Source of New Ball

There's a reptile show coming up in March. I was at the last one this month, here in NY. Saw some beautiful snakes and morphs.

Question, as I ready myself to bring home my first...

Is it better to pick one up at the show, where you can see, feel, and get to know your new ball before picking him out? Or, are people getting better specimens from mail-order breeders? I would think the former.

I would say that depends.

You can get a great one at a show, you can look at it, check it over for mites (although they can hide very well) for disease and temperament.

If you buy from a reputable breeder, you can get a great one as well. At a show you always risk cross contamination. Most people are good about using handsanitzer or making sure anyone that handles their snakes uses it. But mites can hitch a ride on shirts, etc.
Of course you could also receive one in the mail with mites.

All mine arrived through FedEx, but I carefully chose who I bought from and I'm happy with every single one. I think the most important part is that you choose carefully WHO you buy from, not just where.

Good luck and looking forward to pictures of your new snake :)

95% of my collection was purchased online, I am picky and rarely have I found an animal that I wanted to buy at the show, buying online offers me a wider variety of choices.

It's all about whom you are buying from, there are great breeders selling both online ad at shows, great breeders only selling online and great breeders only selling at shows just like there are shady people as well online or at shows or people with animals I would not come within 10 feet.

Bottom line doing research on the breeder before the purchase is really a must and you can do so here http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...splay.php?f=13

I personally like to see an animal before I buy, but that's just me. I've never had one shipped from a breeder, but know of plenty of people who have received amazing animals that way. If the breeder is a known, reputable breeder/distributor, I would imagine you'll get a great animal. You'll probably save money at the show. I don't think you can go wrong either way if you know what you want and what to look for health-wise. Maybe check out the show, see if there's a snake there that's for you. You may see one and say to yourself "yup, that's the one". If not, maybe start the online breeder search.

I'm with Deborah on this. Almost all my snakes, came from "mail order". I've been a hobbyist since 86, probably had over 35 misc boas and pythons over the years. Just got to do a little research before you buy. :)

Mine have been shipped but also don't have too many shows here and I'm impulsive when I see something that's just right.

My biggest issue, being new to the hobby, is that I don't really know much about the breeders.... whether at the shows or mail order. So, will see if I can find reliable references on each. And, will check out that site, FaunaClassifieds.com.

Thanks.

Are you looking for a hatchling, juvie or adult ? Does that matter to you ?
Are you looking for a particular morph ?

I'm in the same boat as you , looking for my first also , went to the ny show last week to get ideas .

going to Hamburg pa show next weekend , if you want to share a ride . I'm in Rockaway nj FYI

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zina10

Are you looking for a hatchling, juvie or adult ? Does that matter to you ?
Are you looking for a particular morph ?

---

Definitely not an adult. More than likely a juvie. Though, what's considered a hatchling...1 day? 1 week? Hatchling would be cool too, cause you know you have the snake from its very beginning... feels a little more personal. But, again, what's a hatchling considered?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gsxr1100

going to Hamburg pa show next weekend , if you want to share a ride . I'm in Rockaway nj FYI

---

I didn't know there was a show in Hamburg. Just looked it up, and put all the dates on my calendar. But, that's a slightly OVER 2-hour ride each way, so probably won't work for me. PLUS... the snake tank isn't ready yet. Goal is to have it ready for the March Long Island show (unless I do mail order of course). Good to know about the PA show though, cause on occasion I veture out that way. Not I can plan the venture around future Hamburg dates. :)

I've always considered "Hatchling" up to 350 gr. or so.

However, it is important that a hatchling doesn't get sold (or dragged to shows) until they have shed (few days after hatching) and then have had a few good meals in them. Its what we call an "established" hatchling.
Some people say not to buy one under 100 gr. But I feel the most important part is to get one that has eaten a few meals. Whether it is around 80-90 gr. or over 100 gr. Some just start out smaller then others.

Long story short, this is why its important to buy form a REPUTABLE breeder. They wouldn't sell a hatchling that hasn't eaten a few good meals.

I'm going to revisit this thread... been thinking about it and have some questions...

Being a first-time buyer, and new to the hobby, I have indeed been doing a lot of reading and researching all different aspects to owning a bp.

So... some tips on what I'm looking for if I go to a show and am looking for a new bp. What's normal?

I know I can ask the age and weight, I guess, but what else? Is a breeder supposed to have paperwork on the ball? When it hatched? Its feedings since hatch? If it feeds good or assisted feed? strike feed? Anything else?

I don't know about supposed to, but I think most reputable ones probably will. The breeder I bought from gave me documentation. Feeding records, birth certificate with info on the mother and father. All that stuff.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CharlesMTF

I'm going to revisit this thread... been thinking about it and have some questions...

Being a first-time buyer, and new to the hobby, I have indeed been doing a lot of reading and researching all different aspects to owning a bp.

So... some tips on what I'm looking for if I go to a show and am looking for a new bp. What's normal?

I know I can ask the age and weight, I guess, but what else? Is a breeder supposed to have paperwork on the ball? When it hatched? Its feedings since hatch? If it feeds good or assisted feed? strike feed? Anything else?

---

Feel free to ask the sellers anything and everything you'd like to know! There's nothing worse than getting home with an animal you fell in love with but know little to nothing about and suddenly not being able to reach the seller (or not remembering who they were!). By asking questions, you'll learn very quickly who you want to work with are and who you don't. The same applies when looking online.

Here's a great discussion on Reptile Show Etiquette and what to potentially expect: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...show+etiquette.

As far as records and paperwork, there is no standard. To be 100% transparent, anything a seller does give you is only as good as their word anyway. For some, their word will be gold - for some, it's not worth the paper it's printed on. If I had to guess, most vendors aren't likely to have much in terms of paperwork on them. Once again, this is why good conversation between the buyer and seller is so important.

Most importantly, have fun! There tend to be two types of people at shows: those that come home with something almost every time and those that almost never do. Personally, I fall into the second category because - let's be honest - I'm reeeaaaalllly picky. :P

I agree with Eric. Have fun with it. Look at at many as you can and pick the one that you can't live without.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CharlesMTF

Is it better to pick one up at the show, where you can see, feel, and get to know your new ball before picking him out? Or, are people getting better specimens from mail-order breeders? I would think the former.

---

The part in bold made me LOL. :8:
I love to meet people online and I love to meet people in person and have sold animals in both ways. What kind of breeder does that make me? :confusd: :D :rofl: