be his problem. Id ask the seller to lower his price so you could afford to have that snake properly vetted if you purchase him. You dont want to pass anything on to your collection or any babies he may produce.

Have you seen this snake in person?

900 grams, 4.5 feet long and 10 years old. Oh, and axanthic... This is all starting to sound a bit fishy.

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Originally Posted by Paradox81

hes for sure an axanthic. yes he is a proven breeder. his weight is around 900 grams, 4.5 feet long.

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if thats true then he's about to roll over...

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Ehhh depends on the snakes eating habits Id say. Some just dont fill out as much as others do. I an 04 Albino thats only 900 grams....sooo It happens.

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I have a 4 foot snake that weighs 3000 grams... thats more than 3 times that weight and yes, she is a female which should weigh more than a male, but she isnt exactly "fat" either.

yes I"ve seen the snake in person and he did seem thin but I've also never seen what a 10 year old ball looks like either. I"ve read that their feeding slows quite a bit as they age. but after reading what you guys are saying about weight, thats kinda scary.

pictures please..

that would solve a LOT of the questions. we can better determine the quality, weight, or hygiene.

get on that :gj:

I am guessing that this is the same snake as in this thread:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...d.php?t=102985

That person has posted several fishy things on craigslist before.

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Originally Posted by Paradox81

yes I"ve seen the snake in person and he did seem thin but I've also never seen what a 10 year old ball looks like either. I"ve read that their feeding slows quite a bit as they age. but after reading what you guys are saying about weight, thats kinda scary.

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I dont know what to say about being 10 year old and 900 grams but I'll tell you experience.

I bought a VPI Axanthic, he was 1year and 3months old at the time. He looked VERY skinny to me when I weighted him. I was very shocked he was just barely 300g! He had been feed mice his hole life. 1 a week, from small to adult in the last few months according to his feeding record that came with him.

The first time I fed him, It was a very small, small rat. He took a while, but he ended up taking it. Probably very hungry.... I feed him a small rat every week. He has been gaining a lot of weight. He still looks thin, but much better. He is closing 700g now. Ive had him for about 3 almost 4 months now. Thats more than twice his original weight in 3 months.

Im not saying that is the same with your case, but maybe... just maybe he is being realy under fed. Do you know what he feeds the snake?

My male who gets fed mice I've had for 3 years, he is a little older than that and weighs 1700g. 900g seems impossibly small for a 10 year old ball unless it is horribly underfed. Mine's not 4.5 foot either, maybe 4 at most.

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Originally Posted by Danounet

I dont know what to say about being 10 year old and 900 grams but I'll tell you experience.

I bought a VPI Axanthic, he was 1year and 3months old at the time. He looked VERY skinny to me when I weighted him. I was very shocked he was just barely 300g! He had been feed mice his hole life. 1 a week, from small to adult in the last few months according to his feeding record that came with him.

The first time I fed him, It was a very small, small rat. He took a while, but he ended up taking it. Probably very hungry.... I feed him a small rat every week. He has been gaining a lot of weight. He still looks thin, but much better. He is closing 700g now. Ive had him for about 3 almost 4 months now. Thats more than twice his original weight in 3 months.

Im not saying that is the same with your case, but maybe... just maybe he is being realy under fed. Do you know what he feeds the snake?

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This is also a good point.. If a baby isnt big enough to take rat pinks and its started on mouse pinks, it must be upped to rat pinks as soon as possible. Mice have very little nutritional value and will slow down the growth of your snake. One of my may 1st, 09 hatchlings is just about 300 grams now & i dont power feed her. She eats every 7 days now.

Also if you wait too long to convert them to little rats, it may be a hard conversion. The snake may not want it. But if like you say, this snake IS eating rats, then there is something going on. Either its not being fed often enough or it has parasites. Find out more details and try to get a picture of it to post.
Keep us updated!