Newbie! Picking first BP

Hello everyone.! Not only am i new to the forum but to owning a BP in general. I've gotten a lot of my questions answered about the tank set up and does and donts with set up and also feeding, just by clicking around the forums. I should be setting up my tank today or tomorrow. I want to get humidity and temperatures good before adding the new family member. But I do have a question about actually picking a BP. I believe I've seen people say that an active one is a stressed one. But at my first glance I'd feel like they'd be better. Took my kids to pet store over weekend to see how they'd react to one and they did great. We held one that was very active in tank and one that wasn't. I don't know how much of a difference there activity if any should determine witch one to buy. If that's not a factor then what should I be looking for when looking for one. Any information would help. Thanks a lot on advance.

an "active" BP is not something to be looking for; active BPs are stressed. they spend like 90% of their time hiding when they are properly cared for, and that's what you WANT with a BP.
if you want a more active snake, look into corn snakes. a BP will not live up to your expectations as "active."
what you should be looking for is one that you like!

1. Read this care sheet and decide if a tank is really the right set up for you.
2. Happy ball pythons do not do much so if the animal is running all over the tank there is most likely something wrong.
3. Health is hard to determine by site only if you do not have experience with this animal. You want to look at length to girth ratio, shedding conditions and the presence of parasites. The animal's feeding history is also important.
4. If you like active animals, a ball python is not a good choice for you. They are one step above a pet rock when they are healthy and happy. A rat snake may be a better option.
5. Avoid pet stores. There are many fine breeders on the internet as well as on this board that will guarantee that you receive a quality healthy animal. Most pet stores will not.

It really doesn't matter if the snake is active or not when purchasing,as long as the environment you provide is suitable that "active" snake will chill out &hide 95% of the time,an active snake is a stressed snake but its probally because of the environment they are currently in or couldve been just moved into the tank

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If you want a slightly more active and hardy snake, I would recommend a corn snake. Both snakes hide a lot, but corns are a bit more active when it comes to movement and exploring. They also tend to feed better.

That being said, most snakes are inactive for a lot of the time, and are fairly nocturnal. If you want a more active pet (that doesn't live for 30 years or so!) another type of reptile might be better. You are definitely right to set up the tank and run a test of all the temperatures and humidity before you get your snake though. I also recommend the page Jordan linked as well, the caresheets really helped me get my setup right.

Good luck!

(P.S. Here is a ball python check list for all the things you might need, it's worth having a quick look through to make sure you have everything.)

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Originally Posted by Hlow87

It really doesn't matter if the snake is active or not when purchasing,as long as the environment you provide is suitable that "active" snake will chill out &hide 95% of the time,an active snake is a stressed snake but its probally because of the environment they are currently in or couldve been just moved into the tank

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This is true, however if you do not have the experience to determine if the animal is healthy or not why risk it? A bad decision can result in money lost on the animal itself and a few hundred in vet bills. In my opinion a first time ball python owner should NOT buy from a pet store. Was in one the other day. $100 for a skinny sub-par pastel with stuck shed. Made me sick. If the OP really wants a ball a local breeder with references would be the best bet followed by the recommendations I made earlier.

Welcome! This is a good guide for getting hatchlings established and eating. I dont know how old your snake will but if its a little guy, check out that link. The attention to detail in the beginning pays off.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-hatchling-101

I have a lot of faith in looking for an animal you connect with, both pattern wise and personality. we went to 7 pets stores before buying our first BRB, talking with folks and looking for someone who seemed reasonably competent but most importantly learning what to look for and finding a snake that we connected with. and if there is one thing that should come with everyone's first BP, it's a temp gun!

glad to hear you are setting things up in advance, that is too often the exception when it should be the norm.

Ok. Thanks for all the info so far. I am going to look into finding a breeder in my area as an option. I do want a ball python i really like their calmness. Just didn't know how much of a factor it played buying one on there activity. But while at pet store he did mention they had just received the one that was being very active so I did kind of figure he was a little stressed.

I'd also seriously recommend buying a ball python from a breeder online. You can check out morphmarket and the ball python classifieds groups on facebook (there are a few).

Find a reputable hobby breeder and you'll get a healthy, eating animal for a much lower price than the pet store. The pet store really just has too many unknown health risks + high price. There's no way to spot illnesses or other issues in snakes just by holding and looking at it for a minute (unless the infection is already in an advanced stage... thinking about RI), especially for a beginner.

Don't buy from the pet store. Redshepherd did a pretty good job explaining why... they tend to be disgustingly overpriced and more than most beginners can or want to handle, what with the likelihood of mites and other health issues hitching a ride home with the new critter.

Try attending your locale's next reptile expo. Most places have some within reasonable driving distance, they occur multiple times a year, you get a huge selection of animals you can examine in person and who's breeders you can talk to if you have questions, and I'm sure your kids would probably think it's a blast. Plus prices tend to be more than fair at the expos, and you don't have to pay shipping. They also have tons of reptile related supplies too if you need to stock up, and always for cheaper than any pet store.

I don't think all pet stores are bad and I don't think all private breeders are good (take a look at the post titled "very skinny Ball Python". I personally want to put my hands on pet before I buy, a reptile expo would be ideal but the one closest to me was in 4 hours away when we were ready to buy so it's not always practical. we have two outstanding pet stores locallyl, Denny's pet world and Bridges pets. Bridges does an amazing job with their reptiles and their prices are quite reasonable. I got my Fire Spider there for $150. as for a place like petco it's very hit or miss depending a lot on management, so it's definitely "buyer be where". I try to avoid petco but have to admit that their 50% off reptile sale and $1 a gallon fish tank sale have drawn us in more than once. Our BRB was purchased there for $75 two and a half years ago and has been in perfect health and our Bumblebee was purchased there for $100 and I'm not too ashamed to admit it. One or both my BP's came with mites, not sure which and dealing with that sucked but otherwise all our snakes are shedding and eating readily.

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Originally Posted by Slither Seeker

I don't think all pet stores are bad and I don't think all private breeders are good (take a look at the post titled "very skinny Ball Python". I personally want to put my hands on pet before I buy, a reptile expo would be ideal but the one closest to me was in 4 hours away when we were ready to buy so it's not always practical. we have two outstanding pet stores locallyl, Denny's pet world and Bridges pets. Bridges does an amazing job with their reptiles and their prices are quite reasonable. I got my Fire Spider there for $150. as for a place like petco it's very hit or miss depending a lot on management, so it's definitely "buyer be where". I try to avoid petco but have to admit that their 50% off reptile sale and $1 a gallon fish tank sale have drawn us in more than once. Our BRB was purchased there for $75 two and a half years ago and has been in perfect health and our Bumblebee was purchased there for $100 and I'm not too ashamed to admit it. One or both my BP's came with mites, not sure which and dealing with that sucked but otherwise all our snakes are shedding and eating readily.

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That's great that you found a good pet store/reptile store local to you!

Most people don't have good pet stores near them selling reliably healthy snakes. But everybody has access to online reputable breeders with good reviews and healthy animals.

I personally like to meet an animal before I buy it, but have given very serious consideration to buying from some of the reputable breeders found on here as well as morphmarket.com. If you are able to attend an expo, that's a fantastic way to meet many different animals and vendors. There will almost definitely be a BP there that is what you're looking for. Most expos have info on the internet that lists the vendors who will be there. Do a little studying before you go and have some tables in mind that you definitely want to visit. I have bought from two local reptile shops as well as from expos and have been happy with each animal so far. So it's really a matter of preference. So far, I'm happy with each of my snakes, but am possibly looking for something more specific for my next snake, so I may end up ordering from a reputable breeder.

You're doing your due diligence and starting out on the right foot, so I'm sure you will provide a great home for your animal. Any which way you choose, I'm sure you and your family will enjoy your ball python for many years to come. Good luck and welcome to the forum! :gj:

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Originally Posted by Slither Seeker

I don't think all pet stores are bad and I don't think all private breeders are good (take a look at the post titled "very skinny Ball Python". I personally want to put my hands on pet before I buy, a reptile expo would be ideal but the one closest to me was in 4 hours away when we were ready to buy so it's not always practical. we have two outstanding pet stores locallyl, Denny's pet world and Bridges pets. Bridges does an amazing job with their reptiles and their prices are quite reasonable. I got my Fire Spider there for $150. as for a place like petco it's very hit or miss depending a lot on management, so it's definitely "buyer be where". I try to avoid petco but have to admit that their 50% off reptile sale and $1 a gallon fish tank sale have drawn us in more than once. Our BRB was purchased there for $75 two and a half years ago and has been in perfect health and our Bumblebee was purchased there for $100 and I'm not too ashamed to admit it. One or both my BP's came with mites, not sure which and dealing with that sucked but otherwise all our snakes are shedding and eating readily.

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Yes there are good pet stores. Most of my single and double gene animals are sold at a guess what? Pet store. They take good care of my babies while they are there. I have also purchased animals from that store and never had a problem. I do know however if you buy from them instead of me you will pay anywhere from 25 to 50% more than if I would have sold them direct. That said for every good store I have been in there are three bad ones. There are of course some really shady breeders and show retailers. I give the advice I give because I myself have made mistakes. I have had to pay vet bills because I took a chance I should not have. I have received animals that were not what they were supposed to be. There is no reason for a new owner to take a chance they do not have to take and I would not advise them to. After you have some experience then maybe you want to take a chance here and there, but not when you are first starting out. No reason for anyone to make any of the mistakes I made when there is a place like this that can guide you to the right people and animals.