new owner of a bp

I have been looking at BP's for a while now and i think i am ready to own one. My question is petco a good place to by BP's they have them for sale at 79.99. Also i would like to know about selecting a healthy BP. What are the characteristics to look for in a healthy BP. And i have never owned a snake but i have a leopard gecko and bearded dragon. Thanks for advice in advance.

Please don't go to Petco! Most of their babies are stock from the bottom of the barrel... plus they don't care for them very well. By keeping them all housed together, they expose them to all kinds of bad things: stress, disease, bugs, you name it. Plus, BPs are known to be problem feeders if they're stressed (as surely they would be after being stuck in a cage with six of their sibs). So, the baby you get from Petco probably won't eat well... if at all. (I imagine the reason they're on sale is because the store has too many and is trying to get rid of them---not a good sign, either).


Another very good reason: you can have a perfect, healthy little baby BP shipped to you from a breeder for less than you can buy one at Petco (they totally rip you off!). Check out some of the breeders of here... PM them and see if they have any normal males for sale. Or, check out a local reptile show (though be picky here too!). You'll be happy you did when your little guy shows up fat and happy and eats the very first week!

well i havent bought a BP yet but i was looking at them. I already had a bad experience with petco with a bearded dragon. But yea i dont want to spend more than 80 for one. All the breeders i have seen on then net so fay have been very expensive. Do you personnaly have any links or people names to contact about BP breeders?

Check with Adam---8ballpythons---on here. Shoot him a PM and see if he's got any normal males up for sale.


A lot of breeders just post their morphs... you have to actually ask them about their normal guys.

Ok becuase when i go to alot of breeders websites all i see is there morphs and they are like a thousand dollars.

Normal male ball pythons occur as a matter of course when breeding snakes and in the greater scheme of breeding, they aren't really needed so they tend to be inexpensive to buy. They, however, make lovely pet snakes and if you buy a normal male from a breeder rather than a pet store you'll have a much better experience. Most of those pet store babies are recent captive hatched imports which basically means to you that you have no assurance they've ever taken a meal, no hatch date, no assurance of gender, no guarantee they aren't riddled with internal and external parasites....basically it's a crap shoot with them.

For your first ball python that's just not a great experience for you. There's nothing really wrong with captive hatched if they've been set up properly though. I have a few captive hatched snakes in our collection but they were from Will Bird originally and he does a nice job with them prior to selling them.

You can likely pick up a nice, well started normal male ball python and even with shipping it will be about the same as those pet store prices and you'll avoid the worry and potential feeding problems, vet bills, etc. that can come with these pet store ones.

Just had a peek, for instance, at Bailey Reptiles. http://www.baileyreptiles.com/07available.html

Tim's a member here and he's got some lovely 07 normal males for sale (as well as some possible het males too). Adam at 8Ball is www.8ballpythons.com another wonderful breeder who I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to you for your first snake. Adam's also a well respected and long time member here.

anybody familiar with these guys http://lllreptile.com/? they have baby ball pythons for 19.00. it seems like that is almost to low. And does anybody know about the bailey breeder either? I just want to know if they are good or not.
:rockon:

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Originally Posted by idontknowaname

anybody familiar with these guys http://lllreptile.com/? they have baby ball pythons for 19.00. it seems like that is almost to low. And does anybody know about the bailey breeder either? I just want to know if they are good or not.
:rockon:

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If by Bailey you meen Tim and Monica Bailey of Http://www.Baileyreptiles.com. Tim Or Muddoc on here. Is one of the best guys around.. I can't say enough good things about him. A+

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Originally Posted by idontknowaname

anybody familiar with these guys http://lllreptile.com/? they have baby ball pythons for 19.00. it seems like that is almost to low. And does anybody know about the bailey breeder either? I just want to know if they are good or not.
:rockon:

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The babies aren't very expensive, just make sure you taken into account the cost of shipping when you price one. :)

i was talking about the tim and monica there bp's seemed good and fairly priced. one more thing is it better buy a baby or an older snake or does it not matter at all.

Buying a baby or buying an adult is a matter of preference. Both are a lot of fun.


My personal opinion would be to go for the baby. That way the snake can grow with you... and there's nothing in the world like watching a little worm grow into a big, beautiful snake.

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Originally Posted by idontknowaname

i was talking about the tim and monica there bp's seemed good and fairly priced. one more thing is it better buy a baby or an older snake or does it not matter at all.

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If you buy from Tim he only sales established baby's. Meaning that they will be a month or so old and have eaten regularly and shed a couple of times. Thats what you want to get if you get an older thats fine too just as long as you get it from someone that is reputable.

Shoot Tim an Email or give him a call I know he's got some stuff hatched out he might could give you better ideas of time frames before they are ready.

http://www.crestedgecko.com/ball_python_available.htm

Garrick has really nice animals as well.

What about going to a local show? Sometimes that can be nice because you can see and hold the snake in person and talk to whoever's selling it about it. Just a thought.

those all seem alot better options than petco and most are cheaper. But with shipping it may come out to a little more. thanks to all and hopefully i can get a bp soon

lol, and i got mines from petco, and at the same price, and he's so cute and sweet, he's eating normally, but im concerned about a few thingz going on with his skin, im tryin to get him to the clinic to check it out. :confused:

If I had a choice between Tim and Monica (Bailey Reptiles), PetCo or LLL Reptiles I'd personally go with Bailey. They produce lovely snakes, and have a passion for their animals. You won't find that at any pet store let alone LLL which has a sometimes iffy reputation (some folks love LLL, other have gotten crappy snakes from them). Even if with shipping a breeder raised snake is slightly more, you'll find you save money and stress with having a well started baby versus a possibly non-eating, sickly one that can cost you vet visits and just plain worry.