BP's from Craigslist

Just curious how much people have used Craigslist to buy/sell BP's. I was looking around today and have seen people selling setups + BP for anywhere from $15-50. Seems like a decent way to add to a collection. Any thoughts?

In my opinion i would be careful! who knows if they are sick and if they are well taken care of! my sister once got one off there and the snake wasnt to nice, nor was feeding!

I would just be very careful!

I do look around there sometimes but most people are asking way to much for one!

GL!

man i was wondering the same thing. seems like a great deal alot of times, just call the people and ask em if its captive bred mites etc. u know the drill. lol. but i would go look too. but yeah i was thinkin the same. so i just hope this helped, not very good at helping. haha

I have found a couple of wonderful bps on Craigslist as well as sold several of my normals. Just like anything, ask questions and if you are unsure or have reservations, walk away.

Probably the worst place to get a snake...

Go with a reputable breeder and/or an experienced hobbyist.

The chance of experienced hobbyists selling on there is unlikely. And it is against their TOS for breeders to use the site to move snakes.

Bruce

yeah I mean I have found Craigslist to be a wonderful way of finding things besides snakes...I guess as long as you make sure you know what you're getting.

i'd say if you're gunna go pick the snake up or whatever just check it and its living conditions out real well, and let the seller know iftheres problems you're gunna want your money back. :]

I got my first bp off of CL, she was in bad shape complete with improper husbandry and tons of scars. I looked at it as more of a rescue situation, she was 600g at 4 years old, now she is a good 1200g. I don't regret getting her off of CL, she is one of my favorites. Also I sell my normal hatchlings on CL and Kijiji, so some bps being sold are CB (like mine). Hope this helps....

Well I got my Bp from there, and she seems healthy(well at least with my basic knowledge). Plus I got her for a good price, and she seems pretty friendly even though she is hungry and is in a new environment.
*you may want to disregard anything I say I'm new to the whole snake thing*
^^

I picked up one back in June and turned out to be a female the guy thought it was male. It is also a very good feeder has never refused and is almost 1700grams and still adding weight.

Opps forgot to add I got her for $10.00 he said he was more interested in it going to a good home than getting any money for it.

I have only aquired normal bps off craigslist then it when I know I got he extra resources for the vet checkup and such ( summer time) I post on the local one that I take them in and I have some that are ready to be adopted out. I won't ever consider offering a morph on there. I also be very carefull on who you deal with. I only bought th reptile cages off people ( then they were the 40 gal reptile ones) then I only offer a max of 20 bucks specailly if I was going for the snake. ( can never have enough large rodent tanks since I replace the tops with a plywood and rat wire) I like it more when I am paid to take the snake,cage and all. I got a nice bp that was later adopted out and was paid 50 bucks to take the snake,cage .. :gj: But seroisly pay attention to wht they post, ask questions, and tell them you want it look at the snake befoer you hand over any money cause if it got mites( not the biggest problem but it is one) or other signs of not being healthy walk away cause you may pay more in the long run for their carelessness .. There is a reason they getting rid of it..

I check craigslist every now and then and try to find some snakes. Mostly they're just normals, and some people who are small time breeders put ads up.

I found an adult female het pied for $350 on there a month ago. He said she was proven. I emailed him a few times, and the last e-mail I sent was asking about her health, and if I could see any of the pieds that she produced. I didn't get any emails back after that. Wasn't a big surprise, who would sell a "Proven het pied female" for $350?!

Just like everyone else said, if you are interested in getting a snake off CL, be sure to ask as many questions as you can think of.

Just as long as you ask a lot of questions and try to learn when they fed the snake, all the information about its housing, any health issues, etc. Asking questions is your best bet when adopting pets off of craigslist.

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

Probably the worst place to get a snake...

Go with a reputable breeder and/or an experienced hobbyist.

The chance of experienced hobbyists selling on there is unlikely. And it is against their TOS for breeders to use the site to move snakes.

Bruce

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I disagree Bruce. The ones I have rehomed on Craigslist have all been for under $40, they are given a care sheet, are asked to have equipment beforehand, are given a link to this site as well as following up with them after to see how the snakes are settled in.

I have also gotten 2 wonderful, very healthy girls from people who took great care of their animals but due to circumstances had to rehome them.

Is it the best place to find an animal, no it's not. But it isn't 100% bad either.

I bought one of my balls off of CL and he has been a great feeder and is very healthy. But, I would recomend asking if you can check out the snake. I had another snake I was looking at and it looked terrible. I felt bad for the snake but didn't want to loose the money that the guy was asking for it, just for the snake to die on me. Hope this helps

Yeah first post I'm new to this site and to ball pythons really, I got mine off of craigslist a couple months ago and he's was in great health when I got him and he's been great since. As long as you make sure you get pictures and ask lots of questions I think it can be a good call.

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Originally Posted by catawhat75

I disagree Bruce. The ones I have rehomed on Craigslist have all been for under $40, they are given a care sheet, are asked to have equipment beforehand, are given a link to this site as well as following up with them after to see how the snakes are settled in.

I have also gotten 2 wonderful, very healthy girls from people who took great care of their animals but due to circumstances had to rehome them.

Is it the best place to find an animal, no it's not. But it isn't 100% bad either.

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This is all relative. Are there good people selling on there, I do not doubt that. But as a rule, when considering the options of where one CAN get a BP, Craigslist will always stand hands down as one of the WORST places to get a snake.

Lots of sick snakes, lots of improper husbandry, and lots of horror stories.

Bruce

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Originally Posted by jimbus

Just curious how much people have used Craigslist to buy/sell BP's. I was looking around today and have seen people selling setups + BP for anywhere from $15-50. Seems like a decent way to add to a collection. Any thoughts?

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To be honest its a good way to pick up someones sick mistreated impulse buy ;).Or you could always pickup a new morph like a ball boa hybrid :rolleyes:.

I don't know that I have ever seen a mistreated/unhealthy snake...so when people say the snake "doesn't look good", I'm assuming that they are just thin, scarred, etc? And just out of curiosity...as far as looking good aesthetically/visually for normal balls, is it just personal preference or are there certain patterns, colors, and contrasts considered to be premium for non morphs? if so, what makes one normal ball a 10 vs. a 2?

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Originally Posted by jimbus

I don't know that I have ever seen a mistreated/unhealthy snake...so when people say the snake "doesn't look good", I'm assuming that they are just thin, scarred, etc? And just out of curiosity...as far as looking good aesthetically/visually for normal balls, is it just personal preference or are there certain patterns, colors, and contrasts considered to be premium for non morphs? if so, what makes one normal ball a 10 vs. a 2?

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I have seen some craigslist ads that the snake is only getting fed once a month because "they cant afford" to feed it more :(.Or a mom is getting rid of her sons snake that was left 3 months ago when the son moved out and has not been fed during this time because she was afraid of it.In my eyes these examples are of mistreated reptiles and it makes me sick.So i stopped reading the stuff on craigslist

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

Probably the worst place to get a snake...

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I thought the general consensus here is that Petco is the worst place to get a snake. Well, I got our BP from a Craigslist ad, and the prior owner got it from Petco! Didn't want it anymore after only 2 months. It's been doing great during these brief 5 months that we've had it. :)

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Originally Posted by Patricia

I thought the general consensus here is that Petco is the worst place to get a snake. Well, I got our BP from a Craigslist ad, and the prior owner got it from Petco! Didn't want it anymore after only 2 months. It's been doing great during these brief 5 months that we've had it. :)

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Ok craigslist is the second worst choice :P

The thing I find funny is that someone in my state was sellin a black pastel for $200 ... than I put an add for my butter for $300 and they say datz 2 much! ARE U SERIOUS:confused:

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Originally Posted by harm286

The thing I find funny is that someone in my state was sellin a black pastel for $200 ... than I put an add for my butter for $300 and they say datz 2 much! ARE U SERIOUS:confused:

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Well craigslist is for rehoming animals not selling.So a fee of $300 would cause them to flag your ad ;).

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Originally Posted by joepythons

Well craigslist is for rehoming animals not selling.So a fee of $300 would cause them to flag your ad ;).

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understand dat... but he was doing that 4 a rehoming fee so I said wut de heck u kno

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Originally Posted by harm286

understand dat... but he was doing that 4 a rehoming fee so I said wut de heck u kno

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They more then likely flagged his ad off also ;)

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Originally Posted by joepythons

They more then likely flagged his ad off also ;)

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well from what he told me he sold the male so who knos lol... I was jealous

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Originally Posted by jimbus

I don't know that I have ever seen a mistreated/unhealthy snake...so when people say the snake "doesn't look good", I'm assuming that they are just thin, scarred, etc? And just out of curiosity...as far as looking good aesthetically/visually for normal balls, is it just personal preference or are there certain patterns, colors, and contrasts considered to be premium for non morphs? if so, what makes one normal ball a 10 vs. a 2?

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These are the first two ball pythons that I ever picked up from Craigslist. The guy was asking for $100 each, by the time I went to see them, and was shocked at their condition, I agreed to take them in as rescues and he gave them to me. He admitted to feeding them once every 3 months if he remembered to do it that often.

You tell me, would you consider starving animals mistreatment?

Girl 1
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...2007/Girl7.jpg

Girl 2 - in a little better shape, but not much:
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...007/Girl14.jpg

The two girls after they had been properly set up and fed properly after just 2 months:

Girl 1
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...LittleOne2.jpg

Girl 2
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...07/BigOne2.jpg

These girls were so starving, that any time I walked past their tubs in QT they were constantly tracking my body heat and striking at me - not from fear, but from pure hunger. Once they were at healthy weight, they stopped that behavior.

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Originally Posted by harm286

The thing I find funny is that someone in my state was sellin a black pastel for $200 ... than I put an add for my butter for $300 and they say datz 2 much! ARE U SERIOUS:confused:

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They probably flagged your post for being a joke post, since you were talking like "dat". Just saying......

I have never bought from craigslist, but I have tried to sell a few snakes. Fir some reason the ads always get flagged within a few minutes (still not sure why) and I eventually just gave up on using the site.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

They probably flagged your post for being a joke post, since you were talking like "dat". Just saying......

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LOL, I wuz thinkin da same thing.

You have to be very careful. I have picked up several snakes from CL. Most of them had problems. If you have the space for a proper QT you can find some nice dinkers, but I would advise anyone looking to save money on a BP to avoid CL. In the long run it could cost you a whole lot more than just going to an established breeder in the first place.

My cousin bought off Craigslist (Well was gonna) but when he went to the place 2 men tried to jumped him. Luckily he is a Karate type of guy and beat there bums to the point they were crying, called the police and they were arrested. Don't buy off Craigslist. Most of them not all of them just want to steal or rip you off.

Daniel

yea, go with people n groups whe you buy from cl, i just bought one cause a student couldn't take it to his dorn. this thing loves me, the prev, owner didn't leave him in his cage alot, so i havn't had time for him to settle im, his temps are always alright, but he always bumps his head, he loves being out but argee with above, exspecially always go in groups

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

Probably the worst place to get a snake...

Go with a reputable breeder and/or an experienced hobbyist.

The chance of experienced hobbyists selling on there is unlikely. And it is against their TOS for breeders to use the site to move snakes.

Bruce

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well you cant say that, i have done some transactions thru craigslist and we meet in person and all goes well

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Originally Posted by luna13

well you cant say that, i have done some transactions thru craigslist and we meet in person and all goes well

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I will say it again... I am sure there are good sellers on there, but as a RELATIVE option regarding purchasing a BP it is the worst.

I could post pics of my two girls Samantha and Olive, both healthy amazing adult BPs that are thriving and were thriving when I adopted them.

But then again I could ALSO...

...post pics of the rescues I have rehomed from the site, complete with heavy dorsal scarring from escaping home made wire top cages, the snake that I have that is scarred from chin to vent from being left on a tank with full covering heat pads that were uncontrolled, the snake I have that is missing her tongue (from having it chewed off by one of the two adult rats that she was housed with) or the 4 year old 800g female that was being kept at an ambient heat of 99 degrees... yes this one I actually brought home and had euthanized as she was brain injured...

So yeah, we can all pull up the ONE example of how the site is great or bad, but it is not a place where there are a lot of experienced herpers, why?

Because experienced herpers are on herp sites.

Again, it is relative, but if a person asks me "Is this a good way to add to my collection", my pat response will always be "NO."

Bruce

Well since i read this topic again....I jumped on CL.
To my suprise i found a listing for 3 Bp's for $90.
sad thing.....is that they are all housed together in one cage!
People like this make me sick. That is why i hate CL!

I have used Craigslist to sell many things, usually household items. However, I often look at the animal-related ads. CL is not supposed to be a place for breeders to SELL their animals, that is why so many posts are flagged. It is obvious that plenty of people are "selling" their animals and only call it a rehoming fee. There is nothing WRONG with a "adopting" a snake from CL but you should think of it as that, adopting. Not getting your next breeder snake. And be prepared for that fact that is may have been uncared for, etcetera...

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Originally Posted by rabernet

They probably flagged your post for being a joke post, since you were talking like "dat". Just saying......

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How bad u must want me 2 argue wit u... EDITED for disrespect toward staff

I got both of my snakes off of craigslist, and happy to say that after 5 months both are very healthy, eating regularly, and completely docile! I had a really great experience, but it's easy to see that it isn't always the case. Just make sure to be careful and check the snake(s) over carefully before buying.

I think blaming craigslist or any other way of purchasing a snake is excusing the purchaser from much of the responsibility. I don't care if you buy off craigslist, a pet store, some breeder you've never heard of at your local snake show - if you aren't doing your homework before getting the snake, you are going to at some point get ripped off or end up with a mess on your hands.

Know what a healthy snake of that species should look like, ask specific questions about this snake's history, get info on feeding habits and feeding history, learn the red flags that might indicate a problem with the snake or the person selling it, research breeders, learn to sex a snake, get a contact number from the seller in case of problems, etc. Not doing any of this first before putting down your hard earned money then blaming the seller, well hate to say it but you have set yourself up. Sellers should sell healthy snakes and be honest about stuff but buyers have to be responsible too for their half of any transaction.