Ball Python Breeders?

I'm looking into getting a ball python soon but not sure where to get one. Everyone says to get one from a breeder and not a big pet store chain, but where? I'm in North Carolina. I've tried to look up breeders online that can ship but was not sure who to trust. Some websites hadn't been updated since like 2005. Anyone that y'all would suggest?

Thanks!

Check out morphmarket.com

I like the following and think they are trustworthy (I'm sure I'm missing some good ones as well):

Royal Constrictor Designs (the guy's name is Garrick DeMeyer....HUGE inventory, good reputation)......I would start here

BHB Reptiles (Brian Barczyk, BIG name in the reptile industry, good breeder, I can't think of a guy that sells more snakes...also runs a popular Youtube channel)

Bob Clark (longtime breeder in the industry, known for quality Reticulated pythons but he produces a lot of good BP's as well)....occasionally has KILLER deals on auctions on his Facebook page.



MorphMarket or Kingsnake.com are a collection of breeders (most are good, some are not). Think of it as a Craigslist for reptiles.....I would encourage you to go with what you were told and avoid large pet store type shops and herp farms.

Don't overlook the classifieds section on this site however. There are a lot of GREAT breeders here as well....

Personally I have problems communicating with the real large breeders that have thousands of snakes, I think I get lost in the crowd. I prefer to buy from the smaller breeder, communication is instant and they will text or email you right away in most cases. I pretty much buy everything from Morphmarket anymore.

If you want to buy local, MorphMarket has map that shows the locations of the different sellers. It looks like there are quite a few in NC:

https://www.morphmarket.com/us/stores/map/?cat=reps


So long as you do your due diligence on researching who you plan to buy from you should be fine.

Don't forget that you should pick a breeder that is also feeding according to your preference in prey. If you are against feeding live and plan on feeding f/t, find a breeder that is already feeding f/t before selling. Once you find something you like, call them up or email if you do not like phone calls and talk to them, ask some questions and make sure you are comfortable with them before even thinking of buying. If they brush you off or are rude, chances are they are not a good breeder and you risk the chance of getting a less than healthy snake. Breeders are there for one thing, to sell their product. If they don't take the time to answer a customer's question, what time are they taking to take care of their livestock?

Before even setting foot into the wonderful world of noodles, make sure you get the best habitat you can afford for them. Do you have something in mind and have you researched some of the care techniques? Best to get the enclosure squared away before they come home.

We have amazing reputable breeders right here on the forum! :gj:

There is an exceptional breeder in NC. You can look him up or contact him through IG.

@ssscales

There are good breeders in NC both are on Facebook and both attend NC shows (Charlotte, Raleigh) and SC show (Columbia)

Wreckroom Snakes

Royal Reptilia

There is the Charlotte show in December, and if you do not mind the drive there is the Columbia show this weekend in SC

Are there any local reptile shows coming up near you? You maybe could do a combined online / reptile reconnaissance? The above breeders that have been listed are stellar!

I'm a newbie myself, so other experienced breeders and owners may have better advice. There were a couple morph's I liked. And for my price range, it came down to a female BEL. I did some initial research to see what average price was on a BEL on Morph Market. I went to a few local reptile shows, and talked to some breeders and looked at their prices, and get a feel for their personality. I found a breeder that had his own line of BEL, he had a great reputation, and his price was on par with what I had seen online. With his good reputation, I was comfortable pre-paying for my BEL, and picked her up at a local show.

The other nice thing is if you can find a good local show, you can pick up supplies for your new beep. :)

Have fun researching!

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Originally Posted by Quahog

Are there any local reptile shows coming up near you? You maybe could do a combined online / reptile reconnaissance? The above breeders that have been listed are stellar!

I'm a newbie myself, so other experienced breeders and owners may have better advice. There were a couple morph's I liked. And for my price range, it came down to a female BEL. I did some initial research to see what average price was on a BEL on Morph Market. I went to a few local reptile shows, and talked to some breeders and looked at their prices, and get a feel for their personality. I found a breeder that had his own line of BEL, he had a great reputation, and his price was on par with what I had seen online. With his good reputation, I was comfortable pre-paying for my BEL, and picked her up at a local show.

The other nice thing is if you can find a good local show, you can pick up supplies for your new beep. :)

Have fun researching!

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Also keep in mind that there are quite a few BEL (blue eyed leucistic) combos out there that all look the same and have different pricing depending on what genes are in the mix or could possibly be in there. This year I'm crossing my Bamboo with a Lesser to get a BEL Bamboo Lesser, probably will sell for quite a bit more than a super Mojave, super lesser, Mojave lesser, Russo Lesser, Russo Mojave, etc... My Bamboo Lesser would probably be double the price because of the Bamboo gene. You also can't tell what other genes are in there so you could have multiple other genes in that white snake (possible genes) that could also bring the price up (assuming you start with multiple gene parents). Shopping for a BEL by price alone is a bit tricky. Make sure that you find out what genes are in your BEL in case you ever want to breed her or have to sell her. The cool thing about my Bamboo Lesser BEL is that it is 'allelic' meaning that if you breed with a Normal you won't get any normals, half will be lessers and half will be Bamboos!

Okay, thanks everyone! I did not know the forum had a classified section, I'll look into that too!

And SDA, I do already have a enclosure set up! You actually helped me on a question I had about it a few days ago. I got everything set up now and the temps and humidity are all right! I've done a ton of research to making everything right. Thanks for the help.

There is a repticon show coming up not this weekend but the next in Raleigh which is only an hour and a half away from me!

Statusquo reptiles, he's in Burlington. I got my lesser and inferno from him. Really good guy.

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Originally Posted by Billingsca91

There is a repticon show coming up not this weekend but the next in Raleigh which is only an hour and a half away from me!

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I'll be at this one as well, I live about 15 min from Raleigh.

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Not sure where in NC you are, but there is another reptile show coming up this month in Raleigh! 18th-19th at the statefair grounds. It's pretty nice and you can always grab business cards and talk to each breeder. I'd reccomend looking up the shows vendor list and looking for any existing reviews of each breeder beforehand.

I'll be going myself since I enjoyed the last experience I had there.

and of course there's morphmarket.

but I'll also cast my vote for Garrick/Royal Constrictor Designs 100% Great guy, great service, great healthy snakes and he's easy to stay in touch with even after your purchase! You can definitely buy in confidence with him.

edit: aha oops seems you already know about the show! Haha I guess I might see some of you there!

Ohhhhhh sounds like a really cool project cchardwick! Glad you brought up the genes thing, LOL! People's brains do go beyond "Oh look snake with blue eyes and white scales" ;)!

Enjoy the reptile show(s)!

I've had a good recent experience with Noble Reptiles. I believe they were vending the Raliegh NC show (the last one) and may be doing so again. I think they are located in Arkansas, but am not sure.

She communicated well, answered questions about feeding, etc. and shipping / payment went well. The animal I got from her was very healthy, eating like a champ, and mite-free. I'd buy from her again.

He is more into high-end $ designer morphs, but I got excellent communication and customer service from Justin Kobylka, he is pretty famous in the reptile breeding world, and is right next door in Georgia (I'm in NC too). I also contacted Fire-ball reptiles, and the communication was very quick and answered my questions as a proper businessman should.

Our own Deborah aka Stewart Reptiles will answer all your questions in detail, she is top notch when it comes to knowledge and experience with snakes.:gj:

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

The cool thing about my Bamboo Lesser BEL is that it is 'allelic' meaning that if you breed with a Normal you won't get any normals, half will be lessers and half will be Bamboos!

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These snakes never cease to amaze me.

Recently, I bought a pastel banana BP for my daughter's birthday (her request). We're both internet junkies, so we spent a lot of time on the internet researching breeders, morphs, and general care. We ultimately decided to buy from a local reptile store. We certainly paid a little more than we would have from an internet vendor or from the reptile expo we attended a few weeks ago, but we gained a valuable resource by purchasing from a local business/hobbyist. Only after purchasing her BP, did I happen run a search for Bally Pythons on Craigslist. I was surprised at the number of people looking to rehome their snakes. There were a few normals and quite a few attractive morphs (including one beautiful banana). So, my point is... Craigslist might also be worth a look.

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Originally Posted by larryd23

Recently, I bought a pastel banana BP for my daughter's birthday (her request). We're both internet junkies, so we spent a lot of time on the internet researching breeders, morphs, and general care. We ultimately decided to buy from a local reptile store. We certainly paid a little more than we would have from an internet vendor or from the reptile expo we attended a few weeks ago, but we gained a valuable resource by purchasing from a local business/hobbyist. Only after purchasing her BP, did I happen run a search for Bally Pythons on Craigslist. I was surprised at the number of people looking to rehome their snakes. There were a few normals and quite a few attractive morphs (including one beautiful banana). So, my point is... Craigslist might also be worth a look.

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I have bought 7 snakes from craigslist, and all were healthy and nice. (I got lucky, I admit).