axanthic at petco

i saw some axanthic balls at petco (no color at all, completely grayscale) for $80... would that be a good investment or should i stay away just based on the fact that it's petco?

I'm not calling you a liar, but I HIGHLY doubt that they're truely axanthic. Odds are, theyr'e probably normals. :)

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

i saw some axanthic balls at petco (no color at all, completely grayscale) for $80... would that be a good investment or should i stay away just based on the fact that it's petco?

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More than likely it was just an odd ball. but if you like the way it looks then get it and see if it genetic you never know

that's almost too good to be true.

The chances that it is what we in the ball python community call an axanthic are slim. By this I mean a proven genetic morph. You can find normals that don't have (or have lost) their pigment.


Now for the catch...there is always a chance that they (Petco) have imported a potential new morph...it does happen. The "chance" is that you must raise it up and prove it out before it will be anything more than a cool looking normal.

If it turns out to be a new morph then $80 is a steal...if not then you have yourself a cool overpriced normal.

Choice is yours.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

More than likely it was just an odd ball.

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Ha! Is that where that expression came from? :D

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Now for the catch...there is always a chance that they (Petco) have imported a potential new morph...it does happen. The "chance" is that you must raise it up and prove it out before it will be anything more than a cool looking normal.

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Well, I'm pretty sure that petco has NEVER imported a genetic morph that's been proven...those guys in africa know what they have, and the snakes the make it to petco have been picked over 10 times over each time they have changed hands. It would be a 1 in a billion shot that something could make it through and end up at a petco.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

Well, I'm pretty sure that petco has NEVER imported a genetic morph that's been proven...those guys in africa know what they have, and the snakes the make it to petco have been picked over 10 times over each time they have changed hands. It would be a 1 in a billion shot that something could make it through and end up at a petco.

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Actually there is a thread on KS about just this topic and several people have said they purchased snakes that turned out to be morphs at Petco. Several said they got Pastels...but since I never found one i am just passing on what came from others :D

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Actually there is a thread on KS about just this topic and several people have said they purchased snakes that turned out to be morphs at Petco. Several said they got Pastels...but since I never found one i am just passing on what came from others :D

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Do you have a link to that discussion? I can't find it. :confused:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Do you have a link to that discussion? I can't find it. :confused:

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I was reading it several days ago so let me see if I can find it. :)

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

i saw some axanthic balls at petco (no color at all, completely grayscale) for $80... would that be a good investment or should i stay away just based on the fact that it's petco?

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Whether or not its a good investment depends entirely upon what YOU want in a snake, and what your future plans are regarding breeding and such.

Personally...if I had the freedom to buy a snake anytime I saw one I really liked....and I saw one at petco that looked especially axanthic for $80...I might seriously consider buying it. All the while, understanding that it's extremely unlikely that a genetic axanthic snake would be sitting in a petco store for a normal price.....but....I'd enjoy the opportunity to buy the snake and breed it and see what pipped. And if the most likely scenario of nothing genetic proved to be the case....I think $80 is a fine price for an exceptionally pretty "normal."

Sorry, i guess i should have specified. This was back before i ever knew anything about snakes, my friend and i would go to petco and visit the animals. My friend first saw the snake, it was about 2 feet long in one of the large cages and completely greyscale. She thought it was gorgeous, and so did I. Thats honestly when i started seriously thinking about getting a snake. We went back several times over a few months and there were more grey snakes. The large one was gone, but there were babies. They were marked down to 30$, i asked the guy and he said it was because the breeder had to many and they needed to move quickly. I havent seen them there since, and this was around almost a year ago. But i saw them there over a period of several months. I just couldnt help but think that maybe they were from a local breeder or something cool and happen chance like that.

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Actually there is a thread on KS about just this topic and several people have said they purchased snakes that turned out to be morphs at Petco. Several said they got Pastels...but since I never found one i am just passing on what came from others :D

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

I just couldnt help but think that maybe they were from a local breeder or something cool and happen chance like that.

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Any local breeder who would sell animals to pet co should go to Hell. :P

I hearsd that Gormey Rodent suplies PetCo with its herps? And Ben Renick, and me had a convo about the genetic morphs that came out of petco!! Pastels, a genetic stripe,albino ...:O

There is a picture that i think is the closest to what i saw at petco... only smaller

http://www.jasons-jungle.com/Picture.../axbpm1-01.jpg

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Originally Posted by stangs13

I hearsd that Gormey Rodent suplies PetCo with its herps? And Ben Renick, and me had a convo about the genetic morphs that came out of petco!! Pastels, a genetic stripe,albino ...:O

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Pastel, maybe but not likely. Gstripe or Albino, no way no how. As far as I am aware, Petco still gets all their Balls (imports) from Gourmet Rodent. I don't believe they allow individual stores to purchase from local breeders. Basically, don't count on seeing these animals at Petco.

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Pastel, maybe but not likely. Gstripe or Albino, no way no how. As far as I am aware, Petco still gets all their Balls (imports) from Gourmet Rodent. I don't believe they allow individual stores to purchase from local breeders. Basically, don't count on seeing these animals at Petco.

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Thats what ben told me, maybe he will show his head.:D

I don't know about any other PetCo but the one here in Toledo isn't even allowed to buy rats off me, even though the manager figures my extras would be a lot nicer than some of what they get in (very VERY boring selection ratwise here in Toledo). I got the impression that corporate policy was not to buy "privately".

anyone breeding axanthics knows exactly what they are breeding and would never let one go for those prices...

Tim Bailey told me a few months ago who it is that sells the balls to PetCo. Maybe he will see this and chime in.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

There is a picture that i think is the closest to what i saw at petco... only smaller

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Well.... showing us a pic of a BP that clearly is axanthic and saying "it looked kinda like this," really doesn't get you anywhere. We're just debating if snakes at petco would be axanthic... we already know what axanthics look like. :)
Not being rude- just constructive criticism. ;)

It wasn't to show you what an axanthic is. Im sure you all do if i do. It was just to show what it closely resembled in case its a common occurrance in balls, and that it could have been just a "pretty snake".

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Originally Posted by Sausage

Well.... showing us a pic of a BP that clearly is axanthic and saying "it looked kinda like this," really doesn't get you anywhere. We're just debating if snakes at petco would be axanthic... we already know what axanthics look like. :)
Not being rude- just constructive criticism. ;)

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I saw this baby at a pet store several months ago... it came in with imports.... I had my camera with me, so I snapped a few pix.... (it was not for sale)...


I thought it was extremely light and faded.... but still different from an axanthic...
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...ers/SnS029.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...ers/SnS028.jpg

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Originally Posted by Laooda

I saw this baby at a pet store several months ago... it came in with imports.... I had my camera with me, so I snapped a few pix.... (it was not for sale)...


I thought it was extremely light and faded.... but still different from an axanthic...
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...ers/SnS029.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...ers/SnS028.jpg

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Looks like a WC ghost to me.. I'd would have snatched that crap up

I've seen bad lighting turn stuff funny colors. I'd ask to take the snake out of the encloser and take a look at it in sunlight. I've seen stuff turn green, purple, brown, yellow, grey, washed out, etc in different lighting. The bulbs look standard but light up different. Only way to find out is to take the snake into sunlight.

Snap a pic for us.

But yeah, even a nice looking normal is worth the $80.

It wasn't for sale... :oops:

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Originally Posted by Laooda

It wasn't for sale... :oops:

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Thats got to tell you something.. It really interesting thats for sure

yea, that's why I still have the pix... Oh well! :rolleyes:

I was mainly wondering if this was similar to what she saw at Petco....

well.... no. It was grey. like gunmetal greys. I mean, at this point i'm ready to accept that they mighta had the wrong sticker on the cages and that it was a different kinda snake. Tho im positive it was a ball.

BUT just yesterday they did have one baby that looks exactly like the one pictured above. I did happen to snap some pics. It wasnt as faded as the one in the picture above, but damn near close. I dont know if i can get it off my phone though.

of course, my friend has brought to my attention that rat snakes can be greyscale, and grow pretty large....

There's been a lot of imported stuff that looks "different" and then shed once, and go right back to normal.

If you've ever thumbed through an import bin fresh in, you can see all kinds of crazy stuff...some of them look almost stonewashed, acid-burnt, grey, black....just normals though. Ball pythons are so variable, just another reason why they're my absolute favorite!

so does anyone know where petco gets its balls from i bought mine there last october- i had not found this site yet and i did not know any better -but he/she so far touch wood has been perfect. He's never bit anyone -just leave him alone when he's shedding and has eaten every week for me and when i got him, he was eating live i moved him to f/t-alot easier for me. sO I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THERE BALLS ARE C/B OR W/C OR C/H- DOES ANYONE KNOW??

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Originally Posted by pavy

so does anyone know where petco gets its balls from i bought mine there last october- i had not found this site yet and i did not know any better -but he/she so far touch wood has been perfect. He's never bit anyone -just leave him alone when he's shedding and has eaten every week for me and when i got him, he was eating live i moved him to f/t-alot easier for me. sO I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THERE BALLS ARE C/B OR W/C OR C/H- DOES ANYONE KNOW??

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They are CH.