Craigslist Buy?

So in the bay area I have a heck of a time finding a good female ball python. Usually all they have floating around are males... Males as far as the eye can see. Anyway~ I found someone selling one on craigslist and I am curious and want opinions on whether or not to get it. It's supposedly female, 2 years old and she is of fair size. They guy sent me a picture and her skin seems pretty baggy so I think she might be dehydrated. Is this something easily treatable? Just liquids and close care? or is this something that requires a lot of care? On a second note, is there any way that I could make sure that she is female? I have been specifically looking for female. Owner says that the person HE bought it from assured that it was a female. Is there any way to be sure on my part?

And the guy said to just make an offer. How much should I offer? She is normal so I know that is gonna effect it, and she is dehydrated so I KNOW that will change some things. Any recommendations?

The only way to know the gender would be to pop or probe the snake. If you don't have any experience doing this, then I suggest finding someone to teach you or find someone to do it.

Could you post the picture? Baggy skin might mean she is underweight or had a bad shed.

I got a normal female from craigslist with a large boaphile cage so I don't know the exact "price" of her. I'd say a fair offer is somewhere in the realm of 50-100 for a decent sized normal. If she is skinny then I would personally pass..

i wouldn't buy it at all. buy it from a real hobbiest support the hobby not this guy. the animal you are describing sounds like it has been not cared for too good. the owner is unresponsible and should not be doing business with him. i encourage you to shop around kingsnake, fauna and here shipping is only 50 bucks. for quality animals thats not too much.

I would pass. Since the guy isn't 100% sure that the snake is female, you're not guaranteed one.
Where in the Bay are you located? I recommend finding a breeder.
They are typically guaranteed gender and health. Plus they're cheaper than going to a petstore or on CL.

sticky, the problem is that when you factor in the fact that I want a normal, paying $200 for a normal that could be $50-100 is not going to fly. I'd be more than happy to http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7ea1161f.jpg

She doesn't look skinny, she just looks like she is dehydrated but I could be wrong. Now you see her, what think you? :3

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I'm in the Santa Clara, San Jose area in CA. I have been searching high and low for breeders in the area so I don't have to try and ship, trust me it is murder. absolute and complete MURDER!

That snake doesn't look dehydrated. It's just having a very horrible shed. There's not enough humidity in the enclosure to properly shed it's skin.
The body weight doesn't look too bad. But I would still pass.

Contact Brian Gundy. He always has normals.
He's an excellent and knowledgeable breeder in the South Bay. He's located in Campbell (or the edge of San Jose).
http://www.for-goodness-snakes.com/

I highly recommend him.

He has 2 types of normals, so you just have to clarify to him. He has normal normals. And normals from his special Gold Blush Mojave line, which are more expensive.

Another breeder in the East Bay(Walnut Creek) is Robert Seib.
http://easternindigo.com/index.html
I also highly recommend him. His snakes are top notch and he's very helpful. He's a retired Herp professor from UC Berkeley.
Robert doesn't update his website, but his contact is there.

any others? Robert has NO ball pythons on his site, but I will email to ask if there are some that he has not put on the site. not really interested in other pythons to be honest, later I might branch out but for now I will pass. Thanks for the links though. I sent Brian an email to inquire about female normals, we will see what he says.

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Originally Posted by alpine

any others? Robert has NO ball pythons on his site, but I will email to ask if there are some that he has not put on the site. not really interested in other pythons to be honest, later I might branch out but for now I will pass. Thanks for the links though. I sent Brian an email to inquire about female normals, we will see what he says.

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His site is really outdated, but I believe his contact is there. If not, here's his email: rseib73@gmail.com
I've purchased a ball python from him last year. She's my best snake right now.
I see his BP adds on Kingsnake classifieds all the time, so I know he has ball pythons.

Alright, well I emailed both to see what they had in stock. Thanks a lot for the help Satomi :) I just don't want to have my pets shipped if I can avoid it. I would rather buy local and stay local so I can go in and see them before I decide to buy them. And shipping is intensely expensive (which sucks too) I just don't see the point in shipping normals ya know, so I like this idea, we will see what they say about them and I will go from there since they are close.

If they don't have any normals in stock, you can try East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley. They're a little expensive, but they still have healthy animals.
Way better than going to a Petco/Petsmart.

Good luck.

I don't go to petsmart or petco. They are overpriced for unhealthy animals. Can't stand em! Berkeley I might avoid if I can. It is a little far away and I would still like to avoid shipping if it is at all possible. Thanks though :)

Brian Gundy got back to me pretty immediately. I am calling him later in the afternoon and I am going to set up a time next week to go and pick out a female. Great pricing and it is in the area. I LOVE IT! I'm so excited. Thanks for the help guys!

Yay! Congrats! Be sure to upload lots of pictures of your new girl!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by alpine

I don't go to petsmart or petco. They are overpriced for unhealthy animals. Can't stand em! Berkeley I might avoid if I can. It is a little far away and I would still like to avoid shipping if it is at all possible. Thanks though :)

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i have 3 snakes at the moment but i got my 1st snake at petsmart and tbh its probably my best snake lol, not shy at all never had a bad shed always eats i guess it depends store to store but i know at the petsmart near my home they always seem well taken care of lol

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Originally Posted by Mantra

i have 3 snakes at the moment but i got my 1st snake at petsmart and tbh its probably my best snake lol, not shy at all never had a bad shed always eats i guess it depends store to store but i know at the petsmart near my home they always seem well taken care of lol

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It indeed depends on the particular store. The petsmart I go to always has healthy animals. I got my first ball python there although I would never buy another from there simply because I can find a better source. And I don't really need baby normals :P

Brian is awesome. I'm jealous that you live so close to him. lol... I've talked to him on the phone, since Mississippi is like a billion miles away from him, and he is very nice and helpful.

We are in Fremont, and can tell you to most definitely stay far away from the reptile room in Hayward! We had a terrible experience there. As far as recommendations, I agree with Satomi, the East Bay Vivarium is great. They get some mixed reviews, but that is normally based on employee personalities... They are very knowledgeable and helpful. They also have a great return policy if something 'happens'. Good luck to you! :gj: Oh, and call them first...also, try to make it by there during the week- they get super busy on the weekends and you will be there a while waiting for help.

Qzz


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Well, I got in contact with Brian Gundy and it turns out he is only about 4 miles away from my house. So next Monday I am going in to choose a female normal from the ones he has and then I am going to go back on Friday and buy her :) So very excited. Thank you Satomi for the suggestion, this has turned out wonderfully! :)

You always have to be careful with CL. I have gotten some great deals on CL, and I have also gotten some horrible snakes with mites. There are some breeders that advertise on CL, so it is kind of hit or miss. I just got a 1200 gram normal female today from a guy who is getting out of the hobby/business for $75.